Military accessions vital to national interest

Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) is a recruitment program by the Department of Defense, USA, through which legal non-immigrants (not citizens or legal permanent residents of USA) with certain critical skills are recruited into the military services of US. Certain health care professionals and experts in certain languages meet eligibility requirements for recruitment through this program. MAVNI was spearheaded by immigration attorney Margaret Stock, a former U.S. Army Reserve and West Point professor.

Soldiers belonging to the enlisted rank, and recruited through this program, become citizen of the United States usually at the end of their Basic Combat Training (BCT). An announcement from the Pentagon in October 2014 declared that certain people belonging to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) category may become eligible for the MAVNI program.

In 2008, when the program started, it was a one-year pilot program. Following the success of the pilot, the program was renewed. As of December 2014, the program has been extended until 2016. Enlistments are permitted for both active-duty and reserve assignments, but not in the National Guard.

The MAVNI program has several notable recruiting successes; for example, the program enlisted Saral Shrestha, the U.S. Army Soldier of the Year for 2012, and Augustus Maiyo, the winner of the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon. MAVNI recruits of the Army have a lower attrition rate than other recruits, and many hold higher educational credentials than other enlistees. Several MAVNI recruits have written about their experiences in the program.