For Breshna Salaam, Tullivan's reinstatement in Afghanistan last year was the same return to extreme poverty that she and her mother experienced when Tullivan first ruled the country. Meaned.
In 1996, Tullivan dismissed Salaam's mother from a civil service job, denying her widow and her daughter's sole source of income. In August 2021, Tullivan, whose mother retired, fired Salaam from her job at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Deprived of her work and education in her own country, she applied for an overseas graduate program and was offered a scholarship at New York University.
She "screamed happiness when I received the scholarship news," Salaam told VOA.
But her happiness didn't last long.
First, she has a new passport and a short-term visa to Pakistan. She must submit a student visa application at the US Embassy. The Afghanistan embassy has remained closed since Tullivan entered Kabul last year.
"I had to literally ask her relatives and friends for money to pay for my passport and Pakistani visa," she said.
And there is more cost she has to cover.
"You have to buy a ticket to Islamabad, pay for accommodation in Islamabad, and pay $ 510 for a U.S. visa. Finally, if a visa is given, New York "Tickets to" he added, adding that there is no way to pay for all the necessary costs.
Her US university staff donated $ 350 for her SEVIS fee. This is a payment to the US Department of Land Security required by all international students before submitting an F-1 student visa application. Students are also required to pay the US Embassy an F-1 visa fee of $ 160. If your visa is denied, both fees will not be refunded.
Unanswered Request for Assistance
Over 500 U.S. Scholars and Human Rights Activists Over The Last Four Months White House and State Department Continue Education We are seeking help from Afghan scholars, especially women, who are trying to come to the United States for this.
"We are deeply concerned about the lives and well-being of these Afghan scholars, especially women," said more than 20 US university scholars. Read the signed June 21st letter. And college. It is addressed to Secretary of State Antony Brinken.
This letter criticized the delay and refusal of student visas for Afghanistan scholars and told Brinken "this shame, despite being offered a wholly-owned scholarship and scholarship by the invited university. We are calling for personal intervention "to correct the situation that should be done."
"We haven't received a response to the letter," Chloe Breyer, executive director and signer of the letter, told VOA.
In another letter sent to U.S. President Joe Byden in February, he also sought support for Afghanistan scholars at risk for more than 450 academic societies and individuals. ..
"Help us facilitate access to our university for many Afghan scholars and students who deserve our continued support and investment."Letter I asked Biden
"I haven't received the latest information from the US government," Edward Leebow, executive director of the American Anthropology Association, told VOA.
Over the last 10 months, more than 80,000 Afghanistans have arrived in the United States. Primarily through Operation Allies Welcome, a US government program aimed at resetting endangered individuals with former US Afghanistan allies.
US officials have repeatedly expressed support for Afghan women and minorities who have been reported to have violated their basic rights under the guidance of Tullivan.
Visa Fees
Already one of the poorest countries in the world, Afghanistan has been poor in the last decade, primarily due to the suspension of foreign development assistance. I am deeply in. , Rampant unemployment, and international banking and economic sanctions imposed on Tullivan leaders. Women in Afghanistan, deprived of their jobs and education, are at the mercy of particularly severe poverty, aid agencies say.
To assist Afghanistan scholars, US scholars are asking the State Department to exempt student visa fees.
"The cost of a scholar's J-1 visa and a student's F-1 is a non-refundable fee of $ 160, which is a significant challenge for most applicants and for those with a family. It costs more. It's the same price. "
A spokesperson for the Ministry of State said there are no exceptions to visa fees for Afghanistan students.
"The department does not have the right to exempt visa fees on an ad hoc basis, and the department's rules do not include the exemption from paying visa fees that generally applies to Afghanistan students. "The spokesperson said. VOA.
For Breshna Salaam, SEVIS and visa fees are as hampering to her education as Tullivan completely denies her right to work and study.
"I often hear from US media officials that they support the right to education and work for women and girls in Afghanistan, but they are exempt from student visa fees for women in Afghanistan. It's good to see actions such as doing. You don't have to travel to a third country just to submit a visa application, as the visa process will be a little easier, "says Salaam.
According to the Institute for International Education, more than 914,000 international students were enrolled in US academic centers in 2021, of which 354 were from Afghanistan.
