Humanitarian Parole and the “Uniting for Ukraine” Program

Welcome.US has put together guides for various cities in the U.S. to help Ukrainians learn more about state and local benefits, healthcare, health insurance, food assistance, schools for children, adult education, English language instruction, job training, and employment services. Visit the Welcome.US City Guides page to learn more. Read more

Ukrainians who want to come to the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine program but don’t have any contacts who can be eligible sponsors may sign up on the Welcome Connect sponsorship platform as beneficiaries at Welcome.US, found here: https://ukraine.welcome.us/connect. This platform matches interested sponsors with potential Ukrainian beneficiaries. Read more

Humanitarian parole is not intended to be used as a substitute for normal visa processing procedures and timelines or to bypass inadmissibility through other entry processing channels. Since humanitarian parole is not a legal status, a person who is in the U.S. on humanitarian parole will either need to reapply for another term of parole before their current term expires, select a different legal status for which to apply, or leave the U.S.. However, a person who is in the U.S. on humanitarian parole may apply for a change in legal status by filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. Read more

Ukrainians who have been granted humanitarian parole may be eligible to apply for a U.S. social security number. There are two potential methods. You can either apply directly to the Social Security Administration, or you may apply for one when you file Form I-765 Application for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). A humanitarian parolee with only a Form I-94 or a parole stamp in their passport may only apply for a non-work Social Security number (SSN). If you are applying for benefits, your local welfare or social service agency should provide you with a referral letter to the Social Security Administration explaining that the agency needs your SSN in order to process your application for benefits. With this letter, the Social Security Administration will accept your application for an SSN. To apply for a non-work SSN directly through the Social Security Administration, fill out the application for a Social Security Card and print the application. Bring it to your nearest Social Security Administration office, along with your passport, I-94, birth certificate, marriage certificate, and the referral letter from the welfare or social services agency. You may need to make an appointment in advance at the Social Security Administration. Prepare translations of any required documents in advance. The link for the social security card application can be found at https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf You can look up […] Read more

Some states or municipalities offer non-permanent residents certain benefits, depending on a person’s legal status. It is necessary to check with each state or municipality to find out whether it offers benefits. Each state also has different laws about driver’s licenses. Some states allow licensed drivers from other countries to drive legally for a year. Other states allow non-permanent residents to apply for a visitor driver’s license by taking a test and obtaining insurance. Please note that a temporary or visitor driver’s license may not necessarily qualify as a state-issued form of identification. Read more

Ukrainians who have been granted  humanitarian parole may be eligible for some federal benefits. These benefits may include cash assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income, health insurance through Medicaid, and food assistance through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). For more information on eligibility for federal benefits, please visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/fact-sheet/benefits-ukrainian-humanitarian-parolees. If you are not eligible to receive these benefits, you may still be eligible for state government benefits or other benefits from a resettlement agency in your state. These benefits may include cash assistance, medical screening, employment assistance, and other services. Read more

Humanitarian parole allows a person to temporarily live in the U.S. without fear of deportation. A person with humanitarian parole may also apply for employment authorization to work legally. Read more

Applications for Employment Authorization have been taking up to 8-12 months. However, USCIS announced recently that Ukrainians who enter on humanitarian parole may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD), online as soon as they are granted entry. By filing online, humanitarian parolees will benefit from priority processing and should receive employment authorization more quickly. While USCIS did not provide an estimated processing time, the agency indicated that Ukrainians who file online after entering through Uniting for Ukraine can expect to receive a decision in weeks instead of months. Some Ukrainians may receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) within 10-12 weeks or even sooner. Thus, it is recommended that all Ukrainians who are eligible to apply online should file an I-765 online. It is important to understand that an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is not necessarily granted to all applicants. Each application is reviewed individually based on the reason for application, length of time the applicant has been approved to stay in the U.S., and other factors. Read more

USCIS allows Ukrainians who enter on humanitarian parole to file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD), online as soon as they are granted entry. By filing online, humanitarian parolees will benefit from priority processing and should receive an Employment Authorization Document more quickly.  While USCIS does not provide an estimated processing time, Ukrainians who file online may receive an EAD within 1-2 months. Ukrainians who apply by mail may receive an EAD within 1-3 months. It is recommended that Ukrainians who are eligible to apply online should file an I-765 online. As of November 21, 2022, Ukrainians who entered the United States on humanitarian parole do not need to wait for USCIS to process their I-765 application before being eligible to work for the first 90 days of hire by an employer. But they will need a formal Employment Authorization Document to continue to work after the first 90 days of hire. It is important to understand that a formal Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is not necessarily granted to all applicants. Each application is reviewed individually based on the reason for application, the length of time the applicant has been approved to stay in the U.S., and other factors. Read more

To apply for an Employment Authorization Document, you must file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD). To file online, visit the USCIS page found here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765 If you are applying as a person who has been granted humanitarian parole (including through the Uniting for Ukraine program), enter your category as (c)(11) in box 27 of the application. Attach the following documents to your application: Each person who wishes to work must file Form I-765 separately.  Check boxes 14 and 15 in Form I-765 to receive a new Social Security Card, even if you previously received a non-working Social Security Number (SSN) or card. On November 21, 2022, USCIS announced that Ukrainians with humanitarian parole will not need to pay a filing fee for their initial Application for Employment Authorization (EAD) if their Form I-765 is mailed and postmarked on or after November 21, 2022 or is filed online starting December 5, 2022.  To obtain a fee exemption when mailing an initial paper application for an Employment Authorization Document, enter the following information on Form I-765: Select “Initial permission to accept employment” (Part 1, Item 1.a.) ; Enter “Ukraine” in:Country of Citizenship (Part 2, Items 18.a. and 18.b.), and/orCountry of Birth (Part 2, Item 19.c.);Enter “C11” in the Eligibility Category (Part 2, Item 27.); andSubmit no payment. To obtain […] Read more