The Biden Administration has announced plans to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States following the unrelenting violence seen in Eastern Europe.
According to the administration, not all 100,000 Ukrainians will be ushered into the United States through the official refugee resettlement program, stating that more pathways will be open like ‘humanitarian parole’ and various immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.
So far, close to four million Ukrainian refugees have fled their homes following Russia’s invasion, predominantly seeking refuge in neighboring countries like Poland and Hungary.
The Washington Examiner quotes a senior administration official as stating:
We still expect most displaced Ukrainian citizens will want to be in neighboring countries or elsewhere in the E.U. where they may have family and where there are already large diaspora communities, in the hope they can return home soon. But at the same time, we recognize that some may wish to come to the United States.
So far, the White House has prioritized granting refuge to Ukrainian nationals with families in the U.S. Additionally, the U.S. has prioritized accepting Ukrainian refugees who self-identify as LGBTQIA+, journalists, dissidents, and activists, according to sources familiar with the decisions.
The Washington Examiner adds: “The administration official also mentioned those with medical needs and third country nationals who have already sought refuge outside of Ukraine in another country as candidates for expedited consideration.”
With the annual refugee cap for FY22 set at 125,000, the U.S. has accepted 7,888 refugees this year. However, those coming from Ukraine would only count towards this cap if they are put through the refugee resettlement program and will not count if given visas or humanitarian parole.
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