Special Visa Program:- A program that resettles in the United States Afghans who worked with the U.S. government could grind to a halt later this year, stranding thousands at risk of Taliban retribution following the 2021 U.S. troop pullout from Afghanistan.

The congressionally authorized limit of 38,500 Special Immigration Visas (SIVs), which offer a path to U.S. citizenship, is expected to be reached around August, and it looks unlikely that the divided U.S. Congress will approve a U.S. administration request for 20,000 more.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told a briefing that the U.S. administration has "urged Congress to raise the cap." RFE/RL/SP