US President Joe Biden's administration has reached a compromise deal with Republicans in House of Representatives to lift the number of resettlement visas for Afghans who worked for the United States, US lawmakers said on Tuesday.
The congressionally-authorized limit of 38,500 Special Immigration Visas (SIVs), which offer a path to US citizenship, had been expected to be reached sometime around the August anniversary of the 2021 US troop withdrawal.
The Republican who leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Michael McCaul, said the agreement would allow for 12,000 more visas. The Biden administration and Senate Republican lawmakers had sought 20,000.
"The White House and Congressional leaders have agreed to grant 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan nationals who assisted the United States," McCaul announced during a hearing, adding it would be in the State Department's foreign operations funding bill.
Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and led the drive in the House to raise the SIV ceiling, confirmed the 12,000 figure to Reuters.