Afghans dreaming of U.S. refuge feel stuck in processing limbo

Marwa, 18, and Rabia, 45, sit with children at a rented house, while waiting for their special visa created by Western governments to protect the Afghans, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan August 7, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Crowded into a small, rented room near Pakistan's capital, an Afghan family of 12 is waiting, like thousands of others, for progress on their applications to go to the United States as refugees.

As time passes, their money is running out and their worries are growing.