Successful U4U application and U4U travel authorization! We recently had a Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) Application Approved on behalf of a US sponsor. The travel authorization issued to the Ukrainian national is valid for 90 days (3 months). The overall processing time for the Uniting for Ukraine application from the time it was submitted and until the travel authorization was successfully approved by DHS was approximately 1 week.
The U4U Uniting for Ukraine Program 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 2-year period of parole.
After arriving to the United States under the U4U program, Ukrainian citizens and their family members can apply for employment authorization to work in the United States during their period of authorized stay in the United States. They can also obtain a travel document known as advanced parole to travel outside the U.S.
Steps to apply for Uniting for Ukraine – U4U – program
The steps to apply for Uniting for Ukraine program are:
- File Form I-134. US based sponsor files form I-134 Declaration of Financial Support and supporting documents with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You must be located in the United States to file Form I-134 online. You must file a separate Form I-134 for each beneficiary you are planning to support, including minor children.
- USCIS email to Ukrainian beneficiary. If form I-134 is approved, the Ukrainian beneficiary will receive an email from USCIS to the email address listed on Form I-134 with instructions on how to set up an account with myUSCIS and other next steps. Please note that the US sponsor will not receive any emails from USCIS concerning the Uniting for Ukraine beneficiary once form I-134 is approved.
- Set up USCIS account and confirm information. The Ukrainian beneficiary must set up myUSCIS account and confirm the biographic information and attest to completion of vaccination requirements.
- Travel authorization approval. If approved, the beneficiary will get a travel authorization in the USCIS account. The travel authorization is valid for 90 days and has an expiration date. To travel to the US, you must show the travel authorization page to airline personnel along with your passport and other appropriate identification.
Who can be a Uniting for Ukraine sponsor?
To be a sponsor, you must meet the Uniting for Ukraine sponsor requirements including:
- Must be in lawful immigrant or nonimmigrant status in the United States or a US citizen or a TPS holder or a parolee or beneficiary of deferred action or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and willing and able to receive, maintain, and support the Ukrainian beneficiary. Examples of support include providing housing and transportation or basic necessities, or assist them with obtaining a work permit, Social Security Number (SSN) or securing employment etc.
- Must have the financial ability to support the Ukrainian beneficiary. The sponsor must have sufficient income or immediate access to sufficient financial resources. To determine if the sponsor has the financial ability to support the Ukrainian national, USCIS uses the federal Poverty Guidelines and counts the Ukrainian national in the sponsor’s household size. The sponsor’s income and all assets and resources must be above the poverty line for the household size in order to sponsor the Ukrainian beneficiary. To show that you have the adequate financial means to sponsor the Ukrainian beneficiary you can include the following evidence with form I-134: copies of U.S. federal tax returns, monthly bank statements, letter of employment or letter from a US bank or other financial institution.
Who can be a beneficiary under Uniting for Ukraine?
You can qualify as a beneficiary under the Uniting for Ukraine program if you are:
- a Ukrainian citizen (or their non-Ukrainian immediate family member) who is outside the United States
- the spouse or common-law partner of a Ukrainian citizen; or
- the unmarried children under the age of 21 of a Ukrainian citizen. Please note: if a child is under 18, they must be traveling with a parent or legal guardian in order to use this process.
You are eligible for Uniting for Ukraine if you:
- Resided in Ukraine immediately before the Russian invasion (through February 11, 2022) and were displaced as a result of the invasion;
- Are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport);
- If you are not a Ukrainian citizen, you must be an immediate family member (discussed above) of a Ukrainian citizen beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine with a valid passport;
- Have a supporter who filed a Form I-134 on your behalf that USCIS has vetted and confirmed as sufficient; and
- Clear biographic and biometric security checks;
Beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine has not received USCIS email
If form I-134 was approved and the Ukrainian beneficiary did not receive an email from USCIS to set up the account, then you can contact USCIS to inquire about the case or follow the steps to provide a new email address for the beneficiary by using the instructions for updating an incorrect email address.
Contact us, your experienced immigration lawyers in Miami, Florida USA to schedule an appointment for your Uniting for Ukraine immigration case and find out more about other visa options.
Malescu Law P.A. – Business & Immigration Lawyers
