Under Secretary Paula Dobriansky Announces Administration’s Draft Legislation on Special Immigrant Visa

Today in Geneva, at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' international conference on Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons, the U.S. Head of Delegation, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, announced that the Bush Administration is sending to Congress draft special immigrant visa (SIV) legislation. The proposed legislation gives the Secretary of State the worldwide authority, under exceptional circumstances, to lower the number of years a Foreign Service National (FSN) must work in order to be eligible for the existing SIV program from 15 to 3 years. The Under Secretary also endorsed the intent of Senate Bill 1104 introduced by Senators Kennedy and Lugar, and H.R. 1790 introduced by Representatives Berman and Fortenberry. Both Bills seek to expand the existing law on SIV to allow as many as 1,500 interpreters under Departments of Defense and State authority, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, access to the SIV program.

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