Ukraine Crisis

Ukraine: One Year Later

The War in Ukraine in Eight Photos: From day one of the invasion, photographer Lynsey Addario was on the ground capturing moments of ruin and heroic resolve. One year later, she says it’s unlike any war she’s covered.

A year after invasion, Ukrainian refugees unsure when they'll go home: Amid new jobs, languages and lives hangs a consequential question: Not just when to go home, but whether.
A conversation with a Ukrainian refugee and the American who's sponsoring her: Millions of Ukrainians have been driven from their homes, and more than 100,000 have sought refuge here in the U.S.

Overview

The U.S. government pledged to welcome up to 100,000 people who have fled Ukraine and to expand and develop programs focused on reuniting Ukrainian refugees with family members in the U.S. Arrivals will come through the full range of legal pathways, including asylum, humanitarian parole, and refugee resettlement.

A new U.S. program called Uniting for Ukraine was launched to streamline the process for displaced Ukrainians to apply for humanitarian parole and connect them with sponsors in the U.S. U.S.-based individuals and organizations are able to apply through the Department of Homeland Security to sponsor Ukrainian citizens displaced by the war so they can temporarily live in the United States under humanitarian parole. As of July 1, more than 69,000 sponsor applications had been received, and 18,000 Ukrainians had arrived through the Uniting for Ukraine program. In Missouri, there had been 648 sponsor applications as of July 1.

The Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act authorized the Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide resettlement assistance and other benefits available for refugees to Ukrainians arriving through Uniting for Ukraine.

Uniting for Ukraine

Uniting for Ukraine provides a pathway for Ukrainians citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the U.S. to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a two-year period of parole. 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.

Resources for Ukrainians

Apply for humanitarian parole through the new Uniting for Ukraine program.

Looking to connect with a U.S. sponsor? A new program called Welcome Connect by Welcome.US can facilitate these connections.

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine provides contact information for assistance:
- Ukraine-Related Calls: +1 606 260 4379 (outside the U.S.) or +1 833 741 2777 (from the U.S.)
- Humanitarian Assistance and Visa Information for Ukrainians who have Evacuated to Poland
- Click here for more details and contacts.

The Lautenberg Amendment provides a pathway for members of historically persecuted religious groups from Ukraine and other countries in the former Soviet Union to be reunited with family members already living in the U.S. Click here to read more from HIAS.

For Ukrainians who are already living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status, the Department of Homeland Security has extended their stay for at least another 18 months. Those who arrived by April 11 are eligible.

IRC has partnered with Loyal Source to provide a support line in support of Uniting for Ukraine. Any Ukrainian humanitarian parolee in the United States can access the Uniting for Ukraine Support Line by calling (407) 591-3963, Monday-Friday 8am-4pm CT. Currently one navigator is Ukrainian and Russian speaking. Support line has taken over 30 calls to date. Support line provides guidance about employment documentation, links with community resources, etc.

Ukrainians Eligible for ORR Services
& Public Benefits

From Policy Letter 22-13

Citizens or nationals of Ukraine who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has paroled into the United States between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2023, due to urgent humanitarian reasons or for significant public benefit, known as Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees (UHPs).

Non-Ukrainian individuals who last habitually resided in Ukraine, who DHS has paroled into the United States between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2023, due to urgent humanitarian reasons or for significant public benefit.

A spouse or child of an individual described in section I.A. or I.B. who is paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023.

A parent, legal guardian, or primary caregiver of an unaccompanied refugee minor or an unaccompanied child described in section I.A. or I.B. who is paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023.

Services Available in Missouri at Local Resettlement Agencies

List of Partner Agencies

Enrollment in Refugee-Related Federal Programs

Assessment for and enrollment in eligible MO-ORA/ORR funded services such as Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Matching Grant (MG), Preferred Communities (PC), U4U Refugee Support Services (RSS), Services to Older refugees (SOR), Youth Mentoring (YM), Refugee Health Promotion (RHP)

Help Apply for Federal Documents

Social Security Number Application
Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
Beneficiaries of U4U must apply for an EAD through the established process filing the I-765 using the (c) (11) category code. If an individual already has their Social Security Number (SSN), they would answer Yes to question 13.a and enter the SSN in 13.b.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages electronic filing. However, if the beneficiary is seeking a fee waiver, then the I-765 and I-912 must be submitted together in paper form. USCIS is not able to accept fee waiver request electronically at this time.

Help Apply for Cash Assistance Programs – State/Federal

Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and/or,
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for those age 65 or older, or disabled by SSI standards.

Help Apply for Health Insurance Programs

Refugee Medical Assistance;
MO HealthNet; or,
MarketPlace

Help Apply for Other Benefits Available through Missouri Department of Social Services

Food Stamps (SNAP)

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

Help Enroll or Refer to Other Programs/Services, such as:

Direct housing assistance
Community programs
English Language programs
Employment services
Children school registration/daycare enrollment
Filing change of address forms
Transportation
Health screening[i]
Accessing health services
Community Orientation
Other services/programs as needed

[i] To maintain their parole status, UHPs must be vaccinated for measles, polio, and COVID-19 within 14 days of their arrival to the U.S. They also must be screened for tuberculosis with a blood test.

Points of Contact at Missouri’s Local Resettlement Agencies

Agency: International Institute of St. Louis (IISTL)
Contact: Abbas Fazely
Email: fazelya@iistl.org
Phone: (314) 655-0895

St. Louis & Eastern MO

Agency: II-Southwest MO Branch (IISMO)
Contact: Diana Derkach
Email: derkachd@iistl.org
Phone: (417) 720-1552

Springfield & SW MO

Agency: Refugee & Immigration Services & Education (RAISE)
Contact: Kara Gebre
Email: kara@raisecommunity.org
Phone: (417) 208-9071

Joplin & SW MO

Agency: Della Lamb Community Services
Contact: Sakina Steiger
Email: ssteiger@dellalamb.org
Phone: (816) 831-1258

Kansas City & W/NW MO

Agency: Jewish Vocational Service
Contact: Sara Pitia
Email: spitia@jvskc.org
Phone: (816) 629-8927

Kansas City & W/NW MO

Agency: Catholic Charities of Central and Northern MO
Contact: Solomon Hadera
Email: shadera@cccnmo.org
Phone: (573) 635-7719

Columbia & Central/N MO

Become a Sponsor

Apply to sponsor a family or individuals from Ukraine through the Uniting for Ukraine program. Interested sponsors can also create a profile through the Welcome Connect program to be matched with Ukrainians seeking refuge in the U.S.