Ukraine Immigration: Re-Parole, EADs, and TPS Options

The Uniting for Ukraine program has been closed to new applications since January 20, 2025, when an executive order directed the Department of Homeland Security to review categorical parole programs and USCIS stopped accepting Form I-134A sponsorship filings.¹ Ukrainians already in the United States under the program can apply for re-parole to extend their stay, and many also qualify for Temporary Protected Status, which runs through October 19, 2026.²

Where the Program Stands in 2026

The pause covers everything on the front end. USCIS is not accepting new I-134A sponsorship filings, is not processing pending cases, and is not issuing new travel authorizations for Ukrainians outside the country.¹ If you are a Ukrainian citizen still abroad, there is no mechanism to apply through this pathway right now.

Ukrainians who already entered under Uniting for Ukraine keep their parole status through the expiration date on their I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. That status is not permanent, though. DHS can review individual cases and terminate parole if it decides the humanitarian reason for entry no longer applies, and a January 2025 guidance memo widened the scope of those reviews. Parolees who come into contact with immigration enforcement may face a case review as a result.

In practical terms, the program now functions only for people already inside the country, and the two actionable options are re-parole and Temporary Protected Status.

Re-Parole for Ukrainians Already in the United States

USCIS resumed processing re-parole applications in August 2025 after a May 2025 court order stayed the earlier pause on this piece of the program.³ If your initial two-year parole is running out, re-parole is how you extend it.

You file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents. USCIS recommends filing no earlier than 180 days before your current parole expires; filing more than 180 days early can lead to rejection or denial with no fee refund.⁴ Your parole expiration date is on your I-94.

The cost changed sharply in October 2025. DHS now charges a $1,000 immigration parole fee each time parole or re-parole is granted. When USCIS decides to approve your re-parole request, it sends a conditional approval notice through the myUSCIS portal with payment instructions and a deadline. Re-parole is only formally granted once the fee is paid, and missing the payment deadline results in denial.

Working Legally: EADs, Fees, and the Renewal Gap

Humanitarian parole by itself does not authorize employment. To work, you file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and wait for the Employment Authorization Document before starting any job.⁵

As of January 1, 2026, the initial parolee EAD costs $560 and a renewal costs $280. If you request the EAD as part of a re-parole filing on Form I-131, the add-on EAD fee is $280. These figures reflect inflation adjustments under the Laken Riley Act.⁶

There is one trap worth planning around. Ukrainian parolees filing under category (c)(11) are not on the list of categories that get the automatic EAD extension while a renewal is pending. If your current card expires before USCIS decides your renewal, you cannot legally work during that gap. Filing early is the only way to shrink the risk, and it does not eliminate it. The EAD is also the document that lets you get a Social Security number, which you can request on the I-765 itself.

Temporary Protected Status: The Parallel Option

TPS for Ukraine is a separate protection and, for many parolees, a sturdier one. The current designation was extended for 18 months starting April 20, 2025, and runs through October 19, 2026.⁷

Eligibility requires continuous residence in the United States since August 16, 2023, and continuous physical presence since October 20, 2023. New applicants had to register by April 19, 2025, and existing TPS holders had to re-register between January 17 and March 18, 2025.² If you missed those windows, you are generally not eligible under the current designation, though it is worth checking whether a late-filing exception could apply to your situation.

TPS beats humanitarian parole on one important point: automatic work-permit extensions. If you hold a Ukraine TPS-based EAD under category A12 or C19 with an expiration of April 19, 2025, or October 19, 2023, the Federal Register notice automatically extended it through April 19, 2026, with no additional filing. A separate automatic extension of up to 540 days is available if you filed your EAD renewal during the re-registration period.⁷

Many Ukrainians hold both TPS and parole at the same time. That gives you a backup: if one is revoked or expires, the other may still authorize you to stay and work.

Do Not Leave the Country Without Advance Parole

Under federal regulations, parole automatically terminates the moment you leave the United States.⁸ No notice is required. You lose status at the border and cannot re-enter on the same parole grant.

If you have a genuine emergency abroad, you must obtain advance parole first by filing Form I-131 before you leave, and USCIS has an expedite process for urgent cases.⁴ Even with an approved advance parole document, re-entry in the current environment carries some risk. The safest option is to stay put unless travel is unavoidable.

Address Reporting and Staying Out of Trouble

Every noncitizen, parolees included, must report an address change to USCIS within 10 days of moving by filing Form AR-11 through a USCIS online account.⁹ Skipping this can bring fines, missed correspondence about your case, complications on future filings, and in some cases exposure to removal proceedings.

A clean record matters just as much. Criminal convictions give DHS a clear basis to terminate parole and start deportation. Because parole is discretionary, the threshold for revoking it is lower than what would be required to remove a permanent resident, and even minor offenses can trigger a case review.

What Comes After Parole Ends

Humanitarian parole is temporary and does not, by itself, lead to permanent residency. When your parole runs out, you either need another immigration status or you have to leave.

TPS extends the timeline but is also temporary; if the Ukraine designation is not renewed past October 2026, TPS holders would need a different basis to remain. Some Ukrainians may qualify for asylum by showing a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. The one-year filing deadline from the date of arrival applies, though exceptions exist. Others may qualify for family-based or employment-based immigrant petitions if they have qualifying U.S. citizen or permanent-resident relatives, or an employer willing to sponsor them.

Parolees who entered through Uniting for Ukraine cannot adjust status to permanent residency on the basis of the parole alone. Adjustment requires an independent basis, such as an approved family petition or employer sponsorship. Congress has not passed legislation creating a direct path from Ukrainian humanitarian parole to a green card, though proposals have been introduced. If temporary status is your only current basis to be in the United States, tracking federal policy changes is part of protecting that status.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Form I-134A
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Ukraine
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Re-Parole Process for Certain Ukrainian Citizens and Their Immediate Family Members
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration Related Fees
7
Federal Register. Extension of the Designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status
8
eCFR. 8 CFR 212.5 – Parole of Aliens Into the United States
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card