A Look Back: 2 Years of Ukrainian Arrivals
By Sophia Donis
*Data in this blog post from the MO-ORA database includes Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees (UHPs) who have made contact with local resettlement agencies and were entered into the database. It does not include Ukrainian refugees resettled through the USRAP or all Ukrainians currently residing in Missouri.
On February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine after years of tension between the two countries. The ongoing war has forced the displacement of millions of Ukrainians who have fled to neighboring European countries and the United States.
The International Organization for Migration estimates 14.6 million people – 40% of Ukraine’s total population – remain in need of some form of humanitarian assistance in 2024. Two years into the war, we wanted to reflect on arrival data for Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees and Ukrainian refugees, and provide important context surrounding their displacement and subsequent arrival in the U.S.
Ukrainian Arrivals Nationwide
According to the State Department, the U.S. is the largest single-country donor of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Support for Ukraine includes military, humanitarian, and economic assistance to help Ukraine defend itself and support the country's people.
The complex national arrival data can be broken down into two types of Ukrainian populations. The first is Ukrainian refugees resettled through the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which has been done for decades and provides a permanent pathway to citizenship. According to Wrapsnet, 3,572 Ukrainian refugees have been resettled since FY 2022.
The second population are individuals welcomed through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program which gives individuals Humanitarian Parolee status. With UHP status, individuals can temporarily live in the U.S. for up to two years, obtain work authorization, and be eligible for federal benefits. More than 178,000 Ukrainians have entered the U.S. through the U4U program.
Current U4U program numbers:
3,428 MO supporter applications
350,668 U4U U.S. supporter applications
222,615 U4U beneficiaries approved for travel
178,923 U4U arrivals paroled into the U.S.
It’s worth noting that currently, Ukrainians can enter the U.S. and be given Humanitarian Parolee status but are not eligible for federal benefits as of Sept. 30, 2023.
Switchboard explains “The funding bill passed by the U.S. Congress that provides temporary funding to run the federal government until January and February 2024 limits eligibility for federal benefits to parolees who entered the U.S. on or before September 30, 2023. Any changes to eligibility for federal benefits will require congressional action.”
As of February 29, Congress has still not made a legislative decision on extending these benefits.
Ukrainian Arrivals in Missouri
Just a few months after Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) and welcoming record-breaking numbers of Afghans, local resettlement agencies adapted again to welcome an increased number of newcomers, this time from Ukraine.
Since February 2022, 871 Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees have arrived through the U4U program, according to the MO-ORA database. An additional 90 Ukrainian refugees have been resettled through the USRAP, according to Wrapsnet.
To better assist these new clients, agencies created new partnerships and programming:
Della Lamb created a UHP team to assist individuals with applying for services and provide free information to those who need it.
Stand with Ukraine KC, a non-profit leg of the Ukranian Club of Kansas City, was founded in May 2022 to support newly arrived Ukrainians. In addition to hosting cultural events in Kansas City, they’ve formed partnerships with Della Lamb, Jewish Vocational Service, KC for Refugees, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, and more.
Catholic Charities created a satellite office in Sedalia to better service the growing Ukrainian population.
We even saw kindness blossom in our community when a St. Louis couple donated handmade quilts to Ukrainian families.
A Deeper Look at UHP Data
After analyzing the gender distribution of arrivals, we noticed there were more female UHPs compared to male UHPs, which is different compared to the almost even split we saw in our 2023 recap. We also saw similar age distribution trends between the UHP data and our 2023 recap, with the only notable difference being a larger percentage of the 65+ age bracket in the UHP data. The primary languages spoken across the UHP arrivals are Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, and Turkish.
A Look to The Future
Ukrainians can still enter the U.S. and be granted Humanitarian Parolee status, but they aren’t eligible for federal benefits unless they’re accompanying a current UHP that arrived before the Sept. 30, 2023, deadline. Despite the lack of benefit eligibility, Missouri has seen at least 15 UHP arrivals since Oct. 1, 2023.
Starting February 27, Ukrainians and their immediate family members can now be considered for re-parole. This applies to Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who were paroled into the U.S. on or after February 11, 2022. Applications are being considered on a discretionary, case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
While there is still much uncertainty for UHP benefit eligibility in the U.S., we will continue to serve those in need and help spread awareness for the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. For anyone looking for Ukrainian client support, you can find a variety of resources on our resource guide.