On Monday, January 27, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would stop accepting new applications for the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program pending the Trump Administration’s review of all humanitarian parole programs. This means that no new sponsor applications (Form I-134a) for Ukrainians will be processed until further notice, and no new travel authorizations will be issued to Ukrainian beneficiaries.

The USCIS announcement follows President Trump’s January 20, 2025 Executive Order promising to “terminate all categorical parole programs that are contrary to the policies of the United States” and “ensure that all future parole determinations fully comply with” the administration’s policies. A separate Executive Order signed on January 20 indicates the administration’s intent to exercise grants of humanitarian parole on a case-by-case basis, only when an individual “demonstrates urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit” arising from such parole.

The Uniting for Ukraine program was established by former President Joe Biden in April 2022 to provide a pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a 2-year period of humanitarian parole. Ukrainians participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a U.S. supporter who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay in the United States.

What Is the Status of the Uniting for Ukraine Program?

As of now, the Uniting for Ukraine program has been suspended indefinitely. The Trump Administration is reviewing Uniting for Ukraine and other parole programs to determine whether they will resume operations.

Effective immediately, no new sponsor applications for Ukrainians will be accepted. For sponsors who recently submitted Form I-134a, we do not know if their applications will be processed, and if so, when they might receive a decision.

Likewise, no new travel authorizations will be issued to Ukrainian beneficiaries unless the program resumes operation. Some previously issued travel authorizations have been canceled. Ukrainians who received a travel authorization under Uniting for Ukraine that has not been cancelled may not be allowed to enter, even if their travel authorization remains valid. This is because Customs and Border Protection could deny entry to Ukrainians traveling on Uniting for Ukraine.

How Can Individuals from Ukraine Seek Humanitarian Parole Moving Forward?

Although the Uniting for Ukraine program has been paused indefinitely, it is important to understand that entry on humanitarian parole is still allowed by statute. Individuals who are outside of the United States may continue to seek humanitarian parole to enter the U.S. for a specific purpose without a visa. Applicants may request humanitarian parole for themselves or for someone else by filing Form I-131. ** Please note that this method could take over 12-24 months to process, so Ukrainians who need to enter sooner may try applying for a temporary visa. **

Section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) gives the Secretary of Homeland Security discretionary authority to temporarily parole individuals into the United States on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) delegates authority to USCIS to review applications for humanitarian parole. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has authority to issue travel authorizations and interview individuals at ports of entry who are approved for parole before determining whether to grant them entry into the United States on parole.

While the statute does not define what is meant by “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” USCIS describes some circumstances that may warrant an individual grant of humanitarian parole. In its Guidance on Evidence for Certain Types of Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole Requests, USCIS provides a more detailed list of potential factors it considers. For Ukrainians seeking entry into the United States, additional reasons could include:

  • the applicant’s need to reunite with family or close friends in the United States after suffering a traumatic event(s)
  • the applicant’s need to get help from family or close friends in the United States to care for themselves, their children, or their elderly parents
  • destruction of the applicant’s home, or loss of access to safe shelter and necessities in Ukraine
  • the beneficiary’s elevated risk of physical harm by virtue of their personal characteristics if they remain in Ukraine
  • the beneficiary’s need to find safety for their children in the United States
  • the beneficiary’s need to access certain services or care for themselves or their children that can be more effectively accessed in the United States, such as special care or education for certain disabilities
  • the beneficiary’s need to treat serious health issues in their family that can be more effectively accessed in the United States

Are Ukrainians Still Eligible for Re-Parole?

USCIS is not accepting re-parole applications through the streamlined re-parole process for Ukrainians at this time. Ukrainians who applied for re-parole through their USCIS portals after October 2024 may not receive decisions until or unless the Ukrainian re-parole process is resumed.

However, humanitarian parole as a whole has not been eliminated, since it is provided by statute. Ukrainians who are seeking re-parole can still apply through the traditional process by filing Form I-131 and submitting all the required documentation. Their re-parole requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis after examining their individual circumstances to determine if another grant of parole is warranted for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public interest.

Ukrainians may request re-parole through USCIS by filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. The filing fee is $580 per applicant if filed online and $630 if filed by mail. For best results, applicants should follow the exact instructions on the USCIS website for “individuals outside of the United States.”  Applicants filing for themselves would check box 1e, while attorneys filing for clients would check box 1f. Applications should be clearly marked “Re-Parole” across the top of the application, per USCIS’ instructions, and should be sent to the address listed for “Humanitarian Parole Applicants.” Applicants who file an I-131 may want to include an I-134 Declaration of Financial Support and all required evidence. Although we were told by a senior USCIS official that re-parole applicants do not need to submit a Form I-134 sponsor application with their Form I-131, we cannot confirm that doing so would prevent processing delays or result in approval, since USCIS indicates that applicants who do not submit all required forms and evidence with their application may experience further processing delays.

Please note that this process could take a long time to get a response. Current processing times for Form I-131 range from 8 to 21+ months based on estimates provided by USCIS.

Ukrainians who were issued a “Notice to Appear” (NTA) in immigration court or who are currently in removal/deportation proceedings (or Ukrainians who have been previously removed or deported) must submit a request to ICE via USCIS at the address listed for “Humanitarian Parole Applicants.” ICE has primary jurisdiction over requests for parole for individuals who are in removal/deportation proceedings. 

What Will Happen to Ukrainians Who Are Already in the United States on Humanitarian Parole?

As of today, no announcements have been made regarding the status of Ukrainians who currently have humanitarian parole. For now, they may remain in the United States for as long as their parole period is valid on their I-94 Arrival/Departure Record.

Please note that the Trump Administration issued a guidance memo on January 23, 2025 expanding the scope of the Department of Homeland Security to review cases of individuals who entered on parole and review their parole status to determine whether they should remain on parole “in light of any changed legal or factual circumstances.” Certain Ukrainians who entered through either the Uniting for Ukraine program or at the southern U.S. border may be subject to review of their humanitarian parole status if they come in contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Furthermore, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and other immigration groups have warned that the Trump Administration may try to terminate the parole of certain individuals who entered through parole programs. While we believe that parolees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela face the greatest risk, it is possible that parole could also be terminated for Uniting for Ukraine parolees at some point. If this occurs, parolees who do not already have another status, such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or who do not already have a pending application for asylum or a different immigration status, will be considered by the administration to be out of status and unauthorized to be in the U.S.

By law, grants of humanitarian parole and their termination are always discretionary. A grant of humanitarian parole may be terminated at any time by the Secretary of Homeland Security with written notice if the purpose for parole has been accomplished or if immigration officers decide that there is no humanitarian reason or public benefit for the individual to remain in the United States.