President Joe Biden will announce the launch of the “United for Ukraine” refugee program Thursday, which senior administration officials called the “flagship” vehicle to admit the “majority” of the 100,000 Ukrainian refugees Biden promised to shelter.
Biden will make the announcement during prepared remarks Thursday morning announcing another tranche of security assistance the United States will send to Ukraine. The program will go into effect on April 25.
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Senior administration officials noted that the U.S. is already supplying more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance in response to “Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.”
To be eligible for the program, Ukrainians must meet the following criteria:
- Have been a resident of Ukraine on Feb. 11.
- Have a “sponsor” in the U.S. who can attest to their ability to support them.
- Complete vaccination and other public health requirements and pass biometric and biographic screening checks.
Unlike other refugee programs, United for Ukraine is designed to bring Ukrainians with existing ties to the U.S. to the states. Sponsors can be family members, friends, or charity organizations and must undergo background checks and screenings “to ensure that the sponsors are not going to be engaged in exploitation or other forms of abuse.”
There is no limit on the number of Ukrainians each person is allowed to sponsor, and senior administration officials stressed that this program is meant to be “temporary in nature” and not end in permanent resettlement. Ukrainian refugees will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, once their sponsors are approved, and will be eligible to say in the U.S. for up to two years.
Furthermore, officials directly petitioned Ukrainians not to travel to Mexico to seek entry to the U.S. at the southern border.
Currently, Ukrainian nationals have been exempt from Title 42, the pandemic-era Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program allowing for immediate deportations of refugees encountered away from ports of entry, and officials explained that exemption will end once United for Ukraine launches on April 25.
“I’d like to just stress that we would like to encourage all Ukrainian nationals who are seeking to come to the U.S. to remain in Europe and take advantage of this program,” one official noted. “There will be no preference or no different process for Ukrainian nationals who traveled to Mexico and attempt to enter through the land border. As of April 25, Ukrainians who do seek to enter the United States at the land border without a visa or without completing the United for Ukrainian process may be refused entry under our existing laws.”
“While this program is clearly oriented on Ukrainians who have been displaced in Europe, it may be available for Ukrainians in Mexico, but access to some of the required vaccinations in Mexico will likely be a little more difficult in Mexico,” the official continued. “We will not be able to facilitate those vaccinations in Mexico, and I will say that traveling to Mexico will offer no advantage for Ukrainian nationals.”
“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,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas added in a statement. “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.”
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Officials added that the U.S. and European partners are working with nongovernment organizations to bring LGBT and other “particularly vulnerable” refugees who may warrant permanent resettlement to the U.S through the typical Refugee Admissions Program.
