AFI’s Afghan Artists Protection Project (AAPP) was an international holistic legal and resettlement initiative developed in response to the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following the United States’ withdrawal in August 2021. After receiving an unprecedented number of applications from Afghan artists and cultural workers facing persecution, censorship, and forced displacement in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, AFI established AAPP to safely resettle Afghan artists and their families and enable them to preserve their livelihoods as artists in the United States and Europe. Initially, AFI’s team in Germany facilitated the reallocation of unused German humanitarian visas for Afghan artists facing persecution for their work. In 2022, the German government announced the Bundesaufnahmeprogramm (BAM), a humanitarian visa program for at-risk Afghans.
Through AAPP, at-risk Afghan artists and their families were provided with pro bono immigration representation, support with USCIS filing fees, relocation assistance, temporary housing, resettlement funds, employment and fellowship opportunities, and ongoing support post-relocation.
The impact of AAPP in the United States:
AFI took on 280 legal cases for Afghan artists and their family members relocating to the United States, representing 1,298 hours of pro bono legal assistance to 315 Afghan artists, cultural workers, and their dependent family members.
The project has thus far co-created fourteen fellowships for Afghan artists, partnering with institutions including George Mason University, New York Film Academy, and Bennington College. Through our partnership with The New University in Exile Consortium, we’ve welcomed six Afghan artists for yearlong, customized fellowships at The New School. Fellows have performed for The New School’s community, taught courses, given public talks about their work and background, participated in student critiques, and developed personal creative projects utilizing the research resources, faculty expertise, and facilities of The New School.
Four Afghan artists have participated in AFI’s NYC Artist Safe Haven Residency Program and received a combined 48 months of housing support, tailored professional development opportunities, and pro bono legal services.
In 2023, AFI authored “Artistic Exodus: Afghan Artists Fleeing Taliban Rule,” a comprehensive report highlighting the ongoing risks that Afghan artists and cultural workers face in Afghanistan and exposing the serious systemic problems facing refugee artists during migration and resettlement in host countries.
The impact of AAPP in Europe:
AFI took on 424 cases in Europe, representing assistance to 1,391 Afghan artists, cultural workers, and their dependent family members.
We have assisted in 332 cases, representing 1,020 individuals, in applying for humanitarian visas.
In 2025, AFI’s attention began to increasingly focus on ongoing resettlement services for the growing proportion of the Afghan arts community facing prolonged displacement in the US. While AFI no longer covers all USCIS application filing fees for Afghan visa applicants, immigration and resettlement support for Afghan artists in the United States continues as part of AFI’s general legal services and resettlement programs. The AAPP Europe initiative continues to deepen AFI’s resettlement services for Afghans in Europe and supports legal work through referrals to humanitarian visa programs and a continued commitment to cases pending before Germany’s Federal Admissions Program for Afghan Nationals.
If you are an Afghan artist or cultural worker seeking legal or resettlement assistance, apply for AFI’s services here.
AAPP launched in 2021 with generous funding from the Mellon Foundation. In 2022, AFI expanded the project’s scope to include Europe with support from the SDK Foundation for Human Dignity.
