legal

Ukrainian nationals who currently hold TPS and wished to extend their TPS status through October 19, 2026 were required to re-register for TPS with USCIS. The 60-day re-registration window started January 17, 2025 and ended March 18, 2025. Ukrainians who did not re-register to extend their TPS status through October 19, 2026 if they can show good cause for why they are filing their re-registration late. Read more

Adjustment of Status is the process by which a noncitizen who is already in the United States can apply for Lawful Permanent Resident status (a Green Card) without having to leave the country. However, strict legal requirements limit the eligibility for this process for humanitarian parolees and other categories of applicants. Read more

On the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation that would offer Ukrainians who recently arrived in the United States a temporary safety net to allow them to stay here while conditions in Ukraine remain dangerous. The "Protecting our Guests During Hostilities in Ukraine Act" proposes to grant U4U parolees a "temporary Ukrainian guest status" as of the date they were initially paroled into the United States. The bill also proposes to grant automatic employment authorization to parolees who are granted temporary Ukrainian guest status under this legislation. Read more

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has suspended the processing of all immigration applications filed by individuals who entered on parole programs, including Ukrainians who entered on U4U. This affects applications filed by parolees for asylum, TPS, EADs, advance parole travel, adjustment of status, naturalization, and others. While USCIS officers may continue to work on cases already filed, they are not allowed to issue any decisions while the administrative pause is in effect. Parolees who planned to apply or recently applied for another lawful status through USCIS will not be able to obtain any approvals for the foreseeable future. Read more

All people who are living in the United States have certain rights that are given to them by the U.S. Constitution. This includes citizens, lawful permanent residents, those who are here on a visa, those with humanitarian parole, other immigrants, and those who are undocumented. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has authority to investigate, apprehend, arrest, detain, and remove noncitizens who are within the United States unlawfully or who have committed acts that make them deportable. If you or someone you know are approached by ICE, know your rights at work, at home, and in public places. Read more

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukraine for 18 months, through October 19, 2026, due to the ongoing war and extraordinary conditions in Ukraine that prevent individuals from safely returning. Ukrainian nationals (and individuals without nationality who last resided in Ukraine) are eligible to re-register for TPS if they arrived on or before August 16, 2023 and have been continuously residing in the United States since that date -- with or without lawful immigration status. Read more

Voice of America quoted Ukraine Immigration Task Force attorneys in an article explaining how new Ukrainian laws affect U.S. dual citizens and permanent residents who retain Ukrainian nationality. Immigration attorneys offer legal analysis on U.S. dual citizenship and the obligations imposed on Ukrainian nationals living abroad. In addition to providing pertinent updates on Ukrainian consular services to Ukrainian males, the article warns certain U.S. residents about the potential consequences of traveling to Ukraine, particularly to males ages 18-60. Read the full article here. Read more

Following new laws passed by the Ukrainian government, male U.S. citizens ages 18-60 with Ukrainian nationality may be subject to military registration requirements and restricted travel out of Ukraine. In addition, Ukrainian males in the U.S. can no longer receive Ukrainian passport renewals or other consular services without Ukrainian military documents. Learn more about U.S. and Ukrainian citizenship laws, rights and obligations of dual citizens, and travel advisories for U.S. citizens in Ukraine. Read more

Many Ukrainians who arrived in the U.S. since Feb. 2022 qualify for both TPS and humanitarian parole/re-parole. Although individuals can hold both of these statuses at the same time, there are some key differences. Learn more about the the eligibility criteria, application procedures, periods of protection, access to benefits, advantages and disadvantages of TPS vs. humanitarian parole for Ukrainians in our article here. Read more

For Ukrainians who held TPS in the initial term but have not yet re-registered to extend their TPS status, USCIS provides a limited opportunity for individuals to re-register for TPS if they can show good cause for why they are filing after the October 20th deadline has passed. Read more