"The Special Immigrant Visa program was enacted by Congress in 2007 for Iraqis who helped the military, other parts of the American government and military contractors. It authorized 5,000 special visas annually — but only 3,317 were granted through 2011. Iraqis who aided American non-governmental organizations and media outlets can apply under the refugee program and are also having a hard time. But the special visa program has the worst delays.
Because of security vetting, processing has always been slow. The programs came to a near halt last year when two Iraqis living in Kentucky were charged with providing arms and money to Al Qaeda. The Obama administration then imposed additional security checks on all applicants. Approval in the Special Immigrant Visa program is now taking at least a year.$$ The American government never kept track of how many Iraqis it employed, so no one knows how many thousands of Iraqis are potentially eligible for admission. It is unclear exactly how many thousands of those Iraqis have visa applications pending. The administration refused to disclose a number last week.
Last July, the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project at the Urban Justice Center, a nonprofit, put the estimate at 62,000 Iraqis, including 29,000 who worked for the Americans, plus their family members. The group now says it has been told that 19,000 cases were dropped from the process, perhaps because people went into hiding, or they were just lost track of. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently used a figure of 15,000 Special Immigrant Visa applicants.
The United States has a responsibility to rigorously screen visa applicants and ensure they pose no threat to this country. The process needs to be transparent and accountable — and it needs to work expeditiously."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/opinion/sunday/unfinished-business-in-iraq.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211
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