UP to 300 Afghans–half of them children–arrived in Manila on Monday to complete the processing of their special immigrant visas required for their immigration to the US, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The Afghans, who arrived in one batch, will be temporarily housed in an undisclosed United States-funded facility. They were supposed to arrive on Saturday, Jan. 4, but bad weather in Kabul delayed their flight to Manila.
Up to 300 Afghans arrived in the Philippines aboard a chartered flight on January 6 to complete the processing of their U.S. Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for their immigration to the United States. (
DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza, in a statement, said the government “issued the appropriate Philippine entry visa to these applicants in line with current rules and regulations.”
“All applicants completed extensive security vetting by Philippines national security agencies. They also underwent full medical screening prior to their arrival in the Philippines,” Daza said.
A US State Department official and a senior Philippine government official, who both requested anonymity, shared the information about Manila’s hosting of the concerned individuals from Afghanistan during a briefing in December 2024.
The State Department’s Office of Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) will operate the housing facility in an undisclosed location.
The Afghans are not allowed to leave the CARE facility. The only time they can leave the facility is when they need to travel to the US Embassy in Manila for their visa processing.
Manila entered into an agreement with Washington to host the Afghans, who are “not refugees and security risk”, the same Filipino official stressed.
This agreement was signed on July 29, 2024 and ratified by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on September 25, 2024.
“The whole project is expected to be finished within 100 days from the arrival of the first applicant. But each applicant shall be authorized to stay in the Philippines only for no more than 59 days,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US senior official said, “These are people we know, these are people we trust, and these are people that we owe the opportunity in the US.”
“We’re very grateful to you, this government, you, Filipino people, for helping us to fulfill our promise to them that we would give them a pathway to another opportunity and safety,” he said.
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