After escaping war in Ukraine two years ago, Hanna Sumtsova relocated outside of Atlanta and found work teaching English as a second language at a local technical college.
An English language instructor in her home country before the invasion by Russia, she said it was fulfilling to find the same work in the US.
“I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to work and to give back to my community by helping people learn,” Sumtsova said.
But when her work permit expired last month, she was fired from her job—a situation that will unfold for thousands of other Ukrainians in the coming months as two-year parole grants issued when they entered the US lapse.
Without new relief from the Trump administration or lawmakers, they’ll face a choice of returning to their war-torn country, seeking protection elsewhere, or staying without the ability to support themselves and eventually racking up unlawful presence penalties.
Securing another legal status to fall back on has become difficult as the Trump administration has stymied access to visas and other long-term deportation protections. Immigrant advocates say the Department of Homeland Security has also rejected many applications to renew parole grants.
“Folks are going from legal status to illegal status,” said Yuri Boyechko, CEO of Hope for Ukraine, a nonprofit that delivers aid to people affected by the war. “They find themselves in limbo—their homes in Ukraine are no longer there.”
Hard Decisions
Local supporters of migrants admitted through the Uniting for Ukraine program—known as U4U—have urged the White House and federal lawmakers to address the situation as a lawsuit plays out over the dismantling of a swath of parole programs.
“What we’re trying to impress upon our elected officials is that this isn’t a problem that’s three to six months out, it’s a problem that’s here now,” said Bryan Snyder, a sponsor for several parolees who live outside of Raleigh, N.C.
Snyder and others across the country volunteered as sponsors to help Ukrainians find housing, jobs, and integrate into local communities after the launch of U4U in 2022. It initially set a goal of bringing 100,000 Ukrainians to the US although some advocates estimate that close to a quarter million were admitted through the parole option.
In Iowa, the Iowa Newcomer Community & Exchange has helped each family it’s sponsored become financially independent within three months, said Angela Boelens, the group’s president. Now some Ukrainians who launched businesses aren’t able to work anymore, she said.
“It’s forcing them to make really hard decisions,” she said.
Presidential administrations from both parties have used parole powers to admit immigrants for humanitarian or public interest reasons and allow them to apply for longer-term protections. Those plans were blocked for many earlier this year when DHS put an administrative hold on other immigration benefits for parolees. Although that freeze was lifted by court order, many are still waiting for benefits. DHS is appealing the order directing it to process applications.
After relocating to Georgia in July of 2023, Vitalii Yatsura worked as a logistics manager at an engineering firm until the expiration of his parole led to his termination last month. His application for Temporary Protected Status, which would include eligibility for a work permit, has been pending since February.
Yatsura checks his US Citizenship and Immigration Services account for any updates every day while thinking about how long he can stay, he said.
“I can’t wait here more than a few months,” he said. “It’s expensive just to be here.”
Bureaucratic Slowdown
More than 90,000 Ukrainians filed applications for Temporary Protected Status before DHS froze immigration benefits in February. Weeks after her parole expired, Sumtsova was approved for TPS, allowing her to remain in the US until at least October of next year. That offered some relief on her legal status although it came too late to keep her teaching job.
Her boyfriend, a Ukrainian himself, arrived in the US after the cutoff date for TPS, which has statutory requirements making abrupt termination of the program more difficult. That means he won’t have good options to stay after his parole expires next April.
“We’ve been given an opportunity to be safe, but at the same time that uncertainty weighs on you,” Sumtsova said. “And even if we find some stability here, our home country is still at war.”
Ukrainians have submitted thousands of requests for other benefits like green cards or asylum that are still pending decisions at DHS. Approvals have been slow coming though as parole expirations mount.
Some Ukrainians have sued to get decisions on diversity visas that will expire at the end of September.
A DHS spokesperson said Ukrainians can submit requests to renew parole that will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. They must demonstrate urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefits to justify their continued stay, the spokesperson said.
Immigration Consequences
Even if they’re not detained by immigration enforcement agents, people in the US without lawful status can be disqualified from visas or face bans on reentry in the future. Those with an unlawful presence of more than 180 days can be barred from the country three years. Immigrants who stay more than a year without a legal status can face 10-year bars.
Businesses also face monetary penalties if they knowingly retain foreign workers who lack employment authorization.
Nonprofits that work with Ukrainians and other immigrants with expiring protections say they’ve shifted away from efforts like skills training to more basic assistance like grocery and rental support, said Courtney Madsen, director of the Jersey City office for Church World Service.
Ukrainians who thought they were following the right process have enrolled their kids in school, set up apartments, and become part of communities in the US, she said.
“I’m not sure what this administration expects them to do or if they’re just supposed to disappear,” Madsen said. “If you can’t work, how are you supposed to self deport without any money?”
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