White House Rolls Out 'Uniting For Ukraine' Effort To Bring Refugees To U.S.

By Allen Martin & Molly McCrea

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, neighborhoods, and country since the Russian invasion began. Now the Biden administration has finally unveiled its new program to welcome refugees to the United States.

This is a remarkable and welcome change for many families in the Bay Area who have been desperately waiting to receive their Ukrainian relatives but found the door to the U.S. sealed tight with red tape.

The initiative is called "Uniting for Ukraine." President Joe Biden announced the program early Thursday morning from the White House.

Reaction from Bay Area residents with Ukrainian relatives was positive. A month ago, KPIX 5 introduced you to a young married couple named Stacy and Bohdan who live in San Francisco.

Early in the war, Bohdan's parents, sister, and nephew had fled their home in Central Ukraine as the bombings intensified. The trip to Poland was treacherous and difficult. While the parents have B2 tourist visas, Bohdan's sister and nephew do not.

For weeks, they've been stranded in Bulgaria where they know no one, and had trouble getting an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Sofia. Now, beginning on Monday, Bohdan can apply online to sponsor them. The program and online portal both roll out on April 25th.

"We're super excited," said Bohdan. "We're going to be hopefully one of the first ones to submit all the paperwork."

The Biden administration has committed to welcoming 100,000 Ukrainians who are fleeing Russian aggression. The government has pledged increased refugee settlement processing and broadened access at consular posts overseas.

Here's how the program works in general: on Monday, U.S.-based individuals and NGOs such as a church can apply to sponsor Ukrainian citizens. The website for applications goes live on the 25th.

Anyone who applies to be a sponsor is required to declare their financial support and must pass a security background check. Ukrainian nationals seeking to come to the U.S. through this initiative must pass certain eligibility requirements as well, including screening, vetting, security checks and health screenings, which would include vaccinations

The program will grant most refugees what's called "humanitarian parole" which will allow them to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years. However, there are some unanswered questions.

"It's unclear what mechanism, if any, there will be to renew that parole should those two years lapse and those individuals continue to need humanitarian protection," noted immigration rights attorney Amanda Bhuket with Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

She is hopeful the program will be effective.

"They're all really great moves and bold moves by the administration," said Bhuket. "We'll see what happens when the rubber hits the road."

The White House is strongly encouraging Ukrainians who are seeking refuge in the U.S. and who don't have or are not eligible for a visa to seek entry through this initiative. Officials Thursday urged Ukrainians not to travel to Mexico to gain entry.

On Monday following the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, Ukrainians who present at land U.S. ports of entry without a valid visa or without pre-authorization to travel into the United States will be denied entry.

Bhuket doubts that these warnings will deter Ukrainians.

"I think the reality of the situation and the reality that we're seeing on the ground is that Ukrainians will continue to enter through the southern border," explained Bhuket.

KPIX 5 also introduced viewers to other Ukrainian nationals who fled their homelands in hopes of coming to California. We called them Thursday to ask how today's announcement could impact them.

Eleven-year-old tennis player Ira Shostakovich and her family arrived at SFO on B2 tourist visas but missed the deadline by just a few days to apply for temporary protected status or TPS. Thanks to a recent change, which moved the eligibility date, the Shostakovich family is now eligible and applying.

Then there is the story of Ohla Koral and her newborn baby Severin, who along with her mother fled from Kyiv. As they tried to board a flight to SFO to stay with San Jose relatives, they were stopped

"They said baby must have visa," recounted Ohla in an earlier interview with KPIX 5.

Koral is now in Cyprus where she is teaching English to other Ukrainians. In May, she will have permanent housing. For now, Cyprus is where Ohla plans to stay.

For Bohdan and his wife, they just had a new baby. They can't wait for his parents to hold him for the first time.

"We are very grateful for the U.S. government, to the president, and to all the people who made this happen," said Bohdan.