August 2023 immigration law updates relevant to Ukrainians in the United States Read more

August 2023 TPS updates relevant to Ukrainians in the United States Read more

Attorneys Anne Smith, Esq., Iryna Mazur, and Olga Khomyak, Esq. from the Ukraine Immigration Task Force presented a webinar on May 23 on “Uniting for Ukraine: A One-Year Retrospective.” At least 340 people attended the live presentation, which was offered in English and Ukrainian. The webinar covered such topics as sponsor and beneficiary procedures, recent changes and legal developments, how to connect with Ukrainians seeking refuge, how to sponsor as a group or organization, resources available for new arrivals, and many other topics. Read more

March 2023 immigration law updates relevant to Ukrainians in the United States Read more

Most Ukrainians who came through the U.S.-Mexico border in March and April 2022 were given a “DT” admission class code on their I-94 Arrival/Departure Record and were granted humanitarian parole for one year. Unless they entered the U.S. on or before April 11, 2022, they are not eligible to apply for the current TPS term. For Ukrainians who are eligible for TPS but have not yet applied for or been granted TPS protection, their parole will expire when their I-94 authorized stay expires. Read more

There has been an increase in scams and predatory behavior targeting individuals from Ukraine and other countries who may be considered for parole under the Uniting for Ukraine.  USCIS is asking potential sponsors and beneficiaries to be cautious of scams and rumors. Read more

The Ukraine Immigration Task Force is excited to announce a new program that hopes to increase the number of refugees admitted from other countries. The State Department just launched Welcome Corps, which represents the first major development in U.S. refugee immigration in a long time. This program will enable Americans to help thousands of people from around the world start new lives in the United States through private sponsorship.  The new program follows President Biden’s February 2021 Executive Order... Read more

The Ukraine Immigration Task Force is excited to announce the re-launch of its website to help Ukrainians fleeing war find trusted resources on U.S. immigration. The redesigned website is a collaboration with a team from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, which provided web design and development support to create the website announced today. Read more

The new final rule on the public charge ground of inadmissibility was announced on September 8, 2022. Under the final rule, a public charge is defined as "an alien who has received one or more public benefits, as defined in the rule, for more than 12 months within any 36-month period." For those not familiar with the public charge ground of inadmissibility, an alien who is likely at any time to become a public charge is generally inadmissible to the United States and ineligible to become a lawful permanent resident. Read more

Among the first priorities for many arriving under the Uniting for Ukraine program is to obtain due benefits. However, there are quite a few instances in which local SSA and other benefits-granting offices are not aware of which benefits Ukrainians are eligible for and how to administer those benefits to recent arrivals. For example, we have heard of situations in which health insurance providers want a Social Security Number, but the local SSA office informs people that they cannot issue an SSN before applicants receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Or, some SSA offices don’t want to issue a non-working SSN in states where Ukrainians are eligible to receive certain benefits without having an SSN (for example, in New York State).  For the purposes of obtaining benefits, all family members can apply for non-working SSN at their local SSA local office. If they are applying for Medicaid, they should be able to get a letter from the benefits-granting agency stating they need an SSN in order to be able to process their Medicaid application. They can take that letter to the SSA, which should then issue them a non-working SSN. The SSA offices can confirm these provisions directly in their Program Operations Manual, found at  https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110211195 and https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110211600 It also helps to come to the SSA with a form from […] Read more