THE PHILIPPINES and the United States have agreed to allow a limited number of Afghan nationals to temporarily stay in the Southeast Asian nation while waiting for the approval of their special immigrant US visas, according to Foreign Affairs department.
“The US government is supporting necessary services for those Afghans temporarily in the Philippines, including food, housing, security, medical and transportation to complete visa processing,” the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
Afghan applicants would only be allowed to stay in Manila for 59 days, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita C. Daza told reporters in a WhatsApp message.
She said the deal must be ratified by Congress and signed by the President before it takes effect. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
