The new streamlined process will allow Ukrainians to apply for humanitarian parole, stay and work in the U.S. for 2 years
The President of the United States (U.S.) – Joe Biden has announced “Uniting for Ukraine”, a new initiative for making it easier for Ukrainian refugees to settle in the U.S.
The new streamlined process will allow Ukrainians to apply for humanitarian parole, stay and work in the U.S. for 2 years. But it will not provide residency or citizenship to the Ukrainian refugees.
The Department of Homeland Security said that only people who have been residents in Ukraine as of February 11, 2022 and have a sponsor (a person or entity) in the U.S., will be eligible for this scheme. Besides, these people must have completed their Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations and pass the security checks.
Biden had earlier said that U.S would take up 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. More than 5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian invasion.
Taking it to twitter, Biden tweeted,
We’ve already welcomed tens of thousands of Ukrainians to the United States. And today, I’m announcing “Uniting for Ukraine,” a new program to enable Ukrainians seeking refuge to come directly from Europe to the United States.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 21, 2022
He further tweeted,
This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 21, 2022
This program will be fast. It will be streamlined. And it will ensure the United States honors our commitment to the Ukrainian people.
The Department of Homeland Security has also asked Ukrainian refuges to not to enter U.S. through its Southern border with Mexico, where thousands of refugees have been amassing in makeshift camps and other facilities in recent weeks. U.S. authorities had been allowing Ukrainian refugees in at the border on humanitarian grounds, exempting them from a restrictive policy known as “Title 42” that has been used since 2020 to turn away most other asylum seekers seeking the U.S. protection.
Around 15,000 Ukrainian refugees have come to the U.S. since the Russian invasion began, mostly through Mexico.
Separately, the Immigration Attorney and Former U.S. Justice Department Official – Leon Fresco, said that the programme “in theory” will make it easier for Ukrainians to get to the U.S., but many challenges remain. People will have to put in the applications, adjudicate the applications and then when they’re approved, they need to go to an Embassy somewhere around the world and ask for the actual card to enter the U.S. This takes a lot of time. That’s why people prefer going to border directly and making an application.
Most recently, the U.S. had used humanitarian parole to help bring thousands of Afghans to the country following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. But amid processing backlogs, advocates have urged Congress to pass a law that would grant them permanent residency.
