A humanitarian parole programme once providing refuge for around 260,000 Ukrainians in the United States is now leaving nearly 200,000 of them in legal uncertainty.
Introduced in April 2022 under the previous US administration, the scheme granted temporary permission to live and work in the United States for Ukrainians fleeing the war. By the end of March 2025 internal data showed that tens of thousands were at risk of falling out of legal status because renewals were paused and processing delays mounted.
Under the current administration, renewal applications have been largely frozen since January 2025, with only about 1,900 renewals processed since a court order in May requiring a resumption of processing. Applicants face steep new fees — a $1,000 additional charge on top of existing application costs — and limited re-entry options if they leave the country. Many of those affected describe losing jobs, benefits and the sense of stability that came with the prior legal status. For example, one Ukrainian manager lost a job in Florida and unwound her health insurance when her permit lapsed.
Advocacy groups warn that the uncertainty places many Ukrainians in immediate danger of deportation or forced departure, even though their original entry was sanctioned. The programme’s suspension raises broader questions about the reliability of temporary humanitarian protections in the US immigration system and their susceptibility to policy shifts.
The enduring tension is between a legal protection scheme meant to assist displaced Ukrainians and the reality of abrupt policy reversals and procedural backlogs that undermine its purpose.
