Has anyone else applied for the Uniting for Ukraine program?

[JIK 0]

4 hours ago, MangoMash said:

Hi! long time lurker here and looking for some insight. In-laws are from Kyiv and we're in the process of filling out the I-134 the and wanted to see what others have done. The new form is a bit confusing. In the section for Sponsor's income, for the life of me, i cant figure out where to enter my employment base income or household income. There's "total income" as it relates to income contribution to the beneficiary. Am i missing something. If anyone can provide any guidance, I would so gladly appreciate. Thanks!

Yea, the form is unclear. Don't overthink it tho - do what (mostly) makes sense. I had to put in only roughly correct amount too. It worked just fine.

Edited May 10, 2022 by JIK

[Kineo 93]

18 hours ago, scandal said:

Yes. That happened to the family we are sponsoring too. They are 4 people, and all 4 CBP docs have the DOB off by exactly 1 day. 

They've talked to other U4U beneficiaries, it's happened to them too, seems to be a common issue.

We're not worried about it. We already bought their plane tickets, they're coming here next week.

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

[Supernatural 19]

Ok this may be a dumb question, but after buying plane tickets it says: All passengers require a valid visa or ESTA to enter the USA. Is the Travel Authorized document from Homeland Security all that will be needed though?

[jjp85 18]

Good tip for you all who are waiting on a callback from USCIS. 

 

Cell phone providers will sometimes flag the USCIS phone number as spam, which results in the phone ringing one time and the call dropping

 

YOU NEED TO ADD THE USCIS PHONE NUMBER AS A CONTACT IN YOUR PHONE TO PREVENT THIS. Their callback number is 202-838-2104

[JIK 0]

12 hours ago, Supernatural said:

Ok this may be a dumb question, but after buying plane tickets it says: All passengers require a valid visa or ESTA to enter the USA. Is the Travel Authorized document from Homeland Security all that will be needed though?

I am pretty sure that all you need is the travel authorization document. My beneficiary hasn't been through this yet, but that's how I understand it. It's even called "travel authorization" document

[bhindzioncurtain 12]

45 minutes ago, jjp85 said:

Good tip for you all who are waiting on a callback from USCIS. 

 

Cell phone providers will sometimes flag the USCIS phone number as spam, which results in the phone ringing one time and the call dropping

 

YOU NEED TO ADD THE USCIS PHONE NUMBER AS A CONTACT IN YOUR PHONE TO PREVENT THIS. Their callback number is 202-838-2104

That is great information. In this thread several posters have experienced the one ring when expecting the Tier 2 call.

My Ukrainian family members boarded their flight today with just the "Travel Authorization" which had the birth year wrong. So at least they will get to explain to CBP what happened.

[Kineo 93]

3 hours ago, bhindzioncurtain said:

That is great information. In this thread several posters have experienced the one ring when expecting the Tier 2 call.

My Ukrainian family members boarded their flight today with just the "Travel Authorization" which had the birth year wrong. So at least they will get to explain to CBP what happened.

Looking forward to updates on how it goes. 

Wishing you all the best - Kineo

[Kineo 93]

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

[Ducker 51]

On 5/8/2022 at 1:27 PM, scandal said:

 

Now my main concerns are a) health insurance for them

 

 

Agreed, major concern!   Bringing over 4 of my wife's family, her two parents both have health issues.  I'm thinking foreign traveler's insurance.  I also heard that humanitarian parolees through the Tijuna connection can get healthcare.gov free benefits, hope that applies to Uniting For Ukraine travelers as well.

[Boiler 43,689]

1 hour ago, Ducker said:

Agreed, major concern!   Bringing over 4 of my wife's family, her two parents both have health issues.  I'm thinking foreign traveler's insurance.  I also heard that humanitarian parolees through the Tijuna connection can get healthcare.gov free benefits, hope that applies to Uniting For Ukraine travelers as well.

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.

[millefleur 5,039]

4 hours ago, Ducker said:

Agreed, major concern!   Bringing over 4 of my wife's family, her two parents both have health issues.  I'm thinking foreign traveler's insurance.  I also heard that humanitarian parolees through the Tijuna connection can get healthcare.gov free benefits, hope that applies to Uniting For Ukraine travelers as well.

You can call Marketplace customer service directly to confirm that. If you find any official info let us know.

 

Healtcare.gov is not "free benefits"....what happens is, you will apply and that application will be screened for Medicaid/Medicare eligibility. If found illegible for those, the applicant will be able to buy an insurance plan on the Marketplace based on their income. The price will be off set with tax credits but depending on the whole application/income, monthly premiums can still be owed, especially if you chose a higher tier plan.

 

There could be some bare bones emergency Medicaid for parolees but it would not be regular insurance. Medicaid would also vary from state to state. Best to start researching all this now to find out what the options are.

Edited May 12, 2022 by millefleur

[uapilot 60]

Like everyone here, worried about the EAD process.

 

I had my I-134 confirmed on May 2nd, but the beneficiary still hasn't gotten an email. Wondering if it went to spam or something.

[Ducker 51]

7 hours ago, 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.

Both Ukranians traveling through the Tijuana connection and Uniting for Ukraine applicants are granted humanitarian parole.  I will contact Healthcare.gov Marketplace as recommended.

 

Great news:  I filed their applications post I-134 approval last night and I woke up to all 4 of them already being approved!  So now we've got to move on this.

[bhindzioncurtain 12]

Fastest government program ever. Filed on April 27 and yesterday picked them up at airport.

 

Travel Authorization was approved May 8th.

Edited May 12, 2022 by bhindzioncurtain
additional info

[Islapaz 41]

 

 

1 hour ago, Ducker said:

Both Ukranians traveling through the Tijuana connection and Uniting for Ukraine applicants are granted humanitarian parole.  I will contact Healthcare.gov Marketplace as recommended.

 

Great news:  I filed their applications post I-134 approval last night and I woke up to all 4 of them already being approved!  So now we've got to move on this.

 

28 minutes ago, bhindzioncurtain said:

Fastest government program ever. Filed on April 27 and yesterday picked them up at airport.

 

Travel Authorization was approved May 8th.

 Did the beneficiaries got their travel document? We were approved May 6 and still waiting for the document. We have called USCIS now they say issue resolved, but clearly is not. This is soul breaking.