Uniting for Ukraine

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the U.S. government has been implementing several humanitarian programs to support Ukrainians displaced by the conflict.  Most recently, President Biden announced Uniting for Ukraine, a new immigration program that allows individuals in the United States to sponsor Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced by the Russian invasion to come to the United States on humanitarian parole. 

Eligibility Requirements for Ukrainians.

In order for Ukrainians to qualify for humanitarian parole under the Uniting for Ukraine program, they will need to show the following: 

  • Residence in Ukraine until February 11, 2022, and displacement as a result of the invasion;

  • A valid Ukrainian passport (a child can be included on a parent’s valid Ukrainian passport and a non-Ukrainian spouse is eligible to join the Ukrainian spouse); and

  • A US-based sponsor who is willing to file a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, on their behalf with USCIS. 

  • Children under 18 must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. 

The Process. 

Here are the steps to obtaining humanitarian parole under the United for Ukraine program. 

Step One:   US-based sponsor files Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support. 

The sponsor must live lawfully in the United States and will need to file a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, with USCIS through the online myUSCIS web portal to initiate the process. The Form will include information on both the sponsor and the Ukrainian beneficiary. 

The U.S. government will then review the Form to confirm the sponsor’s financial ability and vet the sponsor for security reasons. Additional information on who can be a sponsor for a beneficiary under Uniting for Ukraine can be found here.

Step Two: Ukrainian beneficiary confirms biographic information in myUSCIS account and eligibility for humanitarian parole once the US sponsor is approved. 

Step 3: Proof of vaccinations against measles, polio, and COVID-19 must be presented by Ukrainian beneficiary and accompanying family member(s).

Step 4: Authorization to travel will be sent to the myUSCIS account, which is valid for 90 days.  Ukrainians are responsible for securing their own travel to the U.S.  All travel requirements under the Center for Disease Control, including pre-departure testing for COVID-19, must be satisfied in order to travel. 

Step 5: On arrival to the United States, the beneficiary and accompanying family members will be given authorization to stay in the US for two years.  

Within two weeks of arrival, a medical screening for tuberculosis  will be required for any beneficiary over two years old. 

Step 6: Application for work authorization document should be filed on a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with USCIS.  Processing times for employment authorization under humanitarian parole are 30 to 75 days. This document is required in order to work in the United States. 

Processing Times and Limits on the Program. 

Because this program was very recently introduced on April 21, 2022, we don’t have enough visibility on how long the entire process will take.  That said, the Department of Homeland Security anticipates the process will be fairly quick.  We have seen Step 1 of the process (the Form I-134 submitted online by a US sponsor) approved in about a week. 

The U.S. government has made a commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s aggression. While it’s unclear whether the US would accept more than 100,000 displaced Ukrainians (keeping in mind that more than six million Ukrainians have left Ukraine), for now, this number is significantly higher than the total number of refugees the US government will accept annually, which is 62,500. 

More information on the Uniting for Ukraine program and requirements can be found here. 

As a reminder, Ukrainian nationals living in the United States on or before April 11, 2022, are eligible for temporary protected status.  

This alert is for informational purposes only.  Please contact us if you would like to discuss these developments further.

Nadia Yakoob