Guide to U4U Application
Introductions
Thanks for your interest in sponsoring a Ukrainian to come to the United States. This document is intended to help guide prospective sponsors through the humanitarian parole application process.
Overview
Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support must be filled out by U.S. sponsors to show the U.S. government that you are able and willing to support a non-U.S. citizen financially during that person’s temporary stay in the United States. Uniting for Ukraine allows online filing of the I-134 form by a sponsor located in the United States, and there is no filing fee.
The DHS website says the application process will be “fairly quick” but doesn’t currently provide a timeline for completion. In May 2022, applications were reportedly approved within days.
Important Notes:
- Ukrainians and their immediate family members requesting parole on their own behalf may not file Form I-134 as part of Uniting for Ukraine
- The I-134 is not used to match prospective sponsors to beneficiaries
- By creating an account on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Uniting for Ukraine website, sponsors can review the entirety of the online application before submitting the required information, including where and how to upload additional documents
Process Overview
Eligibility
Sponsor Eligibility
Prior to submitting an application, sponsors must ensure they meet one of the eligibility requirements and can show proof they are one of the following:
- A U.S. citizen or national
- A lawful permanent resident, lawful temporary resident, or conditional permanent residents
- A nonimmigrant in lawful status (e.g., an individual on a work visa who has not violated the terms or conditions of their visa)
- An asylee, refugee, or humanitarian parolee
- A Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holder
- A beneficiary of deferred action (including DACA) or Deferred Enforced Departure
Beneficiary Eligibility
Additionally, under Uniting for Ukraine, sponsors must also confirm their intended beneficiary(s) can show proof that they:
- Resided in Ukraine immediately before the Russian invasion (through Feb. 11, 2022) and were displaced as a result of the invasion. This includes those displaced within Ukraine and those who have left Ukraine.
- Are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport)
- Are not a Ukrainian citizen but are an immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen beneficiary of Uniting for Ukraine with a valid passport
- Immediate family members in this process include:
- the spouse or common-law partner of a Ukrainian citizen; and
- their unmarried children under the age of 21.
- NOTE: If a child is under 18, they must be traveling with a parent or legal guardian in order to use this process.
- Immediate family members in this process include:
Before the Application
Once sponsors and beneficiaries determine that they meet the aforementioned criteria, and they both feel that they are a good match, we recommend that they take the following steps to prepare to submit the application.
Before applying, sponsors should compile the relevant documentation listed below. There is no minimum or maximum amount of financial resources a sponsor must show, and USCIS does not require that every asset a sponsor has is listed. USCIS seeks to understand whether you (and your household) can support the beneficiary while they find stability here in the United States.
Sponsors should compile the following information from their intended beneficiary:
Identification and contact information, including:
- Any other names since birth (including aliases, maiden names, and nicknames)
- Phone and email contact information
- Current mailing and physical address
- Date of birth
- City, state, and country of birth
- Gender
- Marital status
- Total number of dependents
Travel information
- Country of citizenship or nationality
- Country of most recently issued passport
- Passport number and expiration date
- A-number (not required and only if applicable)
- Anticipated period of stay in the U.S. – individuals arriving under Uniting for Ukraine can stay in the U.S. for up to 24 months
Financial information
- Total value of assets
- How much income will the beneficiary’s dependents contribute to the beneficiary annually
- There is no right answer, and it is important to be truthful, including if the amount the beneficiary has to contribute is zero. Remember, USCIS seeks to understand the financial resources that both the sponsor and the beneficiary may have to support the beneficiary.
Information on your financial standing in the application is broken into two general categories: income and assets.
1. Income
Income to include on the form can include members of your household, such as a spouse, that can help to contribute to the well-being of your beneficiary.
You’ll also be asked to share your number of dependents, available financial resources (e.g., money in checking or savings accounts), and whether or not you receive certain public assistance for low-income residents such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
2. Assets that can support the Beneficiary
Financial assets to include on the form are those that can be converted into cash within twelve months and which could be used to support the beneficiary. These could be stocks, bonds, or real estate holdings. If you are a homeowner, you can list the equity you have in your home as an asset. You can list your car as an asset only if you can show that you own more than one vehicle, or in other words, if you can show that you could sell a car quickly without creating a financial burden for yourself. You can also include assets that you have as a household on the I-134 form.
Note: USCIS is not asking for a complete listing of every single asset you and your household own. They need enough information to determine whether you have access to enough financial resources to support the beneficiary(ies) upon their arrival to the United States. If you are interested in sponsoring a family, and you are unsure that your application will be successful, we recommend working with a group of sponsors.
Questions USCIS may consider while reviewing your application:
- How many beneficiaries are you applying for and are your resources sufficient for the number of beneficiaries?
- Could you liquify assets if necessary to ensure the beneficiary does not become a public charge? A person becomes a public charge if they rely longterm on government assistance like basic cash assistance from TANF or long-term care. Both of these programs have income eligibility requirements at 138% of the federal poverty level or approximately $14,000 annual income for a family of one. Median income for a household of one is about $42,000.
3. Financial and Other Documents to prepare
You will be asked to enter information into the online form and upload evidence, such as a bank statement. We suggest converting each document you intend to upload into an acceptable format, such as a PDF or JPG, before starting the application.
- Statement(s) from your employer on business stationery showing:
- Date and nature of employment;
- Salary paid; and
- Whether the position is temporary or permanent
- An employer statement template has been included here in the Appendix for reference
- Statement from an officer of the bank or other financial institutions with deposits, identifying the following details regarding the account:
- Date account opened
- Total amount deposited for the past year; and
- Present balance
- Copy of last U.S. federal income tax return filed (tax transcript); or
- List containing serial numbers and denominations of bonds and name of record owner(s).
- Proof of sponsor immigration status
- A U.S. citizen or U.S. national may submit a copy of a birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, certificate of citizenship, consular report of birth abroad to U.S. parents, or a copy of the biographic data page on your U.S. passport.
- Proof of lawful permanent resident status includes a photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551), or a photocopy of an unexpired temporary Form I-551 stamp in either a foreign passport or DHS Form I-94 Arrival Departure Record.
- Proof of lawful nonimmigrant status may include a copy of an unexpired visa in a foreign passport.
- Proof of sponsor assets
- For example, sponsors looking to claim their home as an asset are asked to provide documentation demonstrating that you own the home, a recent appraisal by a licensed appraiser, and evidence of the amount of all loans secured by a mortgage, trust deed, or other lien on the home
- Proof of beneficiary assets
One Form I-134 must be filed for each beneficiary
Multiple sponsors may partner together to support a beneficiary
- In this case, a sponsor should file an I-134 and include supplemental evidence of the identity and resources of the partnering sponsors and attach a statement explaining the intent to share responsibility to support the beneficiary.
- These sponsors’ ability to support a beneficiary will be assessed collectively.
One Form I-134 must be filled out for each beneficiary
One individual sponsor (potentially an employee of the organization (e.g., church or nonprofit) must submit information about themselves and their income and assets.
- The sponsor may include supplemental information and evidence of the supporting organization explaining the organization’s intent to support both the sponsor and the beneficiary.
- An organizational statement template has been included here in the Appendix for reference.
Completing the Application
Once prepared with the above information, documents, and proof of eligibility, sponsors may begin the application process. If you need support after reviewing the forms and instructions, or after walking through the online application form, you may call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283. For TTY (deaf or hard of hearing), dial 800-767-1833.
- To file the I-134 online, first visit the Uniting for Ukraine page on the USCIS website
- From the drop-down menu in the center of the page, expand the ‘Who Can be a Supporter for a Beneficiary Under Uniting for Ukraine’ section
- Scroll to the bottom of the section and click the ‘File Online’ button
- Create an account (or log in if you’ve already done so)
- You will be taken to an introductory page for the application
- Read through the two pages of information provided, clicking ‘Next’ and then ‘Start’ to advance through them
- Once here, you will have arrived at the starting point of the application
- You can advance through the full application in order to understand the materials, where to upload evidence, and format
- You can save your application and come back to it at a later date if necessary
- Prior to application submission, you can change the information in the form, such as fix the spelling of the beneficiary’s name
- Once you submit an application, you cannot change the information in the form, but you can call USCIS Contact Center
Note: If you submit any documents in a foreign language, such as Ukrainian, you must include a full English translation along with a letter from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language to English. If the translator is not affiliated with a translation company, you may want to consider having the letter notarized, especially if a large portion of your application includes documents in another language.
What to Expect After Submission
Thanks for your interest in sponsoring a Ukrainian to come to the United States. This document is intended to help guide prospective sponsors through the humanitarian parole application process.
USCIS might reach out for requests to appear in person for an interview or biometric checks at a nearby USCIS application center. USCIS application centers are commonly located in larger cities and while this may be challenging for some sponsors, it helps protect beneficiaries under Uniting for Ukraine from exploitation and harmful risks, such as labor or human trafficking.
- An attestation to certify understanding of the family relationship requirements for children under 18 for Uniting for Ukraine; and
- An attestation that you have completed vaccine requirements or are eligible for an exception to vaccine requirements for measles, polio, and the first dose of an FDA approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccine or a WHO-Emergency use listed (EUL) COVID-19 vaccine.
After completing the above requirements, beneficiaries will receive a decision regarding their travel authorization to their myUSCIS account confirming whether they are authorized to travel to the United States to seek parole. If approved, this authorization is valid for 90 days.
An approved U4U travel authorization is not a guarantee of travel, parole, or processing disposition. The travel authorization enables airline carriers to facilitate generation of a boarding pass and allows the airlines to board the individual for a flight to the United States. Individuals must comply with existing travel requirements and, where applicable, immigration exit requirements of the country that they will be departing from.
Sponsors and beneficiaries should work together to coordinate travel arrangements to the United States within this window. Beneficiaries will need to meet CDC travel requirements, including pre-departure testing for COVID-19.
Upon the Beneficiary’s arrival, they will be inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the port of entry and considered for parole for a period of up to two years and may have conditions placed on their parole, such as for a tuberculosis (TB) screening. .
All individuals two years of age or older will need to complete a medical screening for TB, including an IGRA test, within two weeks of arrival to the United States. Contact a local public health agency for assistance.
Once completed, beneficiaries are eligible and encouraged to apply for Employment authorization and a social security number and card. These applications can take up to nine months, and we encourage people to complete their applications soon after arrival.
Additionally, Beneficiaries are required to notify USCIS of their change of address within 10 days of relocating to the U.S. (use this link for instructions).