U4u for Ukrainians

The start of the “Uniting for Ukraine” program was announced in the USA on April 21, 2022. The program was launched as a fulfillment of the US president’s commitment to receive Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. This program allows citizens of Ukraine and their close relatives who are outside the United States to come to this country and stay here for 2 years. To use the program, you must have a sponsor in the United States. This is the name given to a person who is ready to provide financial support while a Ukrainian who arrives under the program lives in the United States.

What should you know about this program?

When we talk about the U4U program, we mean the possibility of simplified entry into the USA. If you decide to take advantage of this opportunity, you should know that you cannot leave the country during the program if you want to maintain your participation in the program. People who leave before the end of the prescribed 2 years of stay must then reapply to come to the United States. This request is not always approved.

When it comes to the first step in joining the program, it is the submission by the aforementioned sponsor of the application to USCIS. It is drawn up according to Form I-134 “Declaration of Financial Support”. However, it is worth understanding that such a statement is not just a formality. The government will check the sponsor to see if he can financially support the person for whom he has expressed willingness to make such a commitment.

When we talk about the real practical level of implementation of this program, we need to look at its prospects realistically and understand the following:

• You and all members of your family who plan to use the program must have the right to leave;
• you will need to come to the USA within 3 months from the moment you become a participant in the program;
• a person who agrees to be a sponsor in the U4U program does so for their own financial interests. Therefore, you should not count on her to provide assistance in the form of food, transportation or providing living space for your stay. This is the case when you choose the service format with the provision of a ready-made sponsor. When a person finds a sponsor himself, the specialists who provide support for the procedure cannot be held responsible for him;
• the number of people who are ready to act as a sponsor today is limited. This is natural, because many Ukrainians have already managed to use the mentioned program.

A realistic approach and understanding of all the listed aspects gives you the opportunity to objectively assess the prospects and, taking this into account, plan your steps.

How can our support be useful?

Specialists in the migration practice of the law firm “Prikhodko&Partners” regularly monitor not only the news of national and international legislation in these matters, but also understand which programs are relevant for Ukrainians in the context of moving to more peaceful countries not affected by war. When it comes to the U4U program, we offer a comprehensive service that covers 3 key aspects:

• applying for a sponsor that meets all the relevant criteria within the U4U program;
• applying for a humanitarian password;
• all necessary services within the framework of information support of the procedure.

Support from specialists in their field is important not only in the context of facilitating and speeding up the procedure. It is important if you want to protect yourself from fraudulent schemes. And there are a lot of them, for example:

• Official imposters. These are people impersonating USCIS officials.
• Manipulative offers of support. This is about people who want to get rich from the citizens of Ukraine, who are looking for a calmer place to live, leaving the war. It is clear that there is no question of real help.
• Individuals in the US who are not authorized to act in support of the program, however, are misled as to having such authority. Here you need to understand that no American notary is authorized to provide legal services aimed at obtaining immigration benefits.

This is only part of the dangers that can await a person who wants to use the U4U program. So, in order to protect yourself from this, you should use the support of professional lawyers who will not speculate on your ignorance, but will really help and provide quality services.