The US Congress has registered a bill that allows Ukrainian parolees to stay in the US.
A bill called the Ukrainian Adjustment Act has been registered in the US Congress, which will allow Ukrainians with "humanitarian parole" to remain in the United States for permanent residency. The registration date is stated as June 7, 2023, and the document is currently being sent to the legal committee of the House of Representatives. The bill aims to "ensure the regulation of the status of Ukrainian citizens and for other purposes," according to its description.
If the proposed bill is approved and signed by the president, it will grant Ukrainians who arrived after April 2022 and have had protection in the US since 2014 the opportunity to obtain permanent resident status in the United States.
It is worth reminding that in the spring of last year, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden's administration implemented the "Uniting for Ukraine" (U4U) program, which allowed Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members to reside and work in the United States temporarily.
According to official data, over 271,000 Ukrainians entered the United States since February 2022. Over 117,000 were accepted under the "Uniting for Ukraine" program. According to US media citing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the program, over 200,000 Americans acted as sponsors for Ukrainians under the U4U program.
Approximately 150,000 Ukrainians arrived in the United States outside the program, including those who received temporary protection, TPS status or crossed the US-Mexico border prior to the program's launch last April.
The U4U program has a duration of two years, expiring in April of next year. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) expires in October of this year.
If these programs are not extended, many Ukrainians could face deportation.
"It is crucial to pass this bill now during President Joe Biden's administration, which has the authority to extend the U4U and TPS deadlines through unilateral executive actions. Otherwise, the lack of legislative status will make refugees vulnerable when another president takes office," noted Vlad Skots, the Chairman of Ukrainian American House.
Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur called on her colleagues in Congress to support the new bill so that it can pass in the House of Representatives and the Senate and reach the president's desk for signing.
The bill for Ukrainians is modeled after a law that granted similar status to Afghan citizens who supported the US mission in Afghanistan.
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Hundreds attended the "Sacramento Solidarity Rally for Ukraine" to remember those defending their homeland two years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
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Ukrainian American House to participate in the annual Big Day of Giving, coordinated by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation
