Who's Really Paying for Ukrainians to Come to the United States?

In response to the crisis in Ukraine, the Biden administration has launched a new immigration program called "Uniting for Ukraine." The program offers Ukrainians (and even non-Ukrainian immediate family members) a chance to come to the United States via supposedly "private," non-taxpayer-funded sponsorships.

Uniting for Ukraine

• The idea is to bring some 100,000 Ukrainians here quickly, with a focus on reuniting families without using federal money
• To benefit from this program, Ukrainians will need to be "privately" sponsored by "U.S.-based supporters" who commit to providing them with financial support for the duration of their stay
• Financial support can come from organizations such as refugee resettlement agencies that are, in turn, mostly funded by U.S. government contracts
• An unlimited number of Ukrainian beneficiaries can use this "private," streamlined pathway to come to the United States
  1. Furthermore, upon arrival, per the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 7691) signed by Biden in May, Ukrainian parolees will receive federal assistance and refugee resettlement benefits (recently extended from eight to twelve months), even though they're not actually refugees.
  2. Parolees receiving federal assistance and resettlement benefits can use those funds to sponsor additional Ukrainian parolees who in turn will receive the same federal assistance upon arrival.
  3. Typically, parolees are only eligible for employment authorization and Social Security numbers and, unlike refugees and Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs), they are not eligible for refugee resettlement assistance or other federal benefits.
  4. In response to the crisis in Ukraine, the Biden administration has launched a new immigration program called “Uniting for Ukraine.” The program offers Ukrainians (and even non-Ukrainian immediate family members) a chance to come to the United States via supposedly “private,” non-taxpayer-funded sponsorships.
  5. These nonprofits could very well include the nine refugee resettlement agencies funded by the U.S. Department of State, which can pledge to financially support a Ukrainian beneficiary once in the United States.
  6. In the end, U.S. tax dollars that go to resettlement contractors can in turn be used as additional support in the Declaration of Financial Support form submitted to admit a Ukrainian into the United States.

    

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/who%E2%80%99s-really-paying-ukrainians-come-united-states-203653