US Department of State Announces Launch of Afghan Family Reunification Page

The US Department of State said it is launching an Afghan family reunification landing page, which contains information on how Afghans in the United States can reunite with their family members, depending on their immigration status or method of entry to the US.

After the Taliban entered Kabul and the evacuation process from Kabul in August 2021 caused some families to separate, some left their family members in Afghanistan and moved to the United States.

In a statement released on Monday, the State Department said that since August 2021, the United States has supported the reunification and resettlement of Afghan families. “Although the United States has been able to successfully reunify some families, others remain separated, and continue to experience hardship and challenges. The purpose of this reunification landing page is to help those families which are still separated,” it read.

Individuals seeking reunification with family members in Afghanistan may have different avenues to pursue reunification depending on their immigration status or method of entry to the United States. The US State Department’s family reunification landing page can help identify pathways and guide individuals on how to begin the applicable process for: U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), refugees, asylees, and Afghan parolees, including those subsequently granted temporary protected status.

The landing page will be located on a new section of the Department’s Afghanistan Inquiries page, and the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan and the USCIS websites which will direct individuals seeking reunification with their family members to the available pathways.

This comes against the backdrop of the State Department recently emphasising that the US will use every tool appropriate to see that the Taliban lives up to the commitments that it has made to the Afghan people. Citing Taliban’s commitment to uphold Afghanistan’s women, its girls, its religious minorities and ethnic minorities’ rights, the Department’s spokesperson Ned Price said that the Taliban has not lived up to these commitments.

He said that the international community will continue to expect that the Taliban meet the commitments they have made to the Afghan people in key areas.

The Us State Department also said that it is seeking a regular transfer of power to an inclusive government in Afghanistan. It said that the country's commitment to the Afghan people is sustainable and continues its efforts to form an inclusive government. "Our commitment to the people of Afghanistan is enduring," the ministry's statement said. "We will continue to push for an orderly transition of power to an inclusive government with broad support, especially women and minorities."

The Department added that the United States will use every diplomatic, economic, political and aid tool at its disposal to protect the fundamental rights of the Afghan people.