Ukrainian Adjustment Act: Bill Status, Eligibility, and Options Now

The Ukrainian Adjustment Act is a proposed bill that would let certain Ukrainian nationals paroled into the United States apply for a green card, but it has not become law. It was introduced in the House in 2023 as H.R. 3911, stalled in the Judiciary Committee, and was reintroduced in April 2025 as H.R. 3104, where it sits in committee again.¹² No one can file for permanent residency under it right now. If you’re a Ukrainian national in the United States on parole or Temporary Protected Status, your realistic options at the moment are re-parole and TPS extensions, not this bill.

Where the Bill Stands

H.R. 3911 was introduced on June 7, 2023, and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. It saw no further action before the 118th Congress ended. H.R. 3104, the 2025 version, was introduced on April 30, 2025, and referred to the same committee.¹ Neither version has had a committee markup, a floor vote, or a Senate companion that gained traction.

The gap between “introduced” and “enacted” matters here. Humanitarian parole, which is how most Ukrainians came in, is temporary and does not lead to a green card on its own. Without a bill like this one, most Ukrainian parolees have no independent route to permanent residency.

Who Would Qualify If the Bill Passes

The bill’s text defines an “eligible Ukrainian national” as a citizen or national of Ukraine, or someone who last habitually resided in Ukraine, who was paroled into the United States after February 20, 2014, and whose parole has not been terminated by the Secretary of Homeland Security.³ The 2014 date is earlier than many people assume. It reaches back to Ukrainians paroled after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the fighting in eastern Ukraine, not only those displaced by the 2022 full-scale invasion.

Applicants would also need to clear security and law enforcement background checks to the satisfaction of DHS.³ Standard grounds of inadmissibility under immigration law would apply, so serious criminal convictions or national security concerns could disqualify someone. For certain inadmissibility grounds, Form I-601 allows a waiver request, though it generally requires showing extreme hardship to a qualifying U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative.⁴

One detail worth reading closely: the bill requires that parole has not been “terminated,” which is not the same as expired. DHS terminates parole for cause, such as a criminal conviction or violation of parole conditions. If your two-year parole grant simply ran out but was never formally terminated, the bill’s language would still cover you. That distinction matters for the many Ukrainians whose initial parole has already lapsed.

Family Members

The bill extends eligibility to immediate family members who were paroled into the United States to accompany or join the primary applicant.³ Eligible relatives include spouses and children as defined under the Immigration and Nationality Act, generally unmarried sons or daughters under 21. It also covers parents, legal guardians, and primary caregivers of unaccompanied minors who qualify under the primary criteria.

Families separated during the crisis and arriving at different times could still benefit, as long as each family member individually meets the parole and background check requirements. Derivative applicants would need to satisfy the same admissibility standards as the primary applicant.

What Filing Would Look Like

If the bill becomes law, applications would run through the standard adjustment framework already used at USCIS. The central form is Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.⁵ The current filing fee is $1,440 for most adults and $950 for children under 14 filing with a parent.⁶ Applicants who cannot afford the fee can request a waiver using Form I-912.⁷

You would need supporting documents alongside the I-485. Form I-94, the arrival/departure record proving your legal entry, is available through the CBP website.⁸ Form I-693, the immigration medical exam completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, has to be filed with the I-485 itself, and USCIS can reject the application if it’s missing.⁹ The medical exam typically costs between $130 and $490. Two passport-style photos are also required.

Processing times for I-485 applications currently run roughly 11 to 31 months depending on the category and field office. Approval produces a green card valid for ten years. A denial can lead to a Notice to Appear in immigration court for applicants without other lawful status, which is why many people work with an immigration attorney on these cases.

Working and Traveling While a Case Is Pending

Filing an I-485 lets you apply for an Employment Authorization Document by submitting Form I-765 under category (c)(9), which covers people with a pending adjustment application.¹⁰ You can file the I-765 concurrently with the I-485.

Travel is a different matter. Leaving the United States without first getting an advance parole document through Form I-131 generally causes USCIS to treat the pending I-485 as abandoned.¹¹ Wait until the document is in hand before any international travel. Leaving while the I-131 is still being processed counts as leaving without it.

What You Can Actually Do Right Now

Because the bill has not passed, Ukrainian nationals currently rely on two forms of temporary protection.

Re-Parole

The Uniting for Ukraine program, which allowed U.S.-based sponsors to bring Ukrainians in on humanitarian parole, was paused on January 28, 2025. No new applications are being accepted. In August 2025, USCIS resumed processing re-parole applications for Ukrainians already in the country, letting those whose initial parole is ending apply for an extension.¹² Re-parole requests should be submitted no earlier than 180 days before your current parole expires.

DHS now charges a $1,000 fee each time parole or re-parole is granted. If you receive a conditional approval notice, you have to pay within the timeframe specified or the request will be denied.

Parole is strictly temporary. It does not create a path to permanent residency on its own. If your parole expires or is terminated and you have no other lawful status, you become subject to removal.

Temporary Protected Status

DHS extended Ukraine’s TPS designation from April 20, 2025, through October 19, 2026.¹³ TPS prevents removal, authorizes employment, and allows travel authorization applications. The re-registration window for current beneficiaries ran from January 17 through March 18, 2025. If you missed it, contact an immigration attorney about late filing options right away.

TPS also does not independently lead to a green card. It can help preserve future adjustment eligibility if you later become the beneficiary of a family-based or employment-based petition, because TPS beneficiaries are generally considered to have been “inspected and admitted or paroled,” which is a prerequisite for filing an I-485 inside the United States.

How to Be Ready

If the bill eventually passes, the applicants in the strongest position will be the ones who kept their status current and their records clean. That means filing re-parole or TPS extensions before deadlines pass, holding onto every piece of paperwork DHS or USCIS has sent you, and keeping proof of your continuous presence in the country, such as leases, utility bills, tax filings, and pay stubs. The I-485 asks for every address and every employer since arrival, and reconstructing that history under time pressure is much harder than keeping it as you go.

1
Congress.gov. H.R.3104 – 119th Congress (2025-2026): Ukrainian Adjustment Act
2
Congress.gov. H.R.3911 – Ukrainian Adjustment Act of 2023
3
Congress.gov. H.R.3911 – Ukrainian Adjustment Act of 2023 – Text
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
8
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization
11
USCIS. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS
12
USCIS. Re-Parole Process for Certain Ukrainian Citizens and Their Immediate Family Members
13
Federal Register. Extension of the Designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status