Uniting for Ukraine - Timelines please

[Kineo 93]

On 6/3/2022 at 8:47 AM, Mike20090622 said:

What visa they get and how long they can stay? Can they marry and stay in America?

It is not a visa. It is a humanitarian parole. They can stay up to 2 years at this time. No they can not stay. Their maybe more options in the future.

-Kineo

[Roustam 3]

28 minutes ago, Kineo said:

It is not a visa. It is a humanitarian parole. They can stay up to 2 years at this time. No they can not stay. Their maybe more options in the future.

-Kineo

Who told you they cannot stay? If they get married they can apply for change of status and that's gonna be the case for many k1 fiancees that just entered via U4U program!

[Boiler 45,486]

Certainly most people posting on VJ will be adjusting status. It is just a way to enter the US to do so.

[Kineo 93]

3 hours ago, Roustam said:

Who told you they cannot stay? If they get married they can apply for change of status and that's gonna be the case for many k1 fiancees that just entered via U4U program!

Once they marry and file for AOS they would change to Immigrant status, no longer on humanitarian parole under U4U. Just not really much documentation on that that I have seen.

[Boiler 45,486]

VJ has a section for those filing to adjust, very common scenario

[Mack88 9]

Hey guys. So I just got off the phone with USCIS officer. I was told that only immediate relatives can be petitioners on that program so since I am just a fiance for now, unfortunately I can't apply. This specific condition is not listed on USCIS website unless I am blind. Did anyone already get their fiancee to US on this program? Can you share your experience?

[Kineo 93]

8 minutes ago, Mack88 said:

Hey guys. So I just got off the phone with USCIS officer. I was told that only immediate relatives can be petitioners on that program so since I am just a fiance for now, unfortunately I can't apply. This specific condition is not listed on USCIS website unless I am blind. Did anyone already get their fiancee to US on this program? Can you share your experience?

See my response in the other thread.

-Kineo

[SDlaw 0]

On 6/2/2022 at 12:47 PM, Don&Iryna said:

I filled out the 134 to get my Ukrainian sister in law US entry on 6/1.  It was completely approved and she has the travel authorization in hand in less than 24 hours!   Crazy fast!   

That is good to hear. I applied the same day. I am stuck. No email received by beneficiary. I called the USCIS and they said they would elevate it to "Level 2" and I would receive a phone call. Instead this morning I received a boilerplate email stating my I-134 was approved and the beneficiary will receive an email and to respond to the email. This is exactly the same message received on the confirmation June 2, 12 days ago.

 

The issue seems to be their system, for some unknown reason, is not sending out the email. Yes, she checked spam, etc.

 

Others have tried to re-apply. If I do this, I may set up an email that I can also access and use it for correspondence. My beneficiary has a Ukrainian last name spelled oddly in her gmail address so if it was manually input, the operator may have made an error.

 

I am speaking to the gray monolith that is the USCIS with no result, just trying to get an email.  I will keep the list advised.

[Dave N 3]

I am an American who was living in Kyiv until 5 days before the invasion.  I Brought my girlfriend of one year, and her 19 year old son with me to what I hoped was a 3 week vacation to Portugal to let things cool down, but things blew up instead.  Now my girlfriend and her son are effectively my new family.  Not exactly what I had planned for.

 

After 3 months of wandering through Europe I managed to get them to Canada.  Just when they got Canada travel approval the Uniting for Ukraine program went online.

 

For me, it was 2 days to be approved as a sponsor, 2 days for my beneficiaries to be approved.  Since we were in Vancouver Canada and I am a legal residence of Washington State we crossed by land about 1 week after they were approved.  It was 2 hours of processing but they let us through, but were only given parole for 1 year. 

 

The border agent was not very friendly at first, but once he saw everything was in order, that I had known my girlfriend for a year, and worked for a major employer in Washington State we got through.  They recommend travel by air.  My Ukrainian friends were not even questioned, I was the one who was heavily questioned.  Not that pleasant a process but a pleasant outcome.  If they had come from Europe by air I would not have even been with them for border crossing.  

 

I did not get email notifications from immigration like I was supposed to, and documents did not always show up in my account on the day they were approved.  That was kind of confusing.  Yet my beneficiaries got email notifications.

 

I am high income, high net worth, and had known my beneficiaries in Ukraine, so that likely helped my situation.  Now we are working through the I-765 forms, need to understand how to extend the parole date, and how to get permission to travel outside the US and return.  Marrying my girlfriend is an option that could make things easier (my lawyer says it is best to wait at least 90 days to marry), although I am finding living with my Ukrainian girlfriend 7 days a week is actually not as pleasant as dating her was in Kyiv, we did not plan to be together until her son was independent and I did not expect to help raise another teenager. Fortunately her son is a nice, respectful, young man who speaks good English ... but he is still a big overgrown kid who plays video games and is glued to his phone all day.

 

Of course this has been very stressful on all of us and my girlfriend misses her family, her friends, and her life in Kyiv.  My life in Kyiv was actually better now than my life in Seattle, even though I am in a beautiful downtown apartment.  But we are adjusting.

 

[Vondelta 0]

Hello All,

     I recently found out about the U4U program and I'm in the process of filling out the 134 for my girlfriend and her minor daughter. On this form, when I file for the daughter, one question asks if you have filed for a previous person. However, when I try to put the date I plan on filing for the mother, it will not allow me to enter the last digit of this year. Will this change once I actually file the mother's 134? If not, I'm not sure how I'll be able to file for her minor daughter. 

Another question; it seems that once you file, approval to travel comes within 1-2 weeks. Is this accurate?

Thanks in advance.

[Kineo 93]

7 hours ago, Vondelta said:

Hello All,

     I recently found out about the U4U program and I'm in the process of filling out the 134 for my girlfriend and her minor daughter. On this form, when I file for the daughter, one question asks if you have filed for a previous person. However, when I try to put the date I plan on filing for the mother, it will not allow me to enter the last digit of this year. Will this change once I actually file the mother's 134? If not, I'm not sure how I'll be able to file for her minor daughter. 

Another question; it seems that once you file, approval to travel comes within 1-2 weeks. Is this accurate?

I would file for mother. Then when filing for daughter enter the date you filed for the mother on.

This timeline or even shorter has been experienced by many here on VJ.

-Kineo

[Vondelta 0]

13 hours ago, Kineo said:

I would file for mother. Then when filing for daughter enter the date you filed for the mother on.

This timeline or even shorter has been experienced by many here on VJ.

-Kineo

Kineo,

    Thank you for the info. I'll give this a try. I've got a few questions about the form for anyone willing to provide answers. There are several questions about assets from the petitioner and recipient. I am not listing any assets, as I have sufficient funds from my employment to support the two people I'm applying for. In addition, the recipients had to leave everything behind when they left Ukraine and have no assets. Will this have bearing on approval? Also, I have no "bonds" to list. I'm basing my ability solely on my work and military retirement income, which is significantly higher than the K1 income requirements. Should this be ok and suffice for getting approval? 

[Kineo 93]

3 minutes ago, Vondelta said:

Kineo,

    Thank you for the info. I'll give this a try. I've got a few questions about the form for anyone willing to provide answers. There are several questions about assets from the petitioner and recipient. I am not listing any assets, as I have sufficient funds from my employment to support the two people I'm applying for. In addition, the recipients had to leave everything behind when they left Ukraine and have no assets. Will this have bearing on approval? Also, I have no "bonds" to list. I'm basing my ability solely on my work and military retirement income, which is significantly higher than the K1 income requirements. Should this be ok and suffice for getting approval? 

I did not list any assets for either myself(sponsor) or any of my beneficiaries. Also listed no income or bank deposits for the beneficiaries. I listed/included my income/employment, tax transcript, bank letters showing balances and deposits and proof of citizenship.

-Kineo

[Jimmy2pinz 0]

Hi There. I have been with my Ukrainian gf for over 18 months, I'm a US citizen just outside Boston and had been to Ukraine about 8 times over the first year before the war broke out. After living (more like surviving) in Poland for a month (I was there with her the whole time), I got her and her son to Canada (Ottawa). I am living with her here and travel back to Boston to visit my parents and adult children once a month. I didn't think I qualified for U4U as I'm clearly her bf and I thought it best to have someone else sponsor them. Unfortunately, my family members said the process was very long. Sadly, I learned the process was quite the opposite and so far very fast!!!

I had applied Sept 28. and 24 hours later, my gf received emailed that she received confirmation and account acceptance notice. Whoa!!! My brother and his wife (both military as I thought that would be a huge plus), started back in May with no progress and I was already part way there in 24 hours.

 

1 week later, we are now at the point where my gf and her son received a very vague letter that says she can cross the boarder (travel authorization). I received an email that I am supposed to have instructions: Travel Authorization Decision Posted, yet, there is no document. I see in this thread many people had similar issues, but I never saw anything where they finally received a document. I'm concerned what instructions I need to have or do as a sponsor. Does anyone have any info?

 

Also, I see recently a gentleman with a similar status, partly living in Canada and traveling back to the US. We will cross the boarder by land and I'm hopeful we don't experience any issues. My passport is littered with stamps to/from Ukraine so it's clear I know her, but I now fear they will see my as a bf and may prevent me from taking them across the border. 

 

Any advice or feedback?

 

Thanks in advance,

Jimmy

[Jimmy2pinz 0]

On 9/30/2022 at 8:48 AM, Kineo said:

I did not list any assets for either myself(sponsor) or any of my beneficiaries. Also listed no income or bank deposits for the beneficiaries. I listed/included my income/employment, tax transcript, bank letters showing balances and deposits and proof of citizenship.

-Kineo

FWIW, I didn't provide any assets either. I provided copies of my last 2 paystubs, Letter of Employment, copy of my passport, copy of my W2 tax returns from 2021 and only a screenshot of my bank acct activities which showed the last 10-12 transactions. I didn't get a bank statement and thought the screenshots of my acct was enough (as well as the other stuff I provided). Which seemed to be enough as I was approved to sponsor. Just have the outstanding question about getting an email that ""Travel Authorization Decision Posted" yet, no details or instructions as to what to do next....