Dear Resettlement Partners-
Please see these timely updates on the APA program.
Continuing Resolution Update
This afternoon, the Senate passed an FY 2022 Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government through December 3, 2021, which was quickly passed by the House. We expect that President Biden will sign it later this evening. This legislation does four important things:
-
Afghans who entered the U.S. with humanitarian parole are authorized to receive refugee resettlement benefits. The legislation authorizes Afghans arriving with humanitarian parole to receive the same services as refugees (admitted under Section 207 of the INA), including ORR assistance, reception and placement, and other entitlement programs like food assistance. This includes Afghan parolees deemed to be unaccompanied children eligible for Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) services. Please note that eligible Afghans are those paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021 and September 30, 2022; or those paroled into the United States after September 30, 2022, and, either the spouse or child of such a parolee or the parent or legal guardian of an unaccompanied child paroled during that period. We do not yet have clarification from PRM as to whether or not this means that Afghans will be resettled through R&P or the recently stood up APA program, stay tuned for additional guidance as soon as we have it.
-
The federal government receives supplemental funding for this purpose, including an additional $1.68 billion for Afghans arriving with humanitarian parole, as well as an additional $2.5 billion for unaccompanied children and an authorization for an apportioned rate of spend for all other ORR populations. The State Department’s humanitarian assistance accounts receive an additional $2.2 billion, and USCIS receives an additional $193 million related to Operation Allies Welcome and is permitted to spend at a rate for operations of $250 million toward the reduction of the asylum and refugee backlogs.
-
The federal government is required to expedite consideration of Afghan parolees’ asylum applications. The legislation requires DHS to conduct the initial interview on the asylum application no later than 45 days after the date on which the application is filed and, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, issue a final administrative adjudication on the asylum application within 150 days after the date the application is filed.
- The legislation deems Afghan parolees eligible for a driver’s license or identification card under Section 202 of the REAL ID Act of 2005.
APA Cooperative Agreement
A copy of the APA Cooperative Agreement is now available on MRS Connect for your reference. USCCB is working to finalize award letters and MOU’s and will send them out to sites in the coming days.
One Drive Updates
As of tomorrow October 1st, 2021, your September Assured and Non-Assured biodata spreadsheets will begin to migrate to a new sub-folder in your APA file.
That new folder is titled: your Affiliate code + September 2021 [PAUSCC03 – September 2021]. This should have no impact on your ability to view and edit your spreadsheets. The September spreadsheets are simply being moved. The September spreadsheets will be replaced by new Assured and Non-Assured biodata spreadsheets for the month of October. You can view and edit these just as you did before.
If you are ever confused about what month file you are viewing, please glace at the tabs on the bottom row of the spreadsheet. On the tab, the first number is the month. The second number after the period represents the day. Therefore, 9.30 is September 30th and 10.1 is October 1st.
CC-OKC/RCUSA Cares Act Recording
Yesterday on our APA call, I mentioned a recording of a meeting with Executive Director of Catholic Charities, Oklahoma City, Patrick Raglow and colleagues from RCUSA. The call highlights an approach that their state is using to welcome Afghans in their community using funding from the CARES Act to support initial temporary housing and potentially more permanent housing, if needed. Mr. Raglow also briefly describes their service model of a “one stop shop” for community services that they hope will enable them to welcome high numbers of arrivals. The recording is available on MRS Connect.
The USCCB team is very grateful for your creative problem solving, effort to grow your capacity as quickly as possible and patience as we are developing this program as it is being implemented. Please continue to reach out to the USCCB team with your concerns and ideas.
In Solidarity and Appreciation,
Rachel Pollock
Director, Resettlement Services
USCCB| Migration and Refugee Services
