U.S. expands visa program for some Iraqis

BAGHDAD — The U.S. Embassy on Thursday launched an expanded immigration program that provides 5,000 more visas each year for Iraqis who have put themselves at risk by working for the U.S. government.

The new guidelines represent a tenfold increase in the number of visas and extend the applicable categories beyond an existing program for interpreters to include all Iraqis who have worked for the U.S. government, the military or related contractors and subcontractors.

The Bush administration has come under criticism from advocacy groups and lawmakers for how it has dealt with Iraqi employees who have frequently been targeted by anti-U.S. insurgents seeking to derail American efforts to stabilize the country.

Richard Albright, the embassy's senior coordinator for refugee issues, called the new program "a significant step toward fulfilling our obligation of providing safe haven for those brave Iraqi citizens who risked their lives in order to serve the United states and a free Iraq."

"It is a response to the view that we have special obligations to Iraqis who have been employed by us," he added during remarks at a news conference outlining the program.

The special immigrant visa program applies to all Iraqis who have "worked for or on behalf of the United States government for at least 12 months" since the U.S.-led invasion on March 20, 2003, according to the guidelines.

Applicants must prove they served the United States and have experienced serious threat as a result of that employment.

Their spouses and unmarried minor children also can receive visas in addition to the 5,000 that will be provided annually for five years, Albright said.

The program was created by a defense authorization act that was signed into law in January.

The measure also increases the role of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as applicants must apply to it by e-mail and the consular section will conduct a limited number of visa interviews in Baghdad. There will be no visa or petition fees.

The plan is separate from a refugee program that also has seen a rising number of Iraqis admitted into the United States since the Bush administration announced a goal of 12,000 by the end of September.

Albright said the benefits are similar, including a loan to pay for transportation to the United States, as well as housing and health care for up to eight months.