US freezes U4U program for Ukrainian refugees
Photo: The US suspends the U4U program for refugees from Ukraine (Getty Images)
In the United States, the Citizenship and Immigration Service has announced the suspension of a program for Ukrainian citizens who travel to the United States because of Russia's large-scale aggression. This refers to the United for Ukraine (U4U) program, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), and Voice of America.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it was suspending the acceptance of Form I-134A, the online request for support, and the declaration of financial support. This is explained by the executive order of January 20, Securing Our Borders.
Currently, applications are frozen until the USCIS reviews all requests that have already been submitted.
Ukrainian refugees in United States
According to media reports, as of March 2023, over 118,000 Ukrainian citizens have come to the United States under the U4U program. In addition, about 25,000 more Ukrainians entered the United States at the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion in 2022, crossing the border into the United States from Mexico.
According to the Voice of America, the number of immigrants in the United States over the past few years has been record-breaking in history. It is now surpassing the great immigration boom at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
United for Ukraine program
The United for Ukraine (U4U) program allows Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily in the country for 2 years.
Ukrainians participating in the U4U program must have a US sponsor 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 US sponsor to apply, Form I-134A, an Online application for participation in the program as a sponsor, and declaration of financial support, to the USCIS.
The US government will then vet the sponsor to ensure that they can financially support the person they agree to sponsor.
Background
Recently, the New York Times reported that the US Department of Homeland Security had suspended the U4U program. It was also stated that asylum requests under this program would not be considered temporarily.
On January 20, US President Donald Trump signed a decree entitled Securing Our Borders. Among other things, it instructed him to adjust asylum programs for people arriving in the United States and to stop asylum programs that contradict Washington's policy.
According to The New York Times, the list of programs to be suspended includes the Unite for Ukraine initiative of former US President Joe Biden, which allowed Ukrainian immigrants to temporarily enter the United States if they had financial sponsors. According to the government, as of September 2023, more than 150,000 Ukrainians had entered the country under the program.
Since January 24, users in groups for Ukrainians in the United States have been posting massive messages that their relatives or friends who were supposed to be hosted in the United States by the U4U program have been denied entry. Many Ukrainians who were traveling to the United States were caught by the new requirements of the migration agency literally in transit.
The Council of Ukrainian Christian Churches of Washington State appealed to Trump not to stop programs for refugees from Ukraine, including the U4U and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) programs.
On January 12, it became known that the United States had extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainian citizens staying in the United States because of Russia's large-scale military aggression for 18 months.
