travel pass for ukrainian refugees

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President Biden to Announce Uniting for Ukraine, a New Streamlined Process to Welcome Ukrainians Fleeing Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

WASHINGTON – Today, the President will announce Uniting for Ukraine , a new streamlined process to provide Ukrainian citizens who have fled Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression opportunities to come to the United States, fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s aggression as a result of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. In addition, the State Department is announcing increased refugee resettlement processing and broadened access to visa processing at consular posts overseas. This builds on the robust humanitarian assistance the U.S. government is providing to complement the efforts of generous countries throughout Europe who are hosting Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced.

“We are proud to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russian aggression to the United States. The Ukrainian people continue to suffer immense tragedy and loss as a result of Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on their country,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “DHS will continue to provide relief to the Ukrainian people, while supporting our European allies who have shouldered so much as the result of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.”

“The U.S. Department of State stands with the people of Ukraine,” said Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. “We will help deliver on the President’s commitment to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian citizens and others forced to flee their homes in Ukraine, and our partnership with the Department of Homeland Security will help us fulfill that commitment.”

Uniting for Ukraine is a streamlined process for Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced by Russia’s aggression to apply for humanitarian parole in the United States. To be eligible, Ukrainians must have been residents in Ukraine as of February 11, 2022, have a sponsor in the United States, complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, and pass rigorous biometric and biographic screening and vetting security checks. Ukrainians approved via this process will be authorized to travel to the United States and be considered for parole, on a case-by-case basis, for a period of up to two years. Once paroled through this process, Ukrainians will be eligible for work authorization.

Beginning on April 25, 2022, U.S.-based individuals and entities can apply to DHS to sponsor Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced by Russia’s aggression through the Uniting for Ukraine process, which will go live that day on the DHS website. Any U.S. citizen or individual, including representatives of non-government organizations, can sponsor Ukrainian applicants. Individuals and organizations seeking to sponsor Ukrainian citizens in the United States will be required to declare their financial support and pass security background checks to protect against exploitation and abuse. The Department of Homeland Security will administer the program. Eligibility requirements will include required vaccinations and other public health requirements, as well as biographic and biometric screening, vetting, and security checks.

The United States strongly encourages Ukrainians seeking refuge in the United States who do not have and are not eligible for a visa to seek entry via Uniting for Ukraine from Europe, this will be the safest and most efficient way to pursue temporary refuge in the United States. The U.S. government is working with European partners to ensure Ukrainians can meet the vaccination requirements of Uniting for Ukraine.

Ukrainians should not travel to Mexico to pursue entry into the United States. Following the launch of Uniting for Ukraine , Ukrainians who present at land U.S. ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine will be denied entry and referred to apply through this program.

In addition to Uniting for Ukraine , the United States is announcing a series of measures designed to expand access to existing legal pathways for Ukrainian citizens. The Department of State will expand U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) operations in Europe to provide eligible Ukrainians with greater access to refugee resettlement processing under the Lautenberg program , while also expanding referral mechanisms for Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine who are in need of permanent resettlement.

As part of these efforts, the Department of State will expand U.S. resettlement operations in Europe to provide more resources to process Ukrainian citizens for refugee resettlement under the Lautenberg program, and will expand referral mechanisms for Ukrainian citizens and others fleeing Russia’s war against Ukraine to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). To do so, the United States is working with European partners, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs to identify particularly vulnerable Ukrainian citizens and others fleeing the conflict who may warrant permanent resettlement through USRAP. These particularly vulnerable populations include women and girls, children, older persons with special needs, members of ethnic and religious minority groups, LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, medically fragile individuals, and stateless persons.

In addition, European embassies and consulates are increasing, to the extent possible, the number of nonimmigrant visa appointments and ensuring there is an expedited visa appointment program for individuals with humanitarian, medical, or other extraordinary circumstances to get priority access.

The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to supporting the people of Ukraine and continues to closely coordinate our efforts with our European allies and partners who are on the frontlines of aiding Ukrainian citizens forced to flee due to Russian aggression. The United States has contributed nearly $300 million in humanitarian assistance to provide displaced Ukrainians with food, safe drinking water, shelter, and winterization services, and will continue to serve as a global leader in the international humanitarian response. The United States is prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding toward humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the world.

Citizenship and Immigration Services
President Biden
Russia-Ukraine Crisis
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

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Uniting for Ukraine

ALERT: You are likely eligible to apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) to legally work in the United States if:

You were recently paroled into the United States and that parole remains valid; or
You have applied for asylum and that application has been pending for at least 150 days.

If you have not already started the EAD application process, you can begin here by creating a USCIS account online and filing Form-I-765 . USCIS will mail your work permit to the address you provided in your application if your application is approved. If necessary, you can file a paper application for Form I-765 instead.

On April 21, 2022, the United States announced a key step toward fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion. Uniting for Ukraine 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. Ukrainians participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a supporter in the United States 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 U.S.-based supporter to file a I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support , with USCIS. The U.S. government will then vet the supporter to ensure that they are able to financially support the individual whom they agree to support.

For more information on Uniting for Ukraine, see the DHS webpage .

Who May Be Considered for Parole Under Uniting for Ukraine

To be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine , the beneficiary must have a supporter who files a Form I-134A on their behalf.

Beneficiaries are eligible for this process if they:

Resided in Ukraine immediately before the Russian invasion (through Feb. 11, 2022) and were displaced by the invasion;
Are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport) or, if not a Ukrainian citizen, are an immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine who has a valid passport and is traveling with the Ukrainian citizen beneficiary;
Have a supporter who filed a Form I-134A on their behalf that USCIS has vetted and confirmed as sufficient; and
Clear biographic and biometric security checks.

Note: To be eligible for this process, children under the age of 18 must be traveling to a U.S. port of entry in the care and custody of their parent or legal guardian. Parents and children who are not residing in the same country before travel may still be able to use this process.

The supporter must complete and file Form I-134A with USCIS and be vetted by the U.S. government to protect against possible exploitation and abuse and to ensure that they are able to financially sustain the Ukrainians they are agreeing to support.

Who Is Not Eligible for Parole Under Uniting for Ukraine

Ukrainian citizens who are already present in the United States will not be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine . However, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) may be available for Ukrainian citizens present in the United States. For more information, please see our Temporary Protected Status for Ukraine page.

Children under age 18 arriving without their parent or legal guardian are not eligible for advance authorization to travel or consideration for parole under Uniting for Ukraine . If a child under age 18 arrives at a U.S. port of entry and is not traveling with their parent or legal guardian, they may be placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as required by law under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), to protect the child from human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. For more information, please visit the HHS Unaccompanied Children webpage .

Children under age 18 who are not traveling with a parent or legal guardian, but who are coming to the United States to meet a parent or legal guardian, may instead seek parole through the standard Form I-131 parole process. In the standard Form I-131 parole process, children under age 18 who travel without a parent or legal guardian will need, among other evidence, written permission from all adults with legal custody of the child (that is, their parents or legal guardians) to travel to the United States.

Additional evidence submitted with the Form I-131 should include:

The duration of their stay in the United States; and
Evidence of relationship between the child under age 18 and the parent or legal guardian that the child is traveling to reunite with in the United States.

If the legal guardian is providing the written permission, the requestor must include proof of legal guardianship issued by the appropriate government authority. In addition, the application should include a statement about the relationship of the child to the person filing the Form I-131, and whether they intend to provide care and custody of the child in the United States or reunite the child with a parent or legal guardian in the United States. For more information, please see our Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole page, which has information about the requirements for requesting parole for children.

You may request a fee waiver when submitting Form I-131 for a Ukrainian child as described in the above paragraph. For more information on how to request a fee waiver, please see the Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver , webpage.

Pathway for Children Under Age 18 Outside the United States Who Have Parents or Legal Guardians in the United States.

If a child’s parents or legal guardians have lawful status in the United States, are parolees (including a parolee under Uniting for Ukraine ), or are beneficiaries of deferred action or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), and the parents or legal guardians have documentation or authorization to reenter the United States after returning from a trip outside the United States, they may be eligible to travel outside the United States to accompany their child to the United States. The child must otherwise be eligible for consideration for parole under Uniting for Ukraine.

To request consideration under Uniting for Ukraine , a supporter must submit a Form I-134A on behalf of the child under age 18 seeking to reunite with their parent or legal guardian in the United States. The parent or legal guardian of the child may file Form I-134A on the child’s behalf if the parent or legal guardian has lawful status in the United States, is a parolee, or is a beneficiary of deferred action or DED. However, the U.S.-based supporter does not need to be related to the beneficiary for whom they have filed Form I-134A.

After we have confirmed the Form I-134A, the supporter should follow these steps:

Step 1: Log in to their online account.
Step 2: From the top of the webpage, select the My Account drop-down menu and select Inbox.
Step 3: Click on the New Message button.
Step 4: For the subject, select “Other” from the drop-down menu, and for the case receipt number, select the receipt number for Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support.
Evidence of the parental relationship or legal guardianship of the child. (Evidence may include a birth certificate for the child and identity documents for the parent or legal guardian. Generally, evidence of legal guardianship requires a legal or administrative process involving the courts or other recognized government entity. A power of attorney or written or notarized statement is not a formally recognized arrangement.)
Evidence that the parent or legal guardian has documentation or authorization to reenter the United States. This documentation may include proof of U.S. citizenship, a Green Card, or an Advance Parole Document (Application for Travel Document, Form I-131).
A signed statement affirming that the parent or legal guardian will accompany the child to the United States and provide care and physical custody of that child in the United States.

Can prospective adoptive parents use the standard parole process to seek travel authorization for a Ukrainian child whose adoption is not yet complete?

Prospective adoptive parents may not use this process to bring a child into the United States for adoption purposes. For information about adoption from Ukraine, visit the Department of State’s Ukraine Adoption Information Page .

Supporters who file Form I-134A on behalf of a beneficiary under Uniting for Ukraine must be in lawful status in the United States or a parolee or beneficiary of deferred action or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and willing and able to receive, maintain, and support the beneficiary listed in Form I-134A. Examples of the types of support for beneficiaries that supporters should keep in mind when considering their ability to meet this commitment include:

Receiving the beneficiary upon arrival in the United States and transporting them to initial housing;
Ensuring that the beneficiary has safe and appropriate housing for the duration of their parole and initial basic necessities;
As appropriate, helping the beneficiary complete necessary paperwork such as for employment authorization, for a Social Security card, and for services for which they may be eligible;
Ensuring that the beneficiary’s health care and medical needs are met for the duration of the parole; and
As appropriate, assisting the beneficiary with accessing education, learning English, securing employment and enrolling children in school.

Supporters must include the name of the beneficiary on Form I-134A. Supporters may not file a Form I-134A on behalf of an unnamed beneficiary. A supporter may agree to support more than one beneficiary, such as for different members of a family group, but must file a separate Form I-134A for each beneficiary.

At least one Form I-134A must be filed for each beneficiary. Multiple supporters may join together to support a beneficiary. In this case, a supporter should file a Form I-134A and include in the filing supplementary evidence demonstrating the identity of, and resources to be provided by, the additional supporters and attach a statement explaining the intent to share responsibility to support the beneficiary. These supporters’ ability to support a beneficiary will be assessed collectively.

The Form I-134A requires an individual to sign the form; organizations may not serve as the named supporter on a Form I-134A. However, if an organization or other entity is providing financial or other services to the beneficiary for the purpose of facilitating support, this information should be provided as part of the evidence submitted with the Form I-134A and will be taken into account in determining the supporter’s ability to support the beneficiary.

There is no fee to file a Form I-134A.

File Online

USCIS supports America’s immigration process in many ways, including overseeing the approval process for citizen financial support of new arrivals to our country. DOS has collaborated with Welcome.us to provide the American people and private sector with information on welcoming and supporting newcomer populations. The Welcome.us Ukraine webpage includes information for those interested in learning more about supporting someone from Ukraine.

Ukrainian beneficiaries cannot directly apply for parole under Uniting for Ukraine . A supporter must first complete and file Form I-134A with us on behalf of a Ukrainian beneficiary and include information about them and contact details, such as email address. If we deem the Form I-134 sufficient, we will send the Ukrainian beneficiary information about the next step in the process to be considered for authorization to travel to the United States and parole consideration by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

As of April 25, 2022, the primary process for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion and seeking parole into the United States is through Uniting for Ukraine . This process enables approved Ukrainians to travel to the United States, be considered for parole for a period of up to 2 years, and be eligible to apply for employment authorization while in the United States. The United States strongly encourages Ukrainians in Europe who seek to travel to the United States to complete the request from Europe. Ukrainians who present at U.S. land ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine may be denied entry and referred to apply through this process.

Ukrainians who have a pending request for parole filed with USCIS on Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, but wish to be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine instead must have their supporter submit a Form I-134 following these instructions to be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine . USCIS will provide petitioners who currently have a pending Form I-131 for a Ukrainian beneficiary with a notice explaining the process to be considered for parole under Uniting for Ukraine and the actions they must take if they would like to withdraw their Form I-131 in light of the new Uniting for Ukraine process.

After the supporter files the Form I-134A with USCIS, we will review the form and supporting evidence to ensure that the supporter has sufficient financial resources to support the Ukrainian beneficiary for the duration of the parole period and conduct background checks on the supporter. We will determine whether the Form I-134A is sufficient, and we may request additional evidence to make our determination. If approved, Ukrainian beneficiaries will receive an email from USCIS with instructions on how to set up an account with myUSCIS and other next steps. Individuals should check their email, including spam and junk folders, for important messages from USCIS.

If the Form I-134A is Sufficient

If we confirm the Form I-134A is sufficient, the Ukrainian beneficiary will receive an email from USCIS with instructions on how to set up an account with myUSCIS and other next steps. The Ukrainian beneficiary will be required to confirm their biographic information on myUSCIS and attest to completion of all requirements including:

An attestation to certify understanding of the family relationship requirements for children under 18 for Uniting for Ukraine ; and
An attestation that you have completed vaccine requirements or are eligible for an exception to vaccine requirements for measles, polio, and the first dose of an FDA approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccine or a WHO-Emergency use listed (EUL) COVID-19 vaccine .

Upon arrival to the United States, the beneficiary will need to attest to receiving a medical screening for tuberculosis, including an Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) test, within 90 days.

Find more information on vaccine requirements on the preview of the vaccine attestation page .

If the Form I-134A is Insufficient

If we are unable to confirm the Form I-134A is sufficient, that decision is final. The Ukrainian beneficiary will receive an email from USCIS notifying them that we determined the Form I-134A filed on their behalf was insufficient. We will not consider the Ukrainian beneficiary for parole under Uniting for Ukraine based on the insufficient Form I-134A. However, the supporter may file a new Form I-134A on behalf of the same or another Ukrainian beneficiary, or a different supporter may file a Form I-134A on behalf of the beneficiary

Authorization to travel to the United States

Once the Ukrainian beneficiary has confirmed their biographic information and attested to completing all other requirements, their case will be further processed. Ukrainians will receive an email instructing them to check their myUSCIS account for the result of their authorization to travel. If the individual has been authorized to travel to the United States to seek parole under Uniting for Ukraine , they will be responsible for arranging and funding their own travel. This authorization is valid for 90 days.

If you already applied for humanitarian parole on behalf of a beneficiary who is a Ukrainian citizen, and your Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, is pending with USCIS, we will send a notice explaining that you are eligible to reapply through Uniting for Ukraine .

Benefits of applying through Uniting for Ukraine

There is no fee to apply for parole through Uniting for Ukraine . If you previously paid the processing fee for your Form I-131, although fees paid to USCIS are generally non-refundable, we will refund fees paid in this circumstance.
Uniting for Ukraine may help beneficiaries receive temporary safe haven in the United States more quickly. Due to a surge of requests, our processing times for Form I-131 humanitarian parole are significantly longer than usual.

How to apply through Uniting for Ukraine if you already have a Pending I-131, Application for Travel Document

If you already filed a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, for humanitarian parole on behalf of a Ukrainian who is outside the United States, you may either withdraw your pending Form I-131 or leave your Form I-131 pending with USCIS. Whether you withdraw your Form I-131 will have no impact on your ability to file a Form I-134 on behalf of the same individual under Uniting for Ukraine .

If you choose to withdraw your pending Form I-131, you will receive a fee refund.
If you choose to leave your Form I-131 pending, we will retain the fee, and adjudicate it in the future.

If you wish to provide support to a Ukrainian beneficiary under the Uniting for Ukraine process, you must file a new Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support , even if you already submitted a prior Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, with your pending Form I-131.

Employment Authorization

Effective Nov. 21, 2022, beneficiaries paroled into the United States under Uniting for Ukraine are employment authorized incident to parole. This means that if you are paroled into the United States under Uniting for Ukraine , USCIS does not need to approve your application for employment authorization before you can work in the United States. Your unexpired Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, with a class of admission (COA) of “UHP” is an acceptable List A document that shows your identity and work authorization for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.

Within 90 days of hire (or in the case of reverification, the date employment authorization expires), you must provide your employer either:

Your unexpired Form I-765, Employment Authorization Document (EAD); or
Your unrestricted Social Security card and a List B identity document from the Form I-9 Lists of Acceptable Documents. (Note: A Social Security card that contains no employment restrictions is not available to individuals who are parolees and are not admitted to the United States on a permanent basis. See the Social Security Administration’s Types of Social Security Cards webpage.)

Individuals who received their Form I-94 at the time of their parole into the United States should visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Form I-94 website to view and print a copy of their Form I-94.

For more information, please see Employee Rights and Resources on I-9 Central .

Fee Exemption for Initial EADs

Effective Nov. 21, 2022, USCIS is exempting the fee to file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for initial EADs for individuals paroled into the United States under Uniting for Ukraine who file by mail. To apply for discretionary employment authorization, you must submit Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization , using the (c)(11) category code. You do not need to pay a filing fee for your initial EAD. Beginning Dec. 5, 2022, you may file your fee exempt Form I-765 online.

To obtain the fee exemption when filing Form I-765 online to request an initial EAD:

In the basis of eligibility section, provide your “eligibility category”;
For the category under which you are applying, select “ c(11) Ukraine Parole ” from the drop-down;
Select your reason for applying as “ Initial permission to accept employment ”; and
Review and submit application to receive $0 fee.

To obtain the fee exemption when mailing a paper Form I-765 to USCIS to request an initial:

Select “Initial permission to accept employment” (Part 1, Item 1.a.) ;
Country of Citizenship (Part 2, Items 18.a. and 18.b.), and/or
Country of Birth (Part 2, Item 19.c.);
Enter “C11” in the Eligibility Category (Part 2, Item 27.); and
Submit no payment.

Note: For the fee exemption to apply, Form I-765 must be postmarked on or after Nov. 21, 2022, or submitted online on or after Dec. 5, 2022.

We encourage parolees to file Form I-765 online. To file Form I-765 online, eligible applicants must first visit my.uscis.gov to create a USCIS online account. There is no cost to create an account, which offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS about your application through a secure inbox.

Obtaining a Social Security Number and Card

You must have a Social Security number (SSN) properly assigned in your name by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to work in the United States so that your wages may be reported and to determine eligibility for Social Security benefits. We encourage you to apply for an SSN using Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization , and following the form instructions. If you request an SSN in Part 2 (Items 13.a-17.b) of your Form I-765, and your application is approved, USCIS will electronically transmit that data to the SSA, and SSA will assign you an SSN and issue you a Social Security card. SSA will mail your Social Security card directly to the address you provide on Form I-765.

If you do not request an SSN on your Form I-765, you can apply for an SSN using the instructions on SSA’s Social Security Number and Card webpage.

Address Updates

If you are residing in the United States longer than 30 days, you must report your physical address in the United States. You can change your address online and update your address on any pending applications and petitions at the same time using the USCIS Online Change of Address system. You must report a change of address within 10 days of moving to a different physical residence within the United States or its territories.

This will update your address on file with USCIS for pending applications, petitions, or requests that you include receipt numbers for on the form.

It is important to include the receipt number for any pending cases with USCIS with your address change request, so we can update the address associated with those cases. We will mail secure documents to the address on file. You can find the receipt number on the receipt notice (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) that we issued after you filed your application or petition. We send receipt notices to the address listed on the application or petition.

Terminating Your Parole

If you have already been paroled into the United States, your parole will automatically be terminated if:

You depart the United States without obtaining advance authorization to travel; or
Your parole period expires.

DHS may also decide to terminate your parole for other reasons, such as violating any laws of the United States. Individuals with expired parole are expected to depart the country of their own accord. Individuals in the United States encountered after their parole has terminated may be referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration proceedings.

Leaving the United States

If we grant you travel authorization, you may present it only once for travel to the United States to seek parole at the U.S. port of entry. After you are paroled into the United States, if you want to leave the United States and then return as a parolee, you must request an Advance Parole Document by filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, before traveling outside the United States. If you leave the United States without getting an Advance Parole Document, your parole will be terminated when you depart. For information on how to apply for an Advance Parole Document while you are in the United States, please see the Form I-131 page.

Beginning Feb. 27, 2024, we will accept and consider, on a case-by-case basis, re-parole requests from certain Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who were paroled into the United States on or after Feb. 11, 2022. You can find the date you were paroled on your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record , issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

To be eligible for re-parole under this process, you must demonstrate the following:

That you are a Ukrainian citizen or immediate family member who was paroled into the United States on or after Feb. 11, 2022;

That there are continued urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit for issuance of a new period of parole, including the urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit factors identified above, as well as any additional factors;

That you warrant a favorable exercise of discretion;

That you are physically present in the United States;

That you have complied with the conditions of the initial parole; and

That you clear biographic and biometric background checks.

For more information, see our Re-Parole Process for Certain Ukrainians webpage.

Beneficiaries

If a beneficiary of a confirmed I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, needs to correct information supplied to the supporter who completed the Form I-134, the beneficiary should send a secure message to USCIS using their USCIS online account. If the beneficiary has an issue with online account access or needs a password reset, they should use our online need help form . To ask about the status of a Form I-134A, beneficiaries can send a secure message from their USCIS account or call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). The number for those outside the United States is 212-620-3418.

To inquire about the status of a submitted Form I-134A or make a correction to a submitted Form I-134A, supporters should send a secure message from their USCIS online account.

For more information, see the Contacting USCIS About Form I-134A section on the Frequently Asked Questions about Uniting for Ukraine page.

There are many forms of abuse and exploitation, including domestic violence, forced marriage, and human trafficking. In the United States, there are laws that may help you avoid or escape an abusive situation.

Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior in a relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner, parent, or child. Domestic abuse can involve physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or psychological abuse or threats.
Forced marriage is a marriage that takes place without the consent of one or both people in the marriage. Consent means that you have given your full, free, and informed agreement to marry your intended spouse and to the timing of the marriage. Forced marriage may occur when family members or others use physical or emotional abuse, threats, or deception to force you to marry without your consent. For additional information on forced marriage, please visit the Forced Marriage webpage.
Human Trafficking involves exploiting someone to compel a commercial sex act or forced labor. Generally, this exploitation must involve force, fraud, or coercion to be considered human trafficking. However, if someone under 18 years old is induced to perform a commercial sex act, that is considered human trafficking even if there is no force, fraud, or coercion.

If you have experienced or fear forced marriage, domestic violence, human trafficking, or other abuse, please contact the resources below to receive free help in your language:

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233, 800-787-3224 (TTY), www.ndvh.org
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children : 800-843-5678, www.missingkids.com
The National Center for Victims of Crime: 800-394-2255, 800-211-7996 (TTY), www.victimsofcrime.org
National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888, Text: 233733

We do not want you to become the victim of an immigration scam. If you need legal advice on immigration matters, make sure the person helping you is authorized to give legal advice. Only an attorney or accredited representative working for a Department of Justice recognized organization can give you legal advice. Visit the Avoid Scams page for information and resources.

Some common scams to be aware of include:

Government impersonators: Look out for individuals who pose as USCIS officials. USCIS will only contact you through official government channels and will not contact you through your personal social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).
Misleading offers of support: Look out for individuals who attempt to contact you online or through your social media accounts to offer to be your supporter or connect you to a supporter in exchange for a fee or other form of compensation. Similarly, look out for individuals seeking biographic information from you, such as your passport number or date of birth, through your social media accounts, to offer to support you for parole. Supporters should be able to provide financial support to beneficiaries for up to a 2-year period of parole. Beneficiaries are not obligated to repay, reimburse, work for, serve, marry, or otherwise compensate their supporter in exchange for the potential supporter submitting Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, on their behalf or for providing financial support while they are in the United States. Find more information on potential exploitation and abuse in the Understand Your Rights (PDF) guide.
Scam Websites: Some websites claim to be affiliated with USCIS and offer step-by-step guidance on completing a USCIS application or petition. Make sure your information is from uscis.gov, dhs.gov, or is affiliated with uscis.gov. Make sure the website address ends with .gov.
Payments by Phone or Email: USCIS will never ask you to transfer money to an individual. We do not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, or gift cards as payment for immigration fees. In addition, we will never ask you to pay fees to a person on the phone or by email.
Notarios Públicos and unauthorized practitioners of immigration law: In the United States, a notario público is not authorized to provide you with any legal services related to immigration benefits. Only an attorney or an accredited representative working for a Department of Justice (DOJ)-recognized organization can give you legal advice. For more information about finding legal services , visit our website.
Employment Resources for Parolees in the United States
I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support
Frequently Asked Questions About Uniting for Ukraine
Uniting for Ukraine Flyer (PDF, 287.88 KB)
Uniting for Ukraine Flyer (PDF, 292.23 KB) (Ukrainian)
Uniting for Ukraine Flyer (PDF, 290.55 KB) (Russian)

Non-USCIS Links

DHS Uniting For Ukraine
HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Ukrainian Assistance Resources
International Organization for Migration, UA Health Access

Nearly 6,000 Ukrainians approved to enter the U.S. through Biden admin's website

The Department of Homeland Security has approved nearly 6,000 Ukrainians to enter the U.S. through an online application system that lets them gain legal authorization to fly to U.S. airports and then stay with Americans who have agreed to sponsor them, the agency said Monday.

The online portal, known as Uniting for Ukraine, launched April 25 as part of President Joe Biden’s stated goal to bring 100,000 people fleeing Russia’s deadly invasion to the U.S.

The launch of the website meant the closing of a popular but dangerous and illegal route many Ukrainians had taken via the U.S.-Mexico border, where, after having entered Mexico on tourist visas, they were transported from camps in Tijuana into California. After April 25, U.S. Border Patrol officers began turning back Ukrainians trying to cross the southern border.

Ukrainians Gather At Border In Mexico With Hopes Of Entering United States

Uniting for Ukraine then became the only viable path for Ukrainians to enter the U.S. Its lengthy paperwork and sometimes confusing requirements proved onerous for many, said refugee rights organizations and some Ukrainian Americans attempting to sponsor their family members.

Some of the requirements included proving the cash value of assets still in Ukraine, providing vaccination records dating to childhood and asking for bank records of U.S. sponsors to establish they could support the Ukrainians they were hoping to help.

DHS said in a statement it has received more than 19,000 applications from U.S.-based sponsors, some hoping to sponsor multiple Ukrainians, such as families.

“DHS has worked to make the Uniting for Ukraine process as streamlined as possible to ensure Ukrainians who fled Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression and who qualify are able to expeditiously come to the United States,” the agency said in a statement.

The thorough vetting process, it said, is meant to screen and vet “Ukrainian citizens and their U.S.-based supporters to identify and screen out individuals who may pose a threat to the American public, protect against exploitation and abuse, and ensure that supporters are able to financially provide for the individuals they have agreed to help.”

Julia Ainsley is homeland security correspondent for NBC News and covers the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

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Local transport

Transport Secretary extends scheme helping Ukrainian evacuees reach safety in the UK

The onward travel scheme for Ukrainian refugees will be extended for 6 months.

The Rt Hon Mark Harper MP and Ukraine First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.

Ukrainian evacuees arriving in the UK continue to be offered one free journey to reach their final destination
over 2,900 Ukrainian evacuees have benefitted from the scheme, so far
this scheme makes the incredibly difficult journey for evacuees fleeing Ukraine, in some part, easier

The Transport Secretary has today (18 December 2022) announced the extension of a travel scheme helping Ukrainian evacuees reach safety in the UK.

For a further 6 months, the free onward travel scheme will continue to grant all Ukrainian evacuees arriving in the UK one free journey either by rail, coach, tube or bus to reach their final destination.

The Department for Transport is working closely with operators to ensure support for Ukrainian arrivals is in place across the country.

The scheme is providing vital support to those who need it the most and today’s extension means passengers will continue to be protected should the situation in Ukraine escalate any further.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

We know, for those who have had to flee their homes in Ukraine and find sanctuary in the UK, this support has been vital, making the difficult journey to safety in some part easier. We will continue to do all we can to stand with Ukraine and Ukrainians, and this scheme is an important first gesture on their arrival in our country.

So far, over 2,900 Ukrainian evacuees have used the vital scheme, which has made it easier for Ukrainians fleeing war to reach safety and sanctuary in the UK.

The Transport Secretary is writing to rail, bus and coach operators to thank them for their generosity in facilitating the scheme and for their willingness to continue offering it.

The department has been widely informed by scheme partners that onward travel is a commonly requested area of support for refugees and the free onward travel scheme has made a huge difference for those fleeing Ukraine, following the illegal Russian invasion.

The scheme, which was launched in March 2022, provides Ukrainian arrivals with a single no cost onward public transport journey within 48 hours of arrival at major English entry ports to their final destination in the UK.

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Watch CBS News

U.S. launches online portal with application to sponsor Ukrainians fleeing war

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez

April 25, 2022 / 4:45 PM EDT / CBS News

The U.S. government on Monday started accepting applications from individuals and organizations seeking to help Ukrainians fleeing the war in Ukraine come to the U.S., launching an online portal for prospective sponsors.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the private sponsorship initiative last week, presenting it as the main mechanism through which the U.S. will achieve President Biden's commitment of receiving up to 100,000 Ukrainians displaced by the Russian military invasion of their homeland.

On Monday, DHS published a page on its website for U.S. citizens and groups who have identified Ukrainians overseas whom they wish to financially sponsor. The online portal includes a link to the application form that prospective sponsors can file to prove they have the financial means to support Ukrainians seeking to enter the country.

Ukrainians hoping to come to the U.S. will not be able to apply for the sponsorship program, dubbed Uniting for Ukraine, directly. The application process can only be started by prospective sponsors in the U.S.

If prospective sponsors pass background checks and DHS approves their sponsorship applications, the Ukrainians they have identified will be allowed to enter the U.S. as long as they satisfy certain requirements, including security screenings and vaccination against contagious diseases.

Ukrainians who are allowed to enter the U.S. under the sponsorship initiative will not be resettled through the refugee program, DHS said last week. Instead, they will be granted humanitarian parole, which would allow them to live and work in the U.S. for at least two years. Parole will not make them eligible for permanent U.S. status.

More than 5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian forces launched a military offensive against the country in late February, triggering the largest refugee exodus since World War II, according to United Nations statistics .

U.S. officials have said the vast majority of Ukrainians displaced by the war will opt to remain in European countries closer to Ukraine, and that Ukrainians looking to come to the U.S. are generally seeking a temporary safe haven, not permanent resettlement.

That determination, administration officials told reporters last week, prompted the U.S. government to utilize the parole authority, which officials can use to temporarily admit immigrants who otherwise don't have permission to enter the U.S., such as a visa.

Administration officials said the private sponsorship program was also partly created to shut down an irregular route thousands of Ukrainians have used in recent months to enter the U.S. along the border with Mexico after multi-flight trips from Eastern Europe.

In the past three months, U.S. border officials have processed 15,000 Ukrainians who did not have valid travel documents, according to a senior U.S. official. In March, a record 3,274 Ukrainians were processed along the southern border, the majority at a port of entry in southern California, DHS figures show .

In early March, U.S. border authorities were directed to consider allowing undocumented Ukrainians to enter the country under humanitarian exemptions to an emergency rule know as Title 42 that has blocked other migrants from seeking U.S. asylum during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the Biden administration announced last week that starting Monday, U.S. border authorities will no longer allow Ukrainians to enter the country if they lack valid travel documents. Instead, officials said, those Ukrainians will be instructed to participate in the Uniting for Ukraine sponsorship program.

Immigration

Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.

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What to Know About Ukrainian Refugees in the U.S.

How many Ukrainian refugees are in the U.S., where are they and how long can they stay?

The Ukraine Refugee Program, Explained

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON | AFP via Getty Images

U.S. and California flags and the border wall are seen as refugees from Ukraine enter a van after crossing the San Ysidro PedWest port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border between Tijuana, Baja California, and the U.S. on April 8, 2022, in San Ysidro, California.

When President Joe Biden announced in March that the U.S. would welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians hoping to flee Russia’s invasion of their country, Nataliia Mysiuk saw a chance to help her family seize an opportunity she had back in 2020.

In February of that year, Mysiuk, her husband and two sons arrived in New York City as Ukrainian refugees hoping to “restart” their lives, she tells U.S. News through an interpreter. Now she’s trying to bring more family members to her new home. When she heard about the administration’s plans for Ukrainian refugees, she “immediately applied” to try and get her parents, brother and his family out of Ukraine and into a “safe country” through the traditional U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

“It is very dangerous,” Mysiuk says through the translator, referring to the situation in her home country. “Every morning for me starts with just calling and checking on them to see if they're alive. I'm wondering, ‘Will they pick up the phone?’ Maybe not.”

Many other Ukrainians, though, will be coming to the U.S. through a process that is very different from the one Mysiuk’s immediate family experienced in 2020. The new program, officially launched on April 25, has already seen thousands of Ukrainians authorized to travel to America. Many have already tried to come through other means, though – including seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.

While the U.S. government says that the program, called Uniting for Ukraine, was created with the intention of streamlining the process for those looking for a safe haven, experts and advocates say it has its drawbacks – namely, its temporary nature and reliance on sponsorship. Thousands of Ukrainians are here already and more will be arriving soon, but what sort of benefits await them – and how long they will be allowed to stay – is unclear.

The Latest Photos From Ukraine

TOPSHOT - Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade Kholodny Yar monitor the sky from their positions in the direction of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on February 20, 2024. (Photo by Anatolii STEPANOV / AFP) (Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)

What is the typical admissions process for refugees coming to the U.S.?

Refugees can be received by the United States in two main ways.

The official process, known formally as the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program , is handled by the Department of State with cooperation from other government agencies. Individuals located outside the United States first register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which determines whether they qualify as a refugee and the best path forward.

Individuals referred by the U.N. then go through a rigorous vetting process that can take up to two years or even longer, says Anita Fábos, a professor of international development and social change at Clark University. Those approved for entry into the United States are eligible for U.S. government-funded assistance and are paired with one of the nine refugee resettlement agencies that contract with the State Department, such as the International Rescue Committee, which works with Mysiuk.

The other main avenue is asylum. This status is granted to foreign nationals who arrive at the U.S. border and meet the international law definition of a refugee, according to the American Immigration Council . If granted asylum, asylees are protected from being returned to their home country and may be eligible for government programs such as Medicaid. That pathway was complicated under the Trump administration, which instituted a policy widely known as “Remain in Mexico” that prevents asylum-seekers from entering the U.S. while proceedings are underway rather than being admitted and detained. That policy is now before the Supreme Court.

Asylees also have pathways to citizenship. However, the asylum process is frequently backlogged and can take years, and asylum seekers are entitled to virtually no benefits or protections while awaiting a decision, according to the immigration law firm Lam & Turner PLLC .

The Ukrainians who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year were seeking the asylum path to safety. By early April, nearly 3,000 Ukrainians were in shelters and churches in Tijuana awaiting processing, Reuters reported at the time.

What’s different about the program for Ukrainian refugees?

Similar to how the U.S. welcomed Afghans after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August, the Uniting for Ukraine program uses a “ streamlined ” process known as humanitarian parole.

Instead of the State Department, the program is run by the Department of Homeland Security and allows Ukrainian citizens outside the U.S. to apply for parole if they have an approved sponsor in the United States and pass various security checks and public health requirements. Those approved are then authorized to travel to the U.S. and considered for parole for up to two years.

U.S. individuals and entities have been able to apply for sponsorship since April 25 and, as part of the process, are required to declare their financial support for Ukrainian parolees they hope to sponsor. As of May 9, the Department of Homeland Security had received more than 19,000 requests from possible sponsors and nearly 6,000 individuals were authorized to book their travel to the U.S., according to a statement from the department.

In a likely nod to those who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum, the Uniting for Ukraine announcement release says that Ukrainians “should not travel to Mexico to pursue entry into the United States,” adding that any who do so “will be denied entry and referred to apply through this program.”

Photos: The Plight of Ukrainian Refugees

Refugees, mostly women with children, rest inside a tent after arriving at the border crossing, in Medyka, Poland on Sunday, March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

But Uniting for Ukraine is not the only step the Biden administration is taking to help Ukrainians seeking refuge. The State Department announced plans to expand its U.S. Refugee Admissions Program operations in Europe to provide eligible Ukrainians with more access to resettlement processing through what’s known as the Lautenberg program, which provides a path for members of historically persecuted religious groups from countries formerly part of the Soviet Union to reunite with family living in the United States, according to HIAS , a Jewish humanitarian resettlement organization. Mysiuk and her immediate family, who identify with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, arrived as refugees through this program.

“We normally don't process refugees in Europe because you don't normally want to consider somebody for resettlement if they're already in a country that has an established asylum system,” a State Department official explains on background. “So normally, if a Ukrainian fled to France or somewhere in Europe, we would normally just expect that they would seek asylum there, but what we're doing is we're going to be processing our Lautenberg applicants who have dispersed throughout a number of countries.”

Why did the U.S. government institute Uniting for Ukraine?

The key word is “streamlined.” The Department of Homeland Security’s website for Uniting for Ukraine describes it as a “safe and orderly process.” The State Department official says it “provides an expedited pathway for Ukrainians who have been forced from their homes as a result of the Russian invasion.”

But while the Department of Homeland Security says the parole process under the program should be “fairly quick,” it doesn’t provide an estimate for how long it will take for Ukrainians to be approved.

What has the response been?

Refugee resettlement organizations such as the International Rescue Committee and HIAS use dual language when talking about Uniting for Ukraine. Hans Van de Weerd, the acting senior vice president of resettlement, asylum and integration at the International Rescue Committee, calls it a “helpful first step.” HIAS said in a recent statement that the program is an “important mechanism” but “not a panacea.”

Advocates are mainly concerned about two aspects of the program: its temporary nature and the way it is, in essence, privatizing refugee admissions.

Uniting for Ukraine relies on U.S.-based individuals for sponsorship and offers only a “temporary solution,” says Eskinder Negash, the president and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, another resettlement organization. In the world of “refugee flows,” however, “the norm now is temporariness” and not more stable situations where you can rebuild your life, adds Fábos of Clark University.

Mysiuk herself says, through the interpreter, that Uniting for Ukraine’s two-year stay limit is “fine” because she just wants her family “to be safe right now.”

Some say Ukrainians might not actually want to stay in the U.S. for the long haul. Naomi Steinberg, the vice president of policy and advocacy at HIAS, notes that a lot of Ukrainians – even those who come all the way to the U.S. – will want to return home as quickly as possible.

“But we can't look into the future and know what the world's going to be like in two years,” she says.

She adds that by relying on individual sponsors instead of the traditional refugee resettlement process, “it does start to look like it is a full privatization of the program,” which she fears could eventually undermine the official system. Part of this privatization has been, in a way, out of necessity. Several experts note how severely the refugee admissions system was stripped down during the administration of President Donald Trump. Daniel Beers, an associate professor in the justice studies department at James Madison University, says, referencing a piece he published in 2020, that budgetary constraints during that stretch forced nearly a third of the country’s resettlement offices to close permanently or suspend operations.

Now, organizations are resettling – in the span of two to four weeks – as many people as they resettled in an entire year at the end of the Trump administration, Beers says.

“We are less equipped to handle a large influx of refugees now than we have been in many, many years,” he adds. “So I think that it's got to be kind of an all-hands-on-deck type of situation.”

But Beers also notes that communities across the U.S. are “absolutely up for this.” A more private model of resettlement – focused on sponsorships – has been used successfully in Canada for decades and is gaining traction in other parts of the world, he adds.

“They will be coming into communities that have their arms open to them,” Steinberg says of Ukrainians. “The concern, though, is of course that without those federal benefits, that the safety net for these Ukrainians will be very weak, if something should fall through with their sponsors.”

How many Ukrainian refugees are here already?

This question is more difficult to answer than it should be.

The status and whereabouts of the thousands of Ukrainians who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months is not officially documented. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency in an online portal reported more than 3,000 “encounters” with Ukrainian citizens at the southern land border in March. The number jumped up to about 20,000 in April, which the agency acknowledged in a news release as a “high number of Ukrainians.”

The Department of Homeland Security refused to provide information about the number of Ukrainians admitted to the country after repeated requests.

The number of Ukrainians who are already here via the Uniting for Ukraine program is also unknown. The department’s May 9 statement notes that nearly 6,000 individuals had been authorized to book their travel to the United States at that time and that Ukrainians started arriving in the country through the program on May 6, but further details have not been provided.

Regardless of the exact amount, “a substantial number of Ukrainians here” already need support, says Van de Weerd of the International Rescue Committee. Beers, who is based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, says he has been working with some families in the area who crossed the southern border. Those who arrived by crossing the border prior to April 11 can apply for Temporary Protected Status , which is designated for a country when conditions temporarily prevent its nationals already in the U.S. from returning safely – as in the case, for example, of a natural disaster, an epidemic or a war. Temporary Protected Status offers 18 months of legal residence if approved and the opportunity to apply for asylum, but no government assistance.

Beers is more worried about the Ukrainians who arrived after April 11. He says those individuals are not eligible for TPS or the Uniting for Ukraine program.

“The Uniting for Ukraine program is only one piece of a larger and more complex legal puzzle,” he says. “There are still many others who are falling through the cracks in various ways.”

How many more are expected? Could it really be 100,000?

With about 6,000 Ukrainians already approved to book travel by May 9, just about two weeks after the Uniting for Ukraine program started, tens of thousands more arrivals could very well be possible. And that doesn’t include the others who have come through other avenues.

It is here, however, where some perspective is warranted, says Fábos. When one considers the millions of refugees around the world – including more than 6.5 million who have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, according to the United Nations – welcoming 100,000 Ukrainians to the United States is really a small number. President Biden previously set an overall refugee admissions limit of 125,000 in October of last year, long before the war began.

“It's just such a drop in the bucket,” she says.

Where will they be resettled?

When it comes to the Uniting for Ukraine program specifically, parolees will naturally settle wherever their sponsors are located. The way it has almost always worked, according to Beers, is if a refugee has a familial tie somewhere in the U.S., the “State Department and the refugee agencies will try to place you there because you're going to have a built-in support network.”

“So what I would expect is that Ukrainians are going to go to where Ukrainians already are,” he adds, referencing a state like Michigan and cities such as Detroit and Harrisonburg, which has a “pretty sizable Ukrainian community.”

What’s next?

While the Uniting for Ukraine program – unlike the official refugee admissions process – doesn’t offer much in the way of benefits or long-term solutions for parolees, that could be changed through something called an adjustment act in Congress. These actions have been used in the past to provide parolees with pathways to permanent residency or citizenship, according to the National Immigration Forum , which lists as examples the adjustment acts put through following the Vietnam War and Fidel Castro’s rise to power in Cuba.

“We have a long history of doing just that,” Beers notes. “So it would actually be the exception to not allow that after making such a public show of allowing Ukrainians in on this humanitarian kind of effort.”

Parolees got some relief last week when the Senate passed a bill carrying about $40 billion in Ukraine-related aid, including funding that allows Ukrainians paroled between Feb. 24 when the invasion began and Sept. 30, 2023, to get access to “resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits available to refugees.” Biden signed the bill into law on May 21.

The bill, however, cannot be considered an adjustment act, as it “does not provide a pathway to legal permanent residency” for Ukrainians who are unable to return to their home country safely, says Kristyn Peck, CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, in a statement.

Afghans in the U.S. are in a similar situation. Congress left out of a previous version of the Ukraine spending bill a White House proposal that would have granted Afghan evacuees – who arrived last year through a program very similar to Uniting for Ukraine – permanent protections in America, CQ Roll Call reported earlier this month. Steinberg, of HIAS, says this was “deeply” disappointing because it leaves many Afghans with the option of passing through the asylum system, which is “notoriously backlogged, notoriously complicated and extraordinarily hard, if not impossible, to navigate without legal assistance.”

Peck adds in her statement, “Like the nearly 76,000 Afghan Allies who have also found themselves with a humanitarian parole designation, [Ukrainian parolees] will be left in immigration limbo. We strongly support status adjustment acts for both communities.”

But whatever happens next, the Afghan and Ukrainian crises have also shown that the U.S. has the ability to make large-scale refugee responses happen “very, very quickly,” adds Van de Weerd. He says these responses prove that arguments around capacity restraints “don’t hold anymore,” and a lot of it comes down to political will.

“This country can move mountains,” Van de Weerd adds, “and it can really offer serious solutions.”

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Tags: Ukraine , refugees , immigration , United Nations , Department of Homeland Security , State Department , Joe Biden , Russia

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| Swiss News

Swiss government open to offering free annual train passes to Ukrainian refugees

18/03/2022 By Le News

On Monday, the Federal Council responded favourably to the idea of offering GA travel passes to Ukrainian refugees, reported the newspaper Le Matin.

The GA pass is an annual ticket that offers unlimited travel on trains, boats, buses and trams. A second class GA pass normally costs CHF 3,860 for an adult and CHF 1,645 for a child.

The idea put to the Federal Council is to offer a GA “solidarity” pass to Ukrainian refugees for public transport in Switzerland. The suggestion was put forward by parliamentarian Florence Brenzikofen (Greens) from Basel who thinks refugees need some way to make trips related to administration and language courses among other things.

The organisation Swiss Pass , which manages public transport passes, had already opened the way for Ukrainians fleeing the war to travel for free on Swiss public transport from 1 March 2022.

However, there is confusion around the implementation of this system. One Ukrainian refugee reported that Swiss Rail staff would not allow them to travel for free. There have also been reports of people trying to buy tickets with Ukrainian currency at Swiss train stations. In response to these reports Swiss Rail confirmed that Ukrainian passport holders can take public transport for free to cross the country to or to reach their destination, but that free travel did not extend to tourism.

More on this: Le Matin article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now

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Supports for Ukrainians in Ireland

Introduction, information available in ukrainian and russian, education and childcare supports, looking for work, opening a bank account, post, phone and internet services, i want to help, immigration advice.

This page lists organisations that are helping people who have come to Ireland from Ukraine. We will update this page with new information regularly.

You can also read about how to get state supports , including immigration status, social welfare and healthcare.

The organisations listed here are providing services across the whole country. Many local groups and charities provide help too.

A Community Response Forum has been set up in each local authority area to help deliver local supports for Ukrainians.

The following services have information available in Ukrainian and/or Russian:

State supports

The Irish Government has published information on the supports that are available .

The HSE (the Irish healthcare authority) has information on health services in Ireland.

Immigration and international protection

The Irish Refugee Council has information on the temporary protection directive and your rights. You can also call the Irish Refugee Council on (01) 913 1528 for Ukrainian language information. The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm.

The European Commission has a freephone helpline in Ukrainian that can give you information on EU entry and travel, your right to education and access to jobs or healthcare.

Freephone 00 800 6789 1011 from within the EU
Phone 00 32 22 99 96 96 from outside the EU (charges apply)

The helpline also provides information in official EU languages and Russian and offers a free call back service . You can also contact the European Commission for information through an online contact form .

Other Ukrainian and Russian language information

You can also read:

A Parent's Guide to Childcare
Tips for Parents - a guide to starting primary school available in Ukrainian and Russian
The Open Community’s Swift Integration App has information about living in Ireland

Many local Education and Training Boards have free English language course.

Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) have been set up within local Educational Training Boards (ETB) . This service will help you find school places and can also support schools to meet children’s needs.

You can find information about childcare and primary school on gov.ie . Information about learning resources and other supports for children coming from Ukraine on the Irish National Teachers' Organisation website . You can contact the primary school helpline for parents for advice and information.

Third Age has free English conversation classes .

The Right Course has information about adult education courses.

You can get information on continuing your third level education in Ireland by contacting the National Student and Researcher (NSR) helpdesk on 01 474 7788, or by emailing [email protected] .

You can read A Parent's Guide to Childcare in Ireland for information about childcare services. This leaflet is available in Ukrainian and Russian.

Information for children and young people

Spunout has information and advice for young people , including information about finding youth groups in your local area. You can also contact their Youth Information Chat service if you have questions about living in Ireland.

Childline has a support service for Ukrainian children .

The EPIC programme can help you to find a job and can help you develop skills that will help to prepare you for working in Ireland.

JobAid helps Ukrainians to find a job in the European Union. You can search for available jobs in Ireland. The jobs advertised are only for people who have left Ukraine because of the war.

CVhelp.ie has free CV templates for a variety of job types.

Immigrant Council of Ireland

2 St Andrew Street Dublin 2 Ireland

Nasc Migrant and Refugee Rights

34 Paul Street Cork T12 W14H

Central Buildings 51A O'Connell Street Limerick V94 V275

Irish Refugee Council

37 Killarney Street Mountjoy Dublin 1 Ireland

Crosscare Migrant Project

1a Cathedral Street Dublin 1 Ireland

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland

13 Lower Dorset Street Dublin 1 Ireland D01 Y893

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Free bus and train travel advice for refugees

Free bus and train travel advice across Wales for refugees.

Buses and concessionary travel (Sub-topic) ,
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Ukraine (Sub-topic)

The Welcome Ticket scheme ended on 1 April 2024 and is no longer available. You will now need to pay for travel on bus and train services in Wales.

You may be eligible for one of the free or discounted travel schemes also available if you are:

60 years or over
a disabled passenger
a child or young person

For further information on these and other discounted travel tickets please see Traveline Cymru or contact your local bus operator.

For learner transport, further information is available on accessing transport for statutory school age and post-16 learners.

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Bird's-eye view of MEPs attending a plenary session at the European parliament

EU passes asylum and migration pact after eight years of deadlock

European parliament president says ‘history made’ with vote to pass changes, which have been criticised by NGOs

Analysis: Pact survived objections from far right and far left

Sweeping changes to the EU’s migration laws have been passed in a knife-edge series of votes in the European parliament, with supporters of the new laws calling the move historic but NGOs saying they are a step back for human rights.

The vote on Wednesday, which is now expected to be rubber-stamped by the member states, ends eight years of deadlock over repeated efforts to tighten up border management and asylum processes in the 27-member bloc.

Champions of the laws, who had been campaigning to get the legislation passed in the face of a rise in popularity of the far right before the European parliament elections in June, seized on the move as a great victory.

They said it would fast-track asylum procedures at the EU’s border, impose tough new screening systems and return people who do not qualify for international protection to their countries.

Roberta Metsola, the European parliament president, wrote on X: “History made. We have delivered a robust legislative framework on how to deal with migration and asylum in the EU. It has been more than 10 years in the making. But we kept our word. A balance between solidarity and responsibility. This is the European way.”

However, tensions in the huge auditorium as the voting started betrayed the deeply divisive nature of the laws. Proceedings were interrupted by protesters dressed in white T-shirts in the public gallery, who shouted at MEPs: “This pact kills! Vote ‘no’!” while throwing paper planes carrying the coordinates of shipwrecks and refugees who have died at EU external borders.

The home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, who shepherded the legislation through, was defiant. “I feel proud ... considering when I took office four and a half years ago, few thought we would make it,” she said.

Civil society groups, however, hit out at what Eve Geddie, Amnesty International’s head of the European institutions office and director of advocacy, called a “failure to show global leadership”.

“After years of negotiations, EU institutions are now shamefully co-signing an agreement that they know will lead to greater human suffering,” she said.

“For people escaping conflict, persecution or economic insecurity these reforms will mean less protection and a greater risk of facing human rights violations across Europe – including illegal and violent pushbacks, arbitrary detention and discriminatory policing.

Oxfam had earlier denounced the pact as a recipe for “deterrents, detention and deportation” rather than protection of human rights.

MEPs on the left and the Greens, who voted against eight of the 10 pieces of proposed legislation on the table, also criticised the bill for failing to prioritise guarantees for human rights.

Rightwing politicians had their own reasons for opposing the reforms, arguing that the new laws did not go far enough and would cause a spike in migration.

Among those that voted against parts of the asylum and migration pact were the French and Spanish far-right parties Rassemblement National and Vox, as well as the Polish nationalist populists Law & Justice, and Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz.

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They had earlier denounced the 10-part pact as a licence for people-smugglers and a blow to member states’ sovereignty.

The Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, said parties who had tried to block the pact were voting for the status quo and leaving countries such as Italy, which has various far-right parties, to deal with the people smuggling crisis on its shores alone.

The new laws must now be approved by European leaders, with opposition guaranteed from Poland’s new prime minister, Donald Tusk, who has said he will not agree to new rules allowing for relocation of migrants from countries under pressure.

“We will find ways so that even if the migration pact comes into force in roughly unchanged form, we will protect Poland against the relocation mechanism,” he said, underlining his country’s argument that is already accommodating around 1m Ukrainian refugees.

Sources who worked on the legislation said every member state could opt out of the relocation of migrants with measures allowing them instead to contribute “in kind with equipment or experts such as lawyers”.

In one of the most controversial measures they will also be allowed to pay €20,000 (£17,000) a head into a fund for those people they do not accept under the solidarity measure.

European Union

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Free travel for Ukrainians arriving in Greater Manchester

To help Ukrainian nationals arriving in Greater Manchester, Metrolink tram services, rail services and the majority of bus and coach services in the region are being provided free of charge for the first 48 hours after arrival in the UK.

Find out more about the free travel scheme for Ukrainians in Greater Manchester (external link) .

Free travel for under 5's

Children under 5 travel free on buses, trains and trams in Greater Manchester. When they reach the age of 5 they must pay the child fare.

iGo bus pass for ages 5 - 16

If you're aged 5 to 16, you will require an iGo to purchase concessionary child tickets on buses and trams. An iGo card costs £10 and lasts until 31st August after your 16th birthday.

You can also buy TfGM schools weekly ticket and 10 trip carnet (available on school bus services only), smart versions of System One Junior, AnyBus tickets and some tickets sold by individual bus companies.

To be eligible for an iGo you need to be:

Living in Greater Manchester
Between the age of 5 and 16.

Our Pass - bus pass for ages 16 - 18

If you're aged 16-18 , the Our Pass entitles holders to free travel on local bus services across Greater Manchester and they can also buy off-peak 1-day and weekend travelcards for the tram (Metrolink) at half adult prices. When applying for Our Pass, there is a one-off application fee of £10.

To be eligible for an Our Pass you need to be:

Between the age of 16 and 18.

Travel pass for older people

Travel for free on all buses within Greater Manchester between 9.30am and midnight, Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays.

You can also choose to pay £10 to add tram and train to your pass, for a year’s unlimited off-peak travel on Metrolink and trains within Greater Manchester. You can then travel on Metrolink trams and in trains after 9.30am on Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends and public holidays.

To get a travel pass for older people from TfGM you must:

Be aged 66 or over
Be living in Greater Manchester, (if you live outside Greater Manchester, you can apply for a pass in your own area but you cannot add tram and train travel within Greater Manchester to passes issued by other areas).

Travel pass for disabled people

If you are disabled, you could be eligible for a pass that gives you free and low-cost travel in Greater Manchester and the rest of England under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Depending on your disability, you could qualify for either a travel pass for disabled people or a travel plus pass for disabled people.

Check if you qualify for a travel pass for disabled people (external link)

How to apply for a travel pass

If you would like to apply for any of the travel schemes mentioned on this page, please email [email protected] with the following:

Name of scheme you are applying for
Address you are residing at in Greater Manchester
If you are part of the 'Homes for Ukraine Scheme' or staying with a relative.

The team will support you through the application process.

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TRAVEL FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEES / Podorozhi dlya ukrayinsʹkykh bizhentsiv

Ukrainian refugees arriving in northern ireland or the republic of ireland will be able to get free onward travel on translink’s buses or trains from wednesday 30th march 2022. / ukrayinsʹki bizhentsi, yaki prybuvayutʹ do pivnichnoyi irlandiyi abo respubliky irlandiya, zmozhutʹ otrymaty bezkoshtovnyy proyizd u avtobusakh abo potyahakh translink iz seredy, 30 bereznya 2022 roku..

The offer is valid on all Metro, Glider, and Ulsterbus Services (including Goldline) and on NI Railways and Enterprise train services from Dublin to Belfast. / Propozytsiya diye na vsikh marshrutakh Metro, Glider i Ulsterbus (vklyuchayuchy Goldline), a takozh na poyizdakh NI Railways i Enterprise z Dublina do Belfasta.

How to Avail / Yak skorystatysya

To get free public transport from Translink you will need to show / Shchob otrymaty bezkoshtovnyy hromadsʹkyy transport vid Translink, vam potribno bude pokazaty

your Ukrainian passport or ID issued by the Ukrainian Government; and / vash ukrayinsʹkyy pasport abo posvidchennya osoby, vydane Uryadom Ukrayiny; i
Evidence of entry into Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, such as an airline boarding card, ferry ticket or a booking email from an airline/ferry company, dated within the previous 7 days / Dokazy vʺyizdu v Pivnichnu Irlandiyu abo Respubliku Irlandiya, napryklad posadkova kartka aviakompaniyi, kvytok na porom abo elektronnyy lyst pro bronyuvannya vid aviakompaniyi/poromnoyi kompaniyi, datovanyy protyahom poperednikh 7 dniv

For journey details plan your journey or phone the Translink contact centre for advice on which bus or train to use on: 028 90 66 66 30 . / Shchob otrymaty detalʹnu informatsiyu pro podorozh, splanuyte svoyu podorozh abo zatelefonuyte do kontaktnoho tsentru Translink, shchob otrymaty konsulʹtatsiyu shchodo toho, yakym avtobusom chy potyahom skorystatysya: 028 90 66 66 30 .

Guide for Ukrainians

Homes for Ukraine temporary bus pass scheme

Surrey County Council has worked with bus companies in Surrey to set up this scheme. It offers Homes for Ukraine nationals a bus pass for free travel on their most used bus route.

New extended offer

Our new extended offer is for temporary bus passes which are valid for one chosen bus company. The bus pass scheme will continue until 31 March 2025.

For Ukrainian nationals who have already had a Homes for Ukraine temporary bus pass, you may be eligible for a further bus pass valid until 31 March 2025. You will need to reapply when your current bus pass runs out, at which point you will be issued a new bus pass for up to six months, depending on what is offered by your chosen bus operator. When this pass runs out you can reapply to get a free bus pass valid until 31 March 2025.

For new applicants applying now or up to 31 December 2024, you will be issued a new bus pass for up to six months, depending on what is offered by your chosen bus operator. When this pass runs out you can reapply to get a free bus pass valid until 31 March 2025.

For new applicants applying in January, February or March in 2025, a pass will be offered for your chosen bus operator for three months from when your approved application is processed.

Information and services

About the scheme.

If you're on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, you can get temporary free travel on your most-used bus route

Apply for the scheme

Find the bus company for your route, apply online and get help with your application

If you're not on the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Metrobus's four weeks free travel to all new Ukrainian refugee arrivals in Surrey

Reviewed: 18 Mar 2024
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Until 10:00 A.M. Saturday for most mountain areas & the S.C. Upstate. Gusts as high as 55 mph possible.

Grant allows rotary club to send child psychologists to help children, teachers in Ukraine

by Ed Diorio

In this photo provided by the National Police of Ukraine, a police officer and a rescue worker walk in front of a restaurant RIA Pizza destroyed by a Russian attack in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. (National Police of Ukraine via AP)

BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WLOS) — The Black Mountain Rotary Club is going to help children and families affected by the war in Ukraine, thanks to a global grant from Rotary International.

The Black Mountain Rotary Club was awarded the global grant, and with the funds, the club's international board member and two children's psychologists will travel to Warsaw, Poland, to meet with refugees from the international school in Kiev.

The school's director has worked with Black Mountain's rotary in the past on projects in Guatemala, so when the war started, he requested the club's help once more.

'THIS IS THE REALITY OF WAR' UKRAINIAN FAMILY FINDS SAFETY IN NC AFTER FLEEING CONFLICT

The group will travel to Poland and be there the week of May 5.

"Landmines in all the parks, so the kids can't go outside their schools," said Dr. John Dewitt, Black Mountain Rotary Club international board member. "They've lost the internet and ventilation systems. Our money will go towards that and just give the teachers some support from this grant."

The club anticipates assisting around 10 teachers and 83 children during its trip.

The club is still taking donations for its May trip, and those who want to donate can email [email protected].

For those who want to help fund sending more resources to Ukraine, a fundraiser will be held in late September.

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Johnson Outlines Plan for Ukraine Aid; House Could Act Within Weeks

The G.O.P. speaker’s proposed conditions for sending a fresh infusion of military assistance to Kyiv are the strongest sign to date that he plans to defy critics in his own party and push through the aid package.

Speaker Mike Johnson walking in a small group of people in an ornate setting.

By Catie Edmondson

Reporting from Washington

Speaker Mike Johnson has begun publicly laying out potential conditions for extending a fresh round of American military assistance to Ukraine, the strongest indication yet that he plans to push through the House a package that many Republicans view as toxic and have tried to block.

His terms may include tying the aid for Kyiv to a measure that would force President Biden to reverse a moratorium on new permits for liquefied natural gas export facilities, something that Republicans would see as a political victory against the Democratic president’s climate agenda. The move would also hand Mr. Johnson a powerful parochial win, unblocking a proposed export terminal in his home state of Louisiana that would be situated along a shipping channel that connects the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Charles.

“When we return after this work period, we’ll be moving a product, but it’s going to have some important innovations,” Mr. Johnson said on Sunday in an interview on Fox News.

That strongly suggests that the aid package for Ukraine, which has been stalled on Capitol Hill for months amid Republican resistance, could clear Congress within weeks. It enjoys strong support among Democrats and a large coalition of mainstream Republicans, and the main obstacle standing in its way in the House has been Mr. Johnson’s refusal to bring it up in the face of vehement hard-right opposition in the G.O.P. to sending more aid to Kyiv.

But after the Senate passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel, and with Mr. Johnson facing pressure from the Biden administration and NATO allies, the Republican speaker has been searching for a path forward on the bill that would provoke the least political backlash in his own ranks.

Now, the question appears to be not whether Mr. Johnson will allow aid to come to the floor, but in what form and when.

In the interview, he openly discussed how to structure the aid, saying that he had not come to any final decisions on what he would ultimately put to a vote but that he had been “working to build that consensus” among House Republicans.

Mr. Johnson cited the REPO Act, which would pay for some of the aid by selling off Russian sovereign assets that have been frozen, as one idea under consideration.

“If we can use the seized assets of Russian oligarchs to allow the Ukrainians to fight them, that’s just pure poetry,” he said.

American officials had previously been skeptical of the idea, warning that there was no precedent for seizing large sums of money from another sovereign nation and that the move could set off unpredictable legal ramifications and economic consequences. Only about $5 billion or so of Russian assets are in the hands of U.S. institutions; more than $300 billion in Russian central bank assets are stashed in Western nations.

But the Biden administration has quietly come around on the idea amid waning financial support for Ukraine.

Mr. Johnson also floated the idea of sending some of the aid as a loan, noting that “even President Trump has talked about” the concept.

And he mentioned an idea he first privately raised in February, at a White House meeting with Mr. Biden and other congressional leaders, of tying the aid to lifting the Biden administration’s pause on liquefied natural gas exports. He and other Republicans have argued that by prohibiting American exports of domestic energy, the administration has in effect increased reliance on Russian gas and indirectly funded President Vladimir V. Putin’s offensive against Ukraine. He cited the case of Calcasieu Pass 2, the proposed export terminal in Louisiana.

“We want to unleash American energy,” Mr. Johnson said. “We want to have natural gas exports that will help unfund Vladimir Putin’s war effort there.”

Taken together, the measures Mr. Johnson outlined appear to be aimed at convincing skeptical Republicans that at the very least, the cost of the aid package would be offset. Though he did not mention it on Sunday, he has also considered advancing fresh sanctions against Russia.

The reversal of the liquefied natural gas moratorium in particular could be a powerful political incentive for Republicans, ratcheting up pressure on the White House to abandon a policy they have long denounced.

The administration paused new export permits after months of protests by environmental activists, who argued that adding new gas export facilities would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. The administration said it would take time to analyze the impact of new permits on the climate, national security and the economy.

The United States is still exporting more liquefied natural gas than any other country, and export capacity will double by 2027 because the government has already approved a handful of new export terminals, which are in the construction pipeline.

Mr. Johnson’s search for a politically viable option to funding Ukraine’s attempts to fend off Russian attacks puts him in the middle of two powerful and opposing forces. The hard-right flank of his party, led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and egged on by former President Donald J. Trump, has urged him not to allow a vote on aid for Ukraine, arguing that the United States should not be pouring tens of billions of dollars into another country’s war. But the leaders of most NATO countries have warned Mr. Johnson that a failure to extend help to Kyiv could lead to the young democracy’s undoing, a message that has been echoed by mainstream Republicans, Mr. Biden and Democrats.

Ms. Greene filed a resolution calling for Mr. Johnson’s removal late last month before the House left Washington for recess, saying she wanted to send him “a warning.”

Mr. Johnson on Sunday called the move a “distraction from our mission,” but said he shared Ms. Greene’s frustration over the spending bills Congress approved to prevent government shutdowns and planned to speak with her this week.

At the same time, Mr. Johnson has continued to face pressure from leaders around the world who have sought to impress upon him the costs of U.S. inaction.

Mr. Johnson and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine spoke by phone on Thursday, and Mr. Zelensky briefed the speaker on the dire battlefield situation in Ukraine and urged “quick passage” of aid.

Mr. Zelensky said they discussed “the importance of cutting off Russia’s sources of funding for its war as soon as possible and using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s benefits.”

“We recognize that there are differing views in the House of Representatives on how to proceed,” the Ukrainian president wrote on social media, “but the key is to keep the issue of aid to Ukraine as a unifying factor.”

Brad Plumer and Lisa Friedman contributed reporting.

Catie Edmondson covers Congress for The Times. More about Catie Edmondson

A Divided Congress: Latest News and Analysis

Enraging the Right: As a low-profile congressman from a deeply red district, Mike Johnson took the positions of a hard-liner. Now that he is Speaker Johnson, he has changed his tune considerably , much to the chagrin of right-wing lawmakers .

Surveillance Bill Teeters: Johnson faced a buzz saw of Republican opposition to his bid to extend a warrantless surveillance law after former President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to kill the legislation.

Curbing ‘Judge Shopping’: Plaintiffs in some high-stakes cases have found that it’s not hard to cherry pick a sympathetic judge. Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell think Congress should address the issue, but they are each introducing their own bill .

G.O.P. Congressman’s Wild Claim: More than three years after the Jan. 6 attack, Representative Clay Higgins offered a series of baseless and disproved claims about it, reflecting an effort on the right to falsify what occurred.

Plan for Ukraine Aid: Johnson has begun laying out potential conditions for extending a fresh round of military aid to Ukraine , the strongest indication yet that he plans to push through a package that many Republicans have tried to block.

Irish Government spent up to €1million a month on accommodation for Ukrainian refugees' pets

D uring the first year of Ukraine's conflict with Russia, the Irish Government was shelling out as much as €1million a month to house the pets of Ukrainian refugees.

The Department of Integration shouldered the cost for housing animals that made the long trip to Ireland with their owners, as well as those pets that refugees welcomed into their lives post-arrival. In November 2022, at its highest point, data reveals there were 1,806 pets living in state-funded accommodation allocated for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection.

This furry cohort included 933 dogs and 819 cats, plus an additional 54 animals categorised as "other". According to records obtained by the Irish Mirror, it cost up to €20 per night to accommodate each of these animals.

Read more: Electric Picnic bosses rubbish cancellation rumours despite refugee camp

Read more: Ireland to open 14,000 asylum seeker beds in new State-owned accommodation

Accordingly, the monthly bill for a little over €1million was footed for providing shelter to the pets of Ukrainian BOTPs. The exact figure remains unsure, says a departmental spokesperson because the issue arises from invoices presented by accommodation providers which "did not categorise between BOTPs and pets".

However, Clare TD Michael McNamara has slammed the spendings as "ridiculous" and accused the measure of "taking the p*** out of the Irish taxpayer". He fumed: "What planet do these people live on? There is absolutely no legal obligation to accommodate animals, and how they ended up accommodating animals is beyond me."

"The fact that people acquired pets after arriving in Ireland that were then accommodated at the State's expense is again incredible." He would be raising the matter in the Dail and seeking to establish who approved the practice of paying for the pets of BOTPs, "and how it got approved".

The outlay by the Department of Integration is in addition to €808,132 spent by the Department of Agriculture on transport, kennelling and veterinary services for Ukrainian pets, which was exclusively revealed by the Irish Mirror in February. In a draft policy document, the Department of Integration indicated it had begun paying for the accommodation of animals on an "ad hoc basis" at the beginning of the Ukraine crisis.

However, it sought to "regularise" its policy on pets after around eight months, because "accommodating them entails a cost, and there is a logistical challenge in terms of securing accommodation in a challenging environment". Email correspondence involving top officials shows that there was little resistance to the policy change within the department, although one person noted that "pets are extremely important to children".

Another expressed concern that the U-turn could constitute a breach of contract. Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman was "very eager" to approve the new policy, according to officials, who said the message coming from him was clear. "We will not be accommodating pets from a given date or paying for them to be accommodated."

Mr McNamara stated that the decision at the top level to end the practice was an admission by the minister and his department that it had been an inappropriate use of funds from the start. He pointed out that the Department was responsible for the policy not the people who benefited from it.

The Clare Independent Deputy commented: "I presume the people arriving here with pets were prepared to pay for them in the same way as everyone else does or as they would have in Ukraine. But if you find a department stupid enough to pay, then, of course, I wouldn't blame people for allowing the department to pay for it. It's ridiculous."

A spokeswoman for the department confirmed that the Government had communicated that it would no longer be providing accommodation for newly arrived or newly acquired pets in state-funded accommodation from November 9, 2022. The Department spokeswoman further added: "BOTPs must make their own arrangements for pets, as the Department no longer assists with accommodating pets."

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Russia-Ukraine war latest: Putin 'may launch all-out bid to seize second city' - as Western officials fear major Russian advance

Russia has launched fresh strikes on critical infrastructure - with Kyiv residents told to cut energy consumption every night for the rest of 2024. Meanwhile, Western officials reportedly fear a major Russian advance - amid concerns Vladimir Putin could launch an attempt to seize Kharkiv.

Saturday 13 April 2024 00:54, UK

Ukrainian defences 'at risk of collapse' as officials fear major Russian advance - and all-out assault to seize second city
Russia hits critical infrastructure in overnight missile strikes
Putin mocks peace conference
The big picture : Everything you need to know about the war this week
Your questions answered: Is it too late to save Ukraine?

We'll be back tomorrow morning with more updates on the war in Ukraine.

Two Biden administration officials have revealed the extent of China's involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine.

The officials spoke to Reuters news agency and said China has massively increased its sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology to Moscow.

These items are important because Russia is using them to make tanks, aircraft, missiles and other weapons for the war.

They also said:

About 90% of Russia's microelectronics came from China
Nearly 70% of Russia's approximately $900m in machine tool imports in the last quarter of last year came from China
Chinese and Russian entities have been working together to make drones in Russia
China is helping Russia improve its satellite and other space-based capabilities for use in the war. This could increase the threat Russia poses across Europe

US President Joe Biden has previously raised concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping about Beijing's indirect involvement in the war.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen returned this week from a visit to Beijing and said she had warned China that the Biden administration was prepared to sanction Chinese banks, companies and Beijing's leadership if they helped Russia's military in the war.

She has already been given the go-ahead from Mr Biden to sanction financial institutions that help Russia's military-industrial complex.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to travel to China for talks next month.

Russia, increasingly isolated economically and diplomatically, has become more reliant on China in recent months.

One official said Chinese materials are helping Moscow undertake its "most ambitious defence expansion since the Soviet era and on a faster timeline than we believed possible early on in this conflict".

"Our view is that one of the most game-changing moves available to us at this time to support Ukraine is to persuade the PRC (China) to stop helping Russia reconstitute its military industrial base. Russia would struggle to sustain its war effort without PRC input," the official said.

Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Reuters that Beijing has not provided weapons to any party and that it is "not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis".

"We urge the US side to refrain from disparaging and scapegoating the normal relationship between China and Russia."

If Russia defeats Ukraine it will be a "turning point in history", former UK prime minister Boris Johnson says.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he criticised Western countries for not providing Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defeat Russia.

"Every week in which we fail to do the obvious — and give the Ukrainians the weapons they need — is a week in which Putin gets closer to his disgusting ambition, to torture a European country to death.

"Every day the pressure on the Ukrainians is growing — and yet the solution is within our grasp."

Mr Johnson, who visited Ukraine a number of times during his premiership, said: "A defeat for Ukraine would usher in a new era of fear in the whole Euro-Atlantic area, as Putin continues his drive to rebuild the Soviet empire: from the Baltics to Georgia to Moldova to Central Asia to the Arctic.

"It will be a terrifying moment for the people of Taiwan and the clearest possible signal to China that the West has lost the willpower to protect democracy.

"It will be a turning point in history, the moment when the West finally loses its post-war hegemony, the moment when borders everywhere are suddenly up for grabs and aggression is seen to pay — and all because of a failure to stand up for Ukraine."

Mr Johnson warned the world is "on a knife-edge, with a real risk that Western democracies are about to be humiliated, and autocracies emboldened around the world — because of our lassitude, our pathetic refusal to do what is necessary".

He said Ukraine is so short of shells that its troops sometimes have to wait under Russian bombardment because they can't fire back.

The shortage of air defences means Kharkiv, the second-largest city, is "in danger of being turned into another Mariupol", he added.

Ukrainians were able to intercept 90% of incoming strikes, he said, but now "we are starving them, for reasons I do not understand, of the protective shields they need".

Mr Johnson called on the US Congress to approve a $60bn military aid package earmarked for Ukraine and on the Germans to supply Taurus missiles.

The West - including Britain - needs to "snap out of our sleep-walk", he said, adding: "The simplest and most cost-effective way to defend freedom is to invest now in the defence of Ukraine."

Rescue workers in Ukraine have saved five puppies from under the debris of a destroyed building.

The non-residential building was on fire in the north-eastern city of Sumy, close to the border with Russia.

A video from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine showed the firefighters cuddling the squealing puppies and rinsing them off with water.

In a post of the emergency service's Telegram channel, officials said the "little ones" were not injured.

"This rescue story reminds us of the importance of human compassion and the willingness to help everyone, regardless of the circumstances," they added.

Ex-armed forces minister James Heappey has told Sky's defence and security editor Deborah Haynes the UK should consider sending its forces to Ukraine to train troops.

On the Sky News Daily, host Tom Cheshire talks to her and Sky's military analyst Professor Michael Clarke about the interview with Mr Heappey, who stepped down from his role last month.

They assess the bleak situation in Ukraine and why the conflict is at a critical stage. They also discuss how prepared the UK would be if it faced a war in the near future.

A former Ukrainian secret service employee has been injured in Moscow after a device under his car exploded.

Vasily Prozorov suffered leg injuries that are not considered life threatening after the device detonated as he tried to start his car, Radio Free Europe cited Russian media as saying.

According to RFE, Mr Prozorov worked for Ukraine's SBU until 2018.

The following year, he told media in Moscow that he had collaborated with Russia "for ideological reasons" from April 2014 until he left the SBU.

These photos show the damage to a thermal power plant in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine.

A massive missile and drone attack destroyed and damaged a number of power plants across Ukraine overnight, part of a renewed Russian campaign targeting energy infrastructure.

The Trypilska plant, which was the biggest energy supplier for the Kyiv, Cherkasy and Zhytomyr regions, was struck numerous times, destroying the transformer, turbines and generators.

Vladimir Putin said the attacks were a response to Ukrainian strikes that targeted Russian oil refineries.

In Kharkiv, there were at least 10 other strikes on energy infrastructure, resulting in damage like that seen in these photos.

Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said more than 200,000 people in the region were without power.

Herman Halushchenko, its energy minister, said it was a "large scale, enormous, missile attack that affected our energy sector very badly".

More details have emerged about American Russell Bentley, who is missing in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

Online news outlet Mash said he disappeared on 8 April after a district in the city of Donetsk was shelled by Ukrainian forces.

Mash cited his wife as saying he had gone to see if anyone needed help but had not returned.

Mr Bentley joined pro-Russian fighters in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

According to Russian news outlet RIA, he later swapped his gun for journalism and worked with state-run news outlet Sputnik.

In a 2022 Rolling Stone interview, he came across as a conspiracy theorist (he said the collapse of the World Trade Towers was a "pre-planned controlled demolition") and a fan of dictators (he described war crimes-accused former Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi as "one of the greatest").

He became a citizen of the Donetsk People's Republic in 2017 and a citizen of Russia in 2020, said the interview, which was headlined The Bizarre Story Of How A Hardcore Texas Leftist Became A Frontline Putin Propagandist.

In words similar to those of Russia's president Vladimir Putin, Mr Bentley described the Ukrainian military as "genuine mass-murdering Nazis", also claiming their ranks were swelled by "thousands of ISIS cannibals" - claims that have been widely dismissed by commentators.

The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with an additional €1bn (£850m) in military support this year, and has earmarked three-times that amount for next year.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte delivered the news in a social media post.

The extra support in 2024 takes the total sum for this year to €3bn (£2.56bn), along with €400m (£340m) to support Ukraine's economy, Mr Rutte said.

"Ukraine must win this battle - for their and our safety," he said.

Dozens of Russian military instructors have arrived in the African country of Niger.

The move is part of a new agreement with Niger's leaders, who recently cut ties with the West.

The Tele Sahel broadcaster showed footage of a Russian transport plane arriving at Niamey airport on Wednesday night.

It said Russia would help to "install an air defence system... to ensure complete control of our airspace", according to comments reported by news agency AFP.

The Russian military instructors are from African Corps, the Russian defence ministry's paramilitary group. They are also seen as the successor to the Wagner mercenary group in the continent.

Niger's elected president Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown last year by the junta and they cut military and diplomatic ties with former colonial power France, as well as ending an agreement with the US.

Niger has been struggling with increased violence from Islamic State and it is also concerned about Boko Haram militants along its border with Nigeria.

According to the Council of Foreign Relations, Russia's growing influence in Africa has come as some African countries are frustrated with the failures of Western intervention and resentful over their own lack of representation in international institutions.

The CFR says Russia is trying to "gain more support for its vision of a multi-polar world order based on weakened Western influence". We have seen Moscow lobby African countries for support in the United Nations on votes regarding the Ukraine conflict, for example.

Russia is also interested in Africa's vast natural resources (including gold, diamonds, uranium and oil), but it is far from an economic powerhouse in the continent - less than 1% of its foreign direct investment goes there.

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Major Russian air strikes destroy Kyiv power plant, damage other stations

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Russia attacks Ukraine's energy system
Moscow used more than 80 missiles and drones, Kyiv says
Ukraine says a string of power facilities were damaged
U.S. envoy says situation is 'dire'

Aftermath of Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine

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Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Anastasiia Malenko and Max Hunder; writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Devika Syamnath, Angus MacSwan, Ros Russell, Ron Popeski and Sonali Paul

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Kharkiv's civilians under fire as Ukraine faces air defence shortage

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People walk past remains of vehicles after they were set on fire by gangs, in Port-au-Prince

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Haiti's government on Friday issued a decree formalizing the creation of a nine-member transitional presidential council, a long-delayed move intended as the first step in restoring security to the gang-ravaged Caribbean country.

A man visits his flooded house every day to feed dogs stuck on the roof, in Orenburg

Mexican public health officials are sounding an alarm after a study discovered the presence of animal tranquilizer Xylazine in opioids in cities on the country's northwest border with the United States.

Hnnter Biden at the White House Easter Egg Roll, in Washington

IMAGES

Russia Resettles Refugees From War-Torn Eastern Ukraine
Thousands of refugees flee fighting in east Ukraine
Ukrainian Refugees Reach Western Europe
How Europe Is Responding to Ukrainian Refugees
Millions of Ukrainian refugees are fleeing: Where are they going?
Canada to deploy up to 150 troops to Poland to assist Ukrainian refugees

COMMENTS

Uniting for Ukraine
Uniting for Ukraine 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, with a period of parole up to two years. Ukrainians participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a supporter in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay ...
President Biden to Announce Uniting for Ukraine, a New Streamlined
WASHINGTON - Today, the President will announce Uniting for Ukraine, a new streamlined process to provide Ukrainian citizens who have fled Russia's unprovoked war of aggression opportunities to come to the United States, fulfilling President Biden's commitment to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia's aggression as a result of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.
'Uniting for Ukraine' program announced for refugees to enter US on
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new program called "Uniting for Ukraine" that will provide a streamlined process for Ukrainian refugees seeking to come to the United States.
Welcoming Ukrainian Nationals to the United States
Ukrainian Arrivals through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is a permanent resettlement pathway to the United States managed by the Department of State. The USRAP accepts referrals from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), U.S. embassies, a U.S. government agency senior official granted authority by the U.S. […]
What Is the US-Launched 'Uniting for Ukraine' Program?
Washington —. U.S. President Joe Biden recently announced the Uniting for Ukraine program, which aims to streamline the process for Ukrainians who have fled their country and are seeking safety ...
Uniting for Ukraine
Uniting for Ukraine may help beneficiaries receive temporary safe haven in the United States more quickly. Due to a surge of requests, our processing times for Form I-131 humanitarian parole are significantly longer than usual. How to apply through Uniting for Ukraine if you already have a Pending I-131, Application for Travel Document
Nearly 6,000 Ukrainians approved to enter U.S. through federal website
Ukrainian refugees enter the El Chaparral border crossing port into the San Ysidro PedWest Port of Entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 9. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via ...
Transport Secretary extends scheme helping Ukrainian evacuees reach
The onward travel scheme for Ukrainian refugees will be extended for 6 months. The Transport Secretary has today (18 December 2022) announced the extension of a travel scheme helping Ukrainian ...
How to help Ukrainian refugees: You asked, we answered
Since October 2021, at least 690 Ukrainian refugees have been admitted to the United States, according to State Department data. More Ukrainian refugees could start coming to the United States ...
Which countries have relaxed entry and visa requirements for Ukrainian
United Kingdom. Visa rules have been relaxed for immediate family members of Ukrainians settled in the UK. That means that Ukrainian family members of British nationals can apply for a family ...
U.S. launches online portal with application to sponsor Ukrainians
U.S. unveils sponsorship program for Ukrainian refugees 05:17. The U.S. government on Monday started accepting applications from individuals and organizations seeking to help Ukrainians fleeing ...
What to Know About Ukrainian Refugees in the U.S
Senate Passes $40 Billion in Aid to Ukraine After Week-Long Delay. In February of that year, Mysiuk, her husband and two sons arrived in New York City as Ukrainian refugees hoping to "restart ...
Information on free train and bus travel from Ukraine to Europe
PKP: free travel on all PKP trains with a Ukrainian passport or ID card. Deutsche Bahn: free travel on all Eurocity trains from Poland to Germany. Wizz Air: Wizz Air is supporting Ukrainian refugees by offering them 100,000 free seats on all continental Europe flights departing from Poland, throughout March 2022.
Surrey County Council: Free bus travel for Ukrainian refugees ...
24 September 2023. War in Ukraine. Getty Images. Introduced in June 2022, the scheme to offer free bus travel to Ukrainian refugees in Surrey is being extended. Free bus travel for Ukrainian ...
Wales offers free rail travel for Ukrainian refugees
Ukrainian nationals can claim free travel by showing a Ukraine passport to conductors and station staff. The scheme is an extension of an ongoing Welsh Government programme which provides free public transport for asylum seekers in Wales, as part of its ambition to become the world's first Nation of Sanctuary as endorsed by the United Nations.
Swiss government open to offering free annual train passes to Ukrainian
The GA pass is an annual ticket that offers unlimited travel on trains, boats, buses and trams. A second class GA pass normally costs CHF 3,860 for an adult and CHF 1,645 for a child. The idea put to the Federal Council is to offer a GA "solidarity" pass to Ukrainian refugees for public transport in Switzerland.
Supports for Ukrainians in Ireland
You can also call the Irish Refugee Council on (01) 913 1528 for Ukrainian language information. The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm. The European Commission has a freephone helpline in Ukrainian that can give you information on EU entry and travel, your right to education and access to jobs or healthcare.
Free bus and train travel advice for refugees
You will now need to pay for travel on bus and train services in Wales. You may be eligible for one of the free or discounted travel schemes also available if you are: 60 years or over. a disabled passenger. a child or young person. For further information on these and other discounted travel tickets please see Traveline Cymru or contact your ...
EU passes asylum and migration pact after eight years of deadlock
Sweeping changes to the EU's migration laws have been passed in a knife-edge series of votes in the European parliament, with supporters of the new laws calling the move historic but NGOs saying ...
Travel support for Ukrainians
To help Ukrainian nationals arriving in Greater Manchester, Metrolink tram services, rail services and the majority of bus and coach services in the region are being provided free of charge for the first 48 hours after arrival in the UK. Find out more about the free travel scheme for Ukrainians in Greater Manchester. (external link)
Travel For Ukrainian Refugees
Ukrainian refugees arriving in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland will be able to get free onward travel on Translink's buses or trains from Wednesday 30th March 2022. / Ukrayinsʹki bizhentsi, yaki prybuvayutʹ do Pivnichnoyi Irlandiyi abo Respubliky Irlandiya, zmozhutʹ otrymaty bezkoshtovnyy proyizd u avtobusakh abo potyahakh ...
Homes for Ukraine temporary bus pass scheme
The bus pass scheme will continue until 31 March 2025. For Ukrainian nationals who have already had a Homes for Ukraine temporary bus pass, you may be eligible for a further bus pass valid until 31 March 2025. You will need to reapply when your current bus pass runs out, at which point you will be issued a new bus pass for up to six months ...
EU Parliament approves major reforms to migration policy
The European Union's plan to reform irregular migration passed a key hurdle on Wednesday, as the European Parliament voted through a package that will fundamentally change how the bloc tackles ...
Grant allows rotary club to send child psychologists to help children
The Black Mountain Rotary Club is going to help children and families affected by the war in Ukraine, thanks to a global grant from Rotary International.The Bl ... to meet with refugees from the ...
Johnson Outlines Plan for Ukraine Aid; House Could Act Within Weeks
The G.O.P. speaker's proposed conditions for sending a fresh infusion of military assistance to Kyiv are the strongest sign to date that he plans to defy critics in his own party and push ...
Department Press Briefing
Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees had fled for this camp in the months prior - 90 percent of them women and children. And among those refugees was a six-month-old baby, born only days before the fighting broke out in Sudan. When I saw her, she was suffering from acute malnutrition - so small, so fragile, I thought she was a newborn.
Irish Government spent up to €1million a month on accommodation ...
During the first year of Ukraine's conflict with Russia, the Irish Government was shelling out as much as €1million a month to house the pets of Ukrainian refugees. The Department of Integration ...
Middle East latest: US 'moving additional assets' to region amid fears
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said another man was killed by Israeli forces conducting a raid in the al Far'a refugee camp in Tubas. Hamas mourned the man's death but did not claim him ...
Russia-Ukraine war latest: Putin 'may launch all-out bid to seize
Russia has launched fresh strikes on critical infrastructure - with Kyiv residents told to cut energy consumption every night for the rest of 2024. Meanwhile, Western officials reportedly fear a ...
Major Russian air strikes destroy Kyiv power plant, damage other
Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions of Ukraine on Thursday, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled ...