Has anyone else applied for the Uniting for Ukraine program?

[howjltx 0]

15 minutes ago, howjltx said:

I am no expert, but I suggest you start over with a new I-134 with the correct information. Unfortunately, there are no good guidelines on what to do in case of errors. I messed up by not including my granddaughter in law as a group member to my daughter-in law. I took the lawyers advise in one of the previous posting by a VJ member and had to start a second I-134 for my in-law's daughter, I just did this on Friday so waiting myself now. Hopefully some VJ expert will correct me on this advise if it is wrong. Through the secured email on my USCIS account I asked a question more than two weeks ago and have not received a response

VP will not allow me to correct so I will try this way:
I am taking some assumptions you are referring to a U4U I-134 and not the fiancé' visa in your profile? Due to you posting your response to my comments, or at least VP BOT alerted me to this.  I am no expert, but I suggest you start over with a new I-134 with the correct information. Unfortunately, there are no good guidelines on what to do in case of errors. I messed up by not including my granddaughter in law as a group member to my daughter-in law. I took the lawyers advise in one of the previous posting by a VJ member and had to start a second I-134 for my in-law's daughter, I just did this on Friday so waiting myself now. Hopefully some VJ expert will correct me on this advise if it is wrong. Through the secured email on my USCIS account I asked a question more than two weeks ago and have not received a response.

If you are referring to the Fiancé Visa, I suggest you bring them over on this U4U (United for Ukraine) program

[TBoneTX 45,267]

34 minutes ago, jjp85 said:

I want to put a gun in my mouth and end my life.

No.  Just NO.

[Supernatural 19]

Before my beneficiary leaves Ukraine should they get doctor records printed or anything like that required?

[bhindzioncurtain 12]

10 minutes ago, Supernatural said:

Before my beneficiary leaves Ukraine should they get doctor records printed or anything like that required?

Definitely will need to show evidence of vaccinations needed after arriving but not to get here.

[scandal 951]

On 5/10/2022 at 5:10 PM, Kineo said:

Do you mind me asking about the flight? Where are they flying from? through? I'm a little concerned about my family making the flight and connections.

Thanx - Kineo

Sorry, just seeing this now, wasn't logging onto VJ over the past week (my wife got COVID, so not been a fun one...)

Anyway, they are traveling on LOT from Budapest -> Warsaw -> Chicago. They have a 2 hour layover in Warsaw. Should be an easy connection. 

 

Good luck with your family's travel plans!

[scandal 951]

On 5/11/2022 at 6:55 PM, Kineo said:

I came across some information I thought was very nice to learn. From my understanding these are the instructions from Customs and Border Protection to the Airlines for ticketing U4U passengers. 

https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2022-Apr/Uniting for Ukraine 20220421.pdf

 

Enjoy - Kineo

Wow! This is SUPER helpful. Thanks so much for posting it. I've actually shared it on the Facebook "Helping Ukrainian refugees in the USA group", since that's a very active forum with over 4k members, Ukrainians and Americans, all trying to navigate the U4U process. 

I also suggested to my beneficiaries that it may be a good idea to print this out and take to the airport for check in, just in case the ground staff of the airline is unfamiliar with U4U and doesn't recognize their CBP Travel Authorization. Probably not necessary, but seems like a simple extra precaution. 

[scandal 951]

11 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

No.  Just NO.

 Yeah, like wow! Whenever did VJ get so psycho. Back in the day, such things never happened, this was a much more genteel site.  ☠️ 💀

[scandal 951]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:41 PM, Boiler said:

Travel Insurance would not cover usually pre existing conditions and also begs the question how long they would be in the US.

 

As I understand it the point of the I 134 is to show they have sponsors able to cover their expenses.

 

Refugees are eligible for Benefits but not Parolees.

I've been researching Travel Medical Insurance, and I think it could be a good solution for the initial months, until the Ukrainian adults are able to get jobs which hopefully would include a decent employer provided health coverage.

As an example, I'm looking at this Patriot America Plus https://www.imglobal.com/img-insurance-plans/patriot_plus .

 

For pre-existing conditions, coverage is for : Acute Onset of Pre-Existing Conditions (Insured person must be under 70 years of age) 

where "acute" is defined further as:

 

Should you experience a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence of a pre-existing condition, this coverage provides necessary emergency care for any medical emergency that is life threatening or requires immediate medical treatment. Coverage is available for travelers under age 70, and maximum limits vary by plan and age.

 

In-network coverage is the United Healthcare (UHC) network, so pretty broad nationwide network of doctors and hosptials.

 

The policy can be purchased for any period of time from 5 days up to a year and is renewable up to 2 years. So that's plenty of time till either get them on employer provided care, or ACA.

 

For eligibility - 

(5) on the Effective Date and on subsequent renewal dates, must have legally departed the Country of Residence and legally
entered the Destination Country
(6) not have established a permanent residency in the Destination Country 

For I think this would work for U4U participants, since they would have left Ukraine and any 3rd country prior to  legally entering the USA (condition 5) and they are parolees, not permanent residents in the US (condition 6)

 

Regarding cost, I priced out 4 months of coverage for the family of 4 we are sponsoring and it came to about $700 (you can play around with  policy limits and deductibles to adjust the premium level). That's not bad at all, definitely something we could do. Assuming this isn't "junk" insurance. It seems legit, but hard to know.

 

Also, I recently found out that in Illinois the children will qualify for the state Allkids program, so apparently I only need to buy coverage for the adults. Other states may have similar programs.

 

[scandal 951]

Oh, since I'm on a roll here (4 posts in a row... let's make it 5!) here is a shameless plug for a couple of blog posts I wrote about my experience so far with the U4U program.

 

U4U Questionnaire https://reversiontomean.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/u4u-questionnaire/

Uniting for Ukraine – Early Impressions https://reversiontomean.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/uniting-for-ukraine-early-impressions/ 

[Ducker 51]

8 hours ago, scandal said:

I've been researching Travel Medical Insurance, and I think it could be a good solution for the initial months, until the Ukrainian adults are able to get jobs which hopefully would include a decent employer provided health coverage.

As an example, I'm looking at this Patriot America Plus https://www.imglobal.com/img-insurance-plans/patriot_plus .

 

For pre-existing conditions, coverage is for : Acute Onset of Pre-Existing Conditions (Insured person must be under 70 years of age) 

where "acute" is defined further as:

 

Should you experience a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence of a pre-existing condition, this coverage provides necessary emergency care for any medical emergency that is life threatening or requires immediate medical treatment. Coverage is available for travelers under age 70, and maximum limits vary by plan and age.

 

In-network coverage is the United Healthcare (UHC) network, so pretty broad nationwide network of doctors and hosptials.

 

The policy can be purchased for any period of time from 5 days up to a year and is renewable up to 2 years. So that's plenty of time till either get them on employer provided care, or ACA.

 

For eligibility - 

(5) on the Effective Date and on subsequent renewal dates, must have legally departed the Country of Residence and legally
entered the Destination Country
(6) not have established a permanent residency in the Destination Country 

For I think this would work for U4U participants, since they would have left Ukraine and any 3rd country prior to  legally entering the USA (condition 5) and they are parolees, not permanent residents in the US (condition 6)

 

Regarding cost, I priced out 4 months of coverage for the family of 4 we are sponsoring and it came to about $700 (you can play around with  policy limits and deductibles to adjust the premium level). That's not bad at all, definitely something we could do. Assuming this isn't "junk" insurance. It seems legit, but hard to know.

 

Also, I recently found out that in Illinois the children will qualify for the state Allkids program, so apparently I only need to buy coverage for the adults. Other states may have similar programs.

 

 

Did some follow up research on this as well:  Healthcare.gov is definitely an option!  I called their support line can got instructions.

 

If you, like me and my wife, have private health insurance, no worries:  start signing up on Healthcare.gov but choose the option "coverage for someone else."  Your relatives will be listed as your dependents for both medical care and taxes.  If you choose that they have serious medical concerns (which two of mine do), they will be granted coverage during the special enrollment period.  The others can still enroll in Medicaid.

 

All the best.

[Islapaz 41]

Hello Everyone finally the Travel Authorization Documents are there!!

Authorized on May 4th, Got the documents on May 16th after  countless calls to USCIS. Document expires in August 4th.

 

 

[Kineo 93]

On 5/15/2022 at 6:16 PM, Supernatural said:

Before my beneficiary leaves Ukraine should they get doctor records printed or anything like that required?

Though not necessary for travel to United States. But I sure it would be helpful once they are here.

-Kineo

[Kineo 93]

5 hours ago, Islapaz said:

Hello Everyone finally the Travel Authorization Documents are there!!

Authorized on May 4th, Got the documents on May 16th after  countless calls to USCIS. Document expires in August 4th.

 

 

Wonderful news! So glad your persistence paid off.

-K

[Kineo 93]

On 5/15/2022 at 11:48 PM, scandal said:

I also suggested to my beneficiaries that it may be a good idea to print this out and take to the airport for check in, just in case the ground staff of the airline is unfamiliar with U4U and doesn't recognize their CBP Travel Authorization. Probably not necessary, but seems like a simple extra precaution. 

Actually probably an extremely good idea. Assuming that all these folks at the airports are up to speed would be asking a lot. So when they look confused the beneficiary could ask them if this document helps sounds like a great option. If nothing else it might save time and frustration.

-Kineo

[uapilot 68]

I haven't talked to my beneficiary in a few days, but last time she had told me she checks her email everyday, and so far hasn't written me saying she got an email from USCIS. Our notice of CONFIRM date was 5/2. That seems like a long time compared to other folks here. I'm worried I misspelled her email or something.