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U.S. to give thousands of Iraqis visas
24.7.2008
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July
24, 2008
BAGHDAD, — Thousands of Iraqis who fear being
killed because they worked for the American
government or military in Iraq will be awarded visas
allowing them to settle permanently in the United
States, the U.S. embassy said.
The embassy said on Thursday a new visa scheme would
allow 5,000 Iraqis in each year during a five-year
period starting last month.
"With the launch of this special immigrant program,
we take a significant step toward ... providing safe
haven to those brave Iraqi citizens who risked their
lives in order to serve the United States,"
Ambassador Ryan Crocker said in a statement.
The U.S. government and military has employed
thousands of Iraqis since the 2003 liberation, and
many have been killed or faced the threat of death
from insurgents who view them as collaborators.
The U.S. government has been criticized for not
doing enough to protect them.
Richard Albright, the U.S. embassy's senior
coordinator for refugee issues, said Iraqis who
worked for the United States longer than three
months since March 20, 2003, may be eligible.
"Applicants must show they ... have experienced an
ongoing serious threat as a result of that
employment," Albright said. He added: "the
recipients receive permanent residence in the United
States; they can stay for the rest of their lives."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security last year
accepted thousands of refugees under a resettlement
program after President George W. Bush's
administration came under fire from Congress for
taking only 466 Iraqi refugees since the war began.
An existing visa scheme for translators allows 500
Iraqis into the United States each year,www.ekurd.net
so this effectively
increases those admissions ten-fold and widens its
scope, Albright said.
Britain started accepting Iraqi translators as
refugees last November, after militants killed some
of its interpreters.
Like other refugees to the United States, the
immigrants can apply for refugee status for their
families, including spouses, siblings, children,
parents and grandchildren, Albright said. They also
get help with accommodation, transport and
healthcare.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, Reuters
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