IRIS Unites for Ukraine
Connecticut's largest resettlement program's navigation of a new type of humanitarian parole.
“We’ll just have to work with what we got.”
- Serhii Skrypniuk
Between 1980 and 2015, nearly 2.9 million refugees were resettled in the United States under the Refugee Act. During this time, the private sector maintained a sizable role in providing support for refugees to supplement government programs.
The Uniting for Ukraine Program, which was launched in April, has revamped the role of the private sector in aiding refugees.
It is the largest sponsorship-based humanitarian parole in decades, and the largest of its kind to recruit private citizens to sponsor refugees in their communities, as opposed to sponsorship through resettlement agencies. The program also invites US residents to sponsor refugees that are not of any familial relation; across the country, people have been signing up to support complete strangers.
According to Church World Services, as of October 6, roughly 65,000 Ukrainian nationals have entered through the U4U program.
Many refugee organizations in Connecticut are not aware of how many parolees have entered the state through Uniting for Ukraine thus far. Records for Uniting for Ukraine sponsorship are not in purview of the US Department of Homeland Security, according to the National Records Center.
In recognition that tens of thousands of Ukrainians were expected to enter New York City ports this Fall and that the New York metropolitan area, according to CBS, has been leading the country in U4U sponsorship applications, Connecticut is very likely to have received hundreds of Ukrainian parolees this year.
Under U4U, refugees are granted humanitarian parole on a case-by-case basis. They are matched up with a sponsor who will provide financial support for their beneficiary.
U4U beneficiaries will be eligible for this program if they have a valid Ukrainian passport, complete the necessary health and vaccination requirements for travel to the US, and submit to the collection of biometrics and security checks by the US government.
Sponsors must be in lawful status and complete of a background and security check. In addition, sponsor applicants demonstrate financial stability, with the capacity to “receive, maintain, and support” the Ukrainian beneficiaries they are paired up with, through completion of an I-134 form.
Thus far, sponsors who do not maintain this financial support for their beneficiaries have not been penalized.
“There is no legal obligation [for the sponsor] to submit money,” said Kathy Sheppard, Ukrainian Program Manager at Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. “As far as we know, the government isn’t asking sponsors to report when someone arrived, when they got their work authorization and benefits, and if they’re financially safe.”
Connecticut's Department of Social Services has not responded to requests for comment.
Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, or IRIS, is the largest resettlement agency in Connecticut, with extensive resources and partnerships throughout the state. Staff of IRIS's Ukrainian Program, who began their roles in August, are navigating an influx of Ukrainian clients struggling to find housing and resources.
Serhii Skrypniuk, settled in Milford, CT, through U4U sponsorship in August and began working for IRIS's Ukrainian Program as an interpreter on October 24. He moved out of his host’s residence within the first month of being in the U.S. because the sponsorship "was too much for her." Now, as he assists other Ukrainian nationals and their sponsors, he hears of experiences that reflect is own.
“People don't really know what to expect from any foreign person living in your house, especially if they don't speak any English, [like] how much it actually takes to assist them with getting benefits or just helping them fit into life in this country,” said Skrypniuk. “And there is no follow up liability, no one to ensure they fulfill their sponsor role.”
Refugee Cash Assistance is available for Ukrainian parolees who need immediate funding to meet basic needs, such as food, shelter, and transportation. There are also grant programs and other benefits available for Ukrainians who were granted humanitarian parole after February 24.
“There is emergency funding for situations where there either is no sponsor, or the sponsor has abdicated responsibility,” said Sheppard’s co-manager, John Doran. "But the funding is very limited and only for short term aid."
As the U4U program enters its seventh month, IRIS staff members continue to develop their Ukrainian Program and expand their network as best as they can. They have accumulated a list of resources to aid Ukrainians coming Connecticut and are trying to find ways to locate new U4U entrants once they've settled in the state. They are also attempting to hire case managers, employment specialists, and more interpreters for the new program.
“It’s expected that there will be better infrastructure developed with time, but there is no certainty of that,” said Skrypniuk. “So we’ll just have to work with what we got.”