The Department of State is currently offering limited visa services in Ukraine. Please review U.S. Embassy Kyiv’s webpage for more information.
The Department of State is sharing the information below to further clarify visa options and outline alternatives to visas that Ukrainians may consider. It is important to note a visa is not a viable way to achieve refugee resettlement in the United States.
Uniting for Ukraine: The Department of Homeland Security’s Uniting for Ukraine program provides a pathway for displaced Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily for up to two years. Ukrainians participating in Uniting for Ukraine must have a supporter in the United States who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of their stay in the United States. For more information, visit https://www.dhs.gov/ukraine.
Nonimmigrant Visas
Nonimmigrant visas are for temporary stays in the United States. They are not the appropriate tool to begin an immigrant, refugee, or resettlement process. If you apply for a nonimmigrant visa but are unable to demonstrate intent to leave the United States after a defined period in order to return to a residence abroad, a consular officer will refuse your application. All B1/B2 visa applicants are assumed to be intending immigrants—and therefore ineligible for a nonimmigrant visa—unless they can establish otherwise.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is currently offering limited nonimmigrant visa services. Please review U.S. Embassy Kyiv’s webpage for the most up-to-date information on what nonimmigrant visa services are available. Nonimmigrant visa applicants who would like services not currently offered at U.S. Embassy Kyiv may apply at any embassy or consulate where they are physically present and where appointments are available. Worldwide appointment wait times are available at travel.state.gov under “U.S. Visas”. Once an interview appointment is made, applicants may request an expedited appointment, but must describe the unique circumstances that justify such a request.
Immigrant Visas
Immigrant visas are for foreign nationals who intend to live and/or work permanently in the United States. In most cases, a relative or employer sponsors the individual by filing a petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Further information on immigrant visas can be found here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate.html.
Newly Scheduled Immigrant Visa Appointments: Starting in April 2024, certain U.S. immigrant visa cases for citizens and residents of Ukraine will resume processing at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt continues to be the designated processing post for Ukrainian fiancé(e) and diversity visa applications. Adoption cases will continue to be processed at U.S. Embassy Warsaw. Please review U.S. Embassy Kyiv’s webpage for more information.
Applicants who were already scheduled for their immigrant visa interviews in Frankfurt will not be impacted and should proceed with their scheduled interview.
Requesting Expedited Processing of I-130 Petitions: If you filed a Form I-130 petition with USCIS and it has not yet been approved, you may inquire with USCIS regarding expedition: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request.
There is also a USCIS help line if you are an active U.S. military member: https://www.uscis.gov/military/military-help-line.
Local File Option for Certain I-130 Petitions U.S. Citizen Petitioners: If you are a U.S. citizen who is physically present overseas with your immediate family members and have not yet filed an immigrant visa petition with USCIS, you may request to locally file an I-130 immigrant visa petition at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate that processes immigrant visas. This applies only to U.S. citizens physically present in that consular district filing petitions for their spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents who have fled Ukraine. Please email your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate’s Immigrant Visa Unit if you believe you may qualify to locally file an I-130 petition. You can find those email addresses at each individual embassy or consulates’ website.
Requesting Expedited Immigrant Visa Processing from National Visa Center (NVC): If you already have received approval of your I-130 petition from USCIS but have not yet been scheduled for an appointment in Frankfurt or Kyiv, NVC may be able to expedite processing of your case. For more information on NVC case processing, please visit: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/immigrant-visas-processing-general-faqs.html. Please be aware that expedited case processing does not apply to family preference visa categories where a case is not current.
Transferring Immigrant Visa Cases to or from Embassy Kyiv: If you would like to request your immigrant visa case be transferred to U.S. Embassy Kyiv or from U.S. Embassy Kyiv to a different overseas processing location, please follow instructions on our visa navigator. Additional information for applicants who will have their immigrant visa interview scheduled in Kyiv is also available through the visa navigator on the Embassy Kyiv website.
Transferring Immigrant Visa Cases from NVC: Immigrant visa applicants who have received an NVC case number and have supplied all supporting information to become “documentarily qualified” will receive notice of their Frankfurt or Kyiv appointment in the coming months (see also NVC expedite paragraph above). Those who are not yet scheduled for an interview appointment and would like to transfer their case somewhere other than Frankfurt should follow the directions here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center/nvc-contact-information.html
Adoptions
The Department is actively working with Adoption Service Providers (ASPs) to provide updates during this critical time. Please see more information on our website. This resource provides information about the various stages of the intercountry adoption process and provides clarifications on the Department's potential role and ability to assist. Prospective adoptive parents should consult their ASP about how the crisis in Ukraine may impact their specific case.
Humanitarian Parole
Parole is a program run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that allows an individual, who may be inadmissible or otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States, to be in the United States for a temporary period for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
It is not meant to replace a visa process. Anyone can file an application for humanitarian parole. Further information and instructions are available here: https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/humanitarian_parole. Those who wish to apply for humanitarian parole should contact USCIS directly.
Refugee Status
Almost all refugee cases in countries abroad are processed by local authorities or the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Ukrainians should not attempt to apply for visas in order to travel to the United States as refugees. Instead, they should contact local authorities or UNHCR for refugee processing. Additional information is available from UNHCR: https://help.unhcr.org, including information about non-governmental organizations that may be able to provide additional assistance. Additionally, USAID’s website has information for Ukrainian refugees: https://www.usaid.gov/usaid-response-ukraine/resources-refugees-asylum-seekers
The International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Resettlement Support Center (RSC) Eurasia is continuing limited operations from Kyiv and from the sub-office in Chisinau, Moldova. At present, RSC Eurasia is not conducting any in-person activities, nor scheduling any departures, from Kyiv. We encourage applicants who are in harm’s way to find safety and shelter wherever possible. The sub-office in Chisinau can arrange departures for approved Ukrainian Lautenberg applicants who have completed all U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) processing requirements and are physically outside of Ukraine.
If you had an active USRAP case with RSC Eurasia, your case remains active and case processing is continuing, to the extent possible. The current security situation in Ukraine will not have an impact on your USCIS decision or overall case processing. However, we anticipate that some resettlement processing activities may be delayed. We cannot indicate a timeline at this time. Applicants that were being processed in Ukraine and have changed location and/or departed the country should write to RSC Eurasia and inform the RSC of their new location and contact information.
Local Resources
Our European partners offer many resources for people displaced by the war in Ukraine. We encourage Ukrainians to consult with current location’s local government authorities to determine what might be available as you consider resettlement options.
