Compliance Follow-Up Review of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program

What OIG Reviewed
Following the Department of State (Department) evacuation and suspension of operations at U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 31, 2021, multiple congressional committees requested that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) review the status of previous OIG recommendations made concerning the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. In June 2020, OIG reported¹ that the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ (CA) method for collecting, verifying, and reporting Afghan SIV application processing times was inconsistent and potentially flawed. In that report, OIG made three recommendations to CA to address deficiencies. In June 2020, OIG also reported² that the Department’s staffing was insufficient to reduce the Afghan SIV application backlog and contributed to delays in processing Afghan SIVs. In addition, the Department lacked a centralized database to document the identity of Afghan SIV applicants and relied on multiple interoperable IT systems. OIG made six recommendations to address deficiencies. OIG conducted this compliance follow-up review from January to July 2022 to determine whether the Department’s actions to implement recommendations from OIG’s prior review of the Afghan SIV program improved the deficiencies identified.

What OIG Recommends
OIG is closing the remaining prior open recommendation and made nine new recommendations that are intended to further improve the Afghan SIV program. On the basis of the Department’s response to a draft of this report, OIG considers three recommendations unresolved and six recommendations resolved, pending further action. A synopsis of the Department’s comments and OIG’s reply follow each recommendation in the Results section. The Department’s response is reprinted in Appendix D and OIG’s reply is in Appendix E.

What OIG Found
CA’s actions to address prior OIG recommendations provided minor improvements to quarterly reporting but did not improve methods for collecting or verifying Afghan SIV application processing times. Specifically, CA established a standard operating procedure (SOP) for calculating the average processing time for Afghan SIV applications. However, the Department continued to use inconsistent methods for calculating average processing times because the SOP did not provide sufficiently detailed guidance and did not encompass the entire Afghan SIV process. In addition, although CA included explanations in its quarterly reports for failures to process applications within 9 months, the Department lacked internal controls for verifying Afghan SIV data, resulting in inaccurate information. Failure to report accurate processing times hinders Department leadership’s ability to address program deficiencies and make timely improvements.

OIG also found that, despite taking some recommended actions, the Department continues to face a significant Afghan SIV application backlog. Specifically, the Department appointed an SIV Senior Coordinating Official (SCO), conducted a multi-bureau staffing assessment, utilized a Department of Defense (DoD) database for employment verification, and provided protections to Afghans in imminent danger through safe havens and humanitarian parole.

Notwithstanding these actions, OIG found the SCO is not sufficiently coordinating and monitoring the implementation of improvements to the SIV program. In addition, the SCO did not ensure sufficient staffing to address the Afghan SIV application backlog. The Department has also struggled to complete applicant employment verification because of limited coordination with DoD. Furthermore, the Department has not prioritized SIV functionality within its consular system modernization process. These deficiencies have contributed to Afghan SIV applicant processing times exceeding the 9-month goal set by Congress and may have delayed vulnerable Afghan allies from reaching safety in the United States.

_{1 OIG, Management Assistance Report: Quarterly Reporting on Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program Needs Improvement (AUD-MERO-20-34, June 2020).
2 OIG, Review of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program (AUD-MERO-20-35, June 2020).}