Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) has provided resettlement services to the 4,500+ Afghan Allies throughout Maryland and Virginia, the largest number of on the East Coast since Summer 2021. In comparison, LSSNCA’s previous highest resettlement was 1,625 individuals from around the world, over an entire year in Fiscal Year 2017.
LSSNCA has resettled Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders in the Washington D.C. metro area since the creation of the SIV program in 2008. Prior to Summer 2021, 94 - 98% of LSSNCA's program participants resettled through the SIV program.
In August 2021 there was a hurried evacuation from Afghanistan. In addition to those with the SIV stamp in their passport, many other thousands were granted humanitarian parole status. This new program, the Afghan Placement and Assistance Program (APA), was established to quicken the evacuation of Afghan nationals. Humanitarian parole status does not offer permanent legal residency in the U.S., but the U.S. government did extend the status to last up to two years. LSSNCA continues to fight alongside the community for the passage of the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act.
