The Biden administration is planning to allow tens of thousands of Afghans brought to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover of their homeland to apply to stay and work in the country legally for at least another two years, as efforts in Congress to legalize them have stalled, three people familiar with the plan told CBS News.
The decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will give Afghan evacuees an opportunity to renew their temporary work permits and protections from deportation under a humanitarian immigration policy known as parole, which was used on a massive scale in 2021 and 2022 to resettle them.
Eligible Afghans will be allowed to submit an online application with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to request a renewal of their parole classification, the sources said, requesting anonymity to discuss the policy decision before its public announcement. The agency, one of the sources said, is planning to start accepting renewal requests in June.
USCIS will also set up at least five support centers across the U.S. to connect Afghans with lawyers in the coming months so they can help evacuees apply for parole renewals and immigration benefits that grant them permanent legal status, such as asylum, the sources added.
Angelo Fernández Hernández, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said the department was working to "provide guidance" to Afghans paroled into the country "as soon as possible."
"DHS remains committed to supporting Afghan nationals...
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