Uniting for Ukraine, a new streamlined process to provide Ukrainian citizens who have fled Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression...
In April 21, 2022, the United States announced a key step toward fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion. Uniting for Ukraine provides a pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a two-year period of parole. Ukrainians participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a supporter in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay in the United States.
The first step in the Uniting for Ukraine process is for the U.S.-based supporter to file a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, with USCIS. The U.S. government will then vet the supporter to ensure that they are able to financially support the individual whom they agree to support.
An individual who holds lawful status in the United States or is a parolee or beneficiary of deferred action or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) who has passed security and background vetting and demonstrated sufficient financial resources to receive, maintain, and supports the individuals whom they commit to support for the duration of their stay in the United States.
Examples of individuals who meet the supporter requirement include:
The Ukrainian citizen (or their non-Ukrainian immediate family member) who is outside the United States and who may be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine.
Immediate family members in this process include:
To be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine, the beneficiary must have a supporter who files a Form I-134 on their behalf.
Beneficiaries are eligible for the process if they:
Note: To be eligible for this process, children under the age of 18 must be traveling to the United States in the care and custody of their parent or legal guardian.
The supporter must complete and file Form I-134 with USCIS and be vetted by the U.S. government to protect against exploitation and abuse, and ensure that they are able to financially support the Ukrainians they are agreeing to support.
Ukrainian citizens who are present in the United States will not be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine. However, Ukrainian citizens present in the United States may be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). For more information, please see our Temporary Protected Status for Ukraine page.
Children traveling without their parent or legal guardian are not eligible for parole under Uniting for Ukraine. Upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry, a child who is not traveling with their parent or legal guardian may be placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as required by law under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), to protect the child from human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. For more information, please visit the HHS Unaccompanied Children webpage.
Since they are ineligible to pursue Uniting for Ukraine, children who are not traveling with a parent or legal guardian but are coming to the United States to meet a parent or legal guardian may instead seek parole through the standard Form I-131 parole process. In the Form I-131 parole process, children who wish to travel without a parent or legal guardian will need written permission from all adults with legal custody of the child (that is, their parents or legal guardian(s)) to travel to the United States. Evidence to accompany the Form I-131 will need to include the duration of the stay in the United States and evidence of relationship between the child and the parent or legal guardian in the United States. If the legal guardian is providing the written permission, the requestor must include proof of legal guardianship issued by a government authority. In addition, the application should include a statement about the relationship of the child to the person filing the Form I-131, and if they intend to provide care and custody of the child in the United States or reunite the child with a parent or legal guardian in the United States. For more information, please see our Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole page, which has information about the requirements for requesting parole for children.
You may request a fee waiver when submitting a Form I-131 for a Ukrainian child as described in the above paragraph. For more information on how to request a fee waiver, please see the Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver webpage.
This process may not be used by prospective adoptive parents to circumvent any adoption processes. For information about adoption from Ukraine, visit the DOS Ukraine Adoption Information Page.
Individuals who file Form I-134 on behalf of a beneficiary under Uniting for Ukraine must be in lawful status in the United States or a parolee or beneficiary of deferred action or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and willing and able to receive, maintain, and support the beneficiary listed in Form I-134. Examples of the types of support for beneficiaries that supporters should keep in mind when considering their ability to meet this commitment include:
Multiple supporters may join together to have the financial ability to support 1 or more Ukrainian beneficiaries. In this case, a primary supporter should file a Form I-134 and include in the filing supplementary evidence demonstrating the identity of, and resources to be provided by, the additional supporters and attach a statement explaining the intent to share responsibility. These supporters’ ability to support Ukrainian beneficiaries will be assessed collectively.
The Form I-134 requires an individual to sign the form; organizations may not serve as the named supporter on a Form I-134. However, if an organization or other entity is providing financial or other services to the named individual for the purpose of facilitating support, this information should be provided as part of the evidence submitted with the Form I-134 and will be taken into account in determining the supporter’s ability to support the named beneficiary.
There is no fee to file a Form I-134. File Online
USCIS supports America’s immigration process in many ways, including overseeing the approval process for citizen financial support of new arrivals to our country. DOS has collaborated with Welcome.us to provide the American people and private sector with information on welcoming and supporting newcomer populations. The Welcome.us Ukraine webpage includes information for those interested in learning more about supporting someone from Ukraine.
Ukrainian beneficiaries cannot directly apply for parole under Uniting for Ukraine. A supporter must first complete and file Form I-134 with us on behalf of a Ukrainian beneficiary and include information about them and contact details, such as email address. If we deem the Form I-134 sufficient, we will send the Ukrainian beneficiary information about the next step in the process to be considered for authorization to travel to the United States and parole consideration by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
As of April 25, 2022, the primary process for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion and seeking parole into the United States is through Uniting for Ukraine. This process enables approved Ukrainians to travel to the United States, be considered for parole for a period of up to 2 years, and be eligible to apply for employment authorization while in the United States. The United States strongly encourages Ukrainians in Europe who seek to travel to the United States to complete the request from Europe. Ukrainians who present at U.S. land ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine may be denied entry and referred to apply through this process.
Ukrainians who have a pending request for parole filed with USCIS on Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, but wish to be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine instead must have their supporter submit a Form I-134 following these instructions to be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine. USCIS will provide petitioners who currently have a pending Form I-131 for a Ukrainian beneficiary with a notice explaining the process to be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine and the actions they must take if they would like to withdraw their Form I-131 in light of the new Uniting for Ukraine process.
After the supporter files the Form I-134 with USCIS, we will review the form and supporting evidence to ensure that the supporter has sufficient financial resources to support the Ukrainian beneficiary for the duration of the parole period and conduct background checks on the supporter. We will determine whether the Form I-134 is sufficient, and we may request additional evidence to make our determination. If approved, Ukrainian beneficiaries will receive an email from USCIS with instructions on how to set up an account with myUSCIS and other next steps. Individuals should check their email, including spam and junk folders, for important messages from USCIS.
If we confirm the Form I-134 is sufficient, the Ukrainian beneficiary will receive an email from USCIS with instructions on how to set up an account with myUSCIS and other next steps. The Ukrainian beneficiary will be required to confirm their biographic information on myUSCIS and attest to completion of all requirements including:
Upon arrival to the United States, the beneficiary will need to attest to receiving a medical screening for tuberculosis, including an Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRA) test, within 14 days.
If we are unable to confirm the Form I-134 is sufficient, that decision is final. The Ukrainian beneficiary will receive an email from USCIS notifying them that we determined the Form I-134 filed on their behalf was insufficient. We will not consider the Ukrainian beneficiary for parole under Uniting for Ukraine based on the insufficient Form I-134. However, the supporter may file a new Form I-134 on behalf of the same or another Ukrainian beneficiary, or a different supporter may file a Form I-134 on behalf of the beneficiary
Once the Ukrainian beneficiary has confirmed their biographic information and attested to completing all other requirements, their case will be further processed. Ukrainians will receive an email instructing them to check their myUSCIS account for the result of their authorization to travel. If the individual has been authorized to travel to the United States to seek parole under Uniting for Ukraine, they will be responsible for arranging and funding their own travel. This authorization is valid for 90 days.
If you already applied for humanitarian parole on behalf of a beneficiary who is a Ukrainian citizen, and your Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, is pending with USCIS, we will send a notice explaining that you are eligible to reapply through Uniting for Ukraine.
If you already filed a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, for humanitarian parole on behalf of a Ukrainian who is outside the United States, you may either withdraw your pending Form I-131 or leave your Form I-131 pending with USCIS. Whether you withdraw your Form I-131 will have no impact on your ability to file a Form I-134 on behalf of the same individual under Uniting for Ukraine.
If you wish to provide support to a Ukrainian beneficiary under the Uniting for Ukraine process, you must file a new Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, even if you already submitted a prior Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, with your pending Form I-131. On April 25, 2022, the Form I-134 was updated from the Affidavit of Support to the Declaration of Financial Support, which is being used for Uniting for Ukraine.
