Immigration Status, Documentation and Public Benefits Eligibility

Please contact Citizenship & Immigration Services by calling 401-784-8607, to speak directly with an attorney or legal representative. 

Consultations appointments are available Monday - Friday at the following times:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9am – 1pm
Tuesday & Thursday: 1pm – 5pm

Please note that Ukrainians who have received humanitarian parolee status do not have refugee or asylee (those granted asylum in US) status upon entry to the United States. 

Anyone with Humanitarian Parole should have a stamp in their passport to evidence their parole into the US (DT, U4U, or UHP) and/or an I-94 record indicating entry under parole. This stamp or I-94 record should be sufficient to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), in addition to an ID like a passport or birth certificate showing the person is from Ukraine. 
 
For Ukrainians who cannot obtain or are not eligible for Humanitarian Parole, there are several alternatives, two of which are specifically for Ukrainians: 

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians: If you are from Ukraine, and you were already in the United States before 04/11/2022, you may be eligible for Temporary Protected Status.  Please contact the Citizenship & Immigration Services at Dorcas International during consultation hours to determine if you are eligible to apply. TPS beneficiaries do not qualify for many public benefits as of 7/25/22; however, under specific circumstances may qualify for Medicaid and CHIP (unmarried children under 19) if deemed “lawfully present”.

Lautenberg Program for Ukrainians: Certain religious groups from Ukraine who reside in one of the countries in the former Soviet Union can apply for family reunification through the Lautenberg Program at Dorcas International by requesting an appointment via email at FR@diiri.org. The religious groups are: Jews, Evangelical Christians, Ukrainian Catholics, and members of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.