legal

Four years after Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) was launched, many of the 240,000 Ukrainians paroled through this program remain in the U.S., as well as over 30,000 Ukrainians paroled at the U.S. border. Many cannot return to Ukraine but are finding it difficult to maintain lawful statuses and work permits in the U.S. Although some short-term protections are available, application processing can take several months and even one or more years. Between massive delays and skyrocketing fees, many Ukrainians are living in limbo without proper documentation, exposing them to detention and even deportation. Meanwhile, many long-term statuses are effectively out of reach due to lack of eligibility, qualifying sponsors, or shrinking options. Certain immigration pathways also require parolees to leave the United States, jeopardizing their return. Prompt action is needed to address these critical issues that threaten the security and stability of Ukrainians who sought refuge here. Read and share our report summarizing the current challenges facing Ukrainian parolees and proposed solutions to help safeguard their protections. Read more

Hundreds of Ukrainians have been held in immigration detention, with the numbers increasing dramatically in the past year. Learning that a family member or someone close has been detained can be frightening and stressful, especially when you don't know where they are being held. Find out which categories are at risk, how you can locate someone at an ICE detention center or a state/local correctional facility, where to find legal counsel to assist them, how to try to get them released from detention, and additional resources for detainees and their families. Read more

As the full-scale war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, tens of millions of Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fled to the United States between 2022 and 2025. Many more were already living in the U.S. as students, visitors, or temporary workers and weren't able to return to Ukraine. While the United States has offered critical short-term protections to Ukrainians who sought refuge here, some of these protections have expired or are set to expire soon. Unfortunately, the majority of Ukrainians who are here temporarily do not have access to long-term immigration statuses that would allow them to permanently resettle in the U.S. As a result, many Ukrainians are living in limbo, uncertain as to how much longer they can stay here and not knowing where else they can go now. Learn about the current issues and proposed solutions to help Ukrainians who cannot return home remain in the U.S. safely. Read more

On December 2, 2025, USCIS issued a Policy Memo that pauses final adjudication of all affirmative asylum applications. The hold applies to all applicants who filed or plan to file Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, regardless of the applicant's immigration status, nationality, or country of origin. Although applicants can still file applications to USCIS, no asylum decisions will be issued while the pause is in effect. It is not yet clear whether USCIS will continue to conduct asylum interviews or process work permits for individuals with pending asylum applications. Note that this pause does not affect defensive asylum applications filed in immigration court by individuals who are already in removal proceedings. Read more

The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery for 2027 is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2025. Through this program, the U.S. Department of State allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually to individuals who may not have any other options for permanent immigration. Unlike family-based immigrant visas and most employment-based immigrant visas that require a U.S. sponsor, the diversity visa lottery allows individuals to self-sponsor themselves for a green card. Learn more about the diversity visa lottery, eligibility criteria, important dates, and how to apply in our article below. Read more

On June 9, 2025, USCIS issued a memo authorizing immigration officers to resume processing applications filed by parolees. This follows the federal District Court’s May 28th order directing DHS to lift the suspension that had been in effect since February 14. This means that USCIS has resumed processing applications from parolees for work permits, TPS, asylum, green cards, and other immigration benefits. Although the District Court's ruling is good news for Ukrainian parolees seeking more stable immigration statuses and employment authorization, parolees who filed applications in the past 5-10 months could still see long wait times due to major application backlogs. Additionally, re-parole requests and related work permits may not be approved for all applicants due to the White House's restrictions on humanitarian parole grants. Read more

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