Afghan Adjustment of Status (AOS) Project

Thank you so much for joining our effort to assist Afghan asylees apply for Adjustment of Status (AOS) in the United States!

Project Background and Overview

After years of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, our country officially withdrew its presence in August of 2021. Almost immediately, the Taliban overthrew the government and seized power, throwing the country into chaos. This chaos continues today. Many Afghans have died and thousands more are being hunted, looking for a way to escape. Some have been fortunate enough to enter the United States and have since applied for asylum or another status. But asylum is not permanent status. Now, in order to call the U.S. home permanently, these asylees need to file to adjust their status to that of Legal Permanent Resident (LPR). LPR status is often referred to as having a “green card” and is a pathway to citizenship.

Ways You Can Help

Pro Bono Attorney

Pro bono attorneys can sign up to assist an Afghan newcomer, and likely their family member(s), in completing and submitting their AOS application. As a pro bono attorney, you must have an active law license anywhere in the United States. For this project, attorneys will provide representation to your client while preparing their adjustment of status application. While the amount of time required to complete a case varies widely, we anticipate that most cases will require approximately 20 hours of attorney time over a 1-2 month period.

Attorneys will also submit these applications on behalf of clients, and may even attend their interviews. Interviews are not always required, but often are. They may not be scheduled for an interview for months, or even a year or two, and our funding for this project may not be in place at that time. We will provide support for as long as possible, and you will be able to withdraw representation should we be unable to support you.

Provide Administrative Assistance

If you aren’t a licensed attorney, you can still help! Admin volunteers will be paired with attorneys and will assist in filling out the forms and preparing all the documents. Similar to the attorney role, the amount of time required can vary widely, but we anticipate that in most cases, 10 hours of time over a 1-2 month period is required.

Serve as a An Interpreter

While VECINA does have access to interpretation services through our current funder, having an interpreter assigned to a case is incredibly helpful! Many Afghans have experienced significant trauma, speaking to their attorney through a designated interpreter in their heart language helps them feel at ease. In order to participate in this project as an interpreter, you must be fluent in English and Dari or Pashto.

Donate

As always, we can’t do what we do without our supporters! We would love for you to donate to support this project, as well as VECINA’s other work fighting for immigrant justice. Donations of any amount are appreciated!

VECINA Support

If you take on an AOS case under our project, you can expect the following support:

Training

VECINA has created an online training/resource bank for anyone assisting an Afghan national with their adjustment of status application. All of our training modules are set up in “bite size pieces” so that you can review content as needed instead of watching a long webinar. In the training course you will find videos, checklists, templates and samples which provide a great foundational support as you work through the AOS application.

Group Mentorship

Even with the robust training course, we know that you’ll have lots of questions. Our group mentorship model is set up cohort style, so you’ll meet regularly with a VECINA mentor and several other pro bono teams to talk through your strategy and questions. Then we have regular virtual office hours where you are welcome anytime to ask questions, or just to listen!

If you’d like to sign up for our project, please fill out the form below and we will be touch. Welcome to the team!

Afghan Adjustment of Status (AOS) Project Sign-Up

Sign up to volunteer as an attorney or admin for our Afghan AOS Project, which helps Afghan nationals apply to adjust their status in the United States from asylee to Legal Permanent Resident (LPR).

"*" indicates required fields

Name*

First Last

Phone Number*

Email Address*

Preferred Pronouns

City, State and Country where you are located*

City State / Province / Region Country

In what role would you like to volunteer?*

You can volunteer as an attorney/DOJ accredited representative, admin support, or interpreter. Please note that to volunteer as an attorney, you must have an active law license. It doesn’t matter what state you are licensed in, as immigration law is federal law. If you are a law graduate who is still pending admission to the Bar, you will need to sign up as an admin volunteer until you are admitted. To be an interpreter for this project, you must be fluent in English and either Dari or Pashto.

How many AOS applications are you willing to work on? There are no derivatives for AOS applications; each applicant needs to file their own application. Please keep this in mind when answering this question, as most families consist of more than one person.*

*Large families can be split up among different attorneys or representatives when needed.

Do you agree to work on this case on a pro bono basis?*

Yes

*Please note that VECINA is only able to provide mentorship on cases that are represented pro bono.

Are you able to begin working on a case right away?*

When will you be able to begin working on a case?*

Would you like to be paired with anyone specific, and/or would you like an admin support volunteer, for your team?*

*If you would like to be paired with a specific volunteer on a case, please let us know who that person is and whether that person would be volunteering as an attorney, administrative support, or interpreter. *If you are an attorney working alone or working with a team where there are multiple principal applicants, please let us know if you would like is to assign an admin support volunteer to work with you on this case. These admin support volunteers are usually from the Villanova Interdisciplinary Immigration Studies Training for Advocates (VIISTA) and are training to become accredited representatives in immigration matters. They have a wonderful skill set and are eager to help!

Are you willing to assist with Family Reunification Applications for an assigned AOS client?*

Some Adjustment of Status applicants would like to apply for family members overseas to join them in the U.S. Asylees and Refugees are able to file a Form I-730 for their legal spouses and/or unmarried children under 21. Please let us know if this is something you’d be able to help with (we do have a training and will support you!).

Do you have any experience working on immigration matters and/or with adjustment of status applications?*

Do you speak Dari or Pashto fluently?*

Please note it is not necessary or required that you speak Dari or Pashto in order to work on this project, unless you are signing up in the interpreter role.

Are there any periods over the next three months when you know you will be unavailable to take a case?*

This would include things such as vacations, etc. You can always let us know later if your availability changes.

How did you hear about the Afghan Adjustment of Status Project?*

Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your reasons for choosing to volunteer with this project?

Phone

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