Accessibility links

Breaking News

Student Union

Advocates Urge Protected Status for Ukrainians in US 

Fate of Ukrainian Visa Holders in US Is Uncertain
please wait

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:52 0:00

Fate of Ukrainian Visa Holders in US Is Uncertain

As Russian troops march through Ukraine, Ukrainians in the U.S. are anxious about their future and that of their homeland.

Roman Korol, a graduate student at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, is concerned for his family’s safety here in the U.S. when his visa expires and his extended family in Ukraine.

“They're all in Ukraine. They're all under fire. They're all civilians. But that doesn't stop me from worrying about them every day, every second of this conflict. I'm stressed. I'm checking the news all the time and trying to find ways I can help from abroad,” he told VOA.

Korol is one of about 105,000 Ukrainians in the U.S. under a noncitizen status, which includes visa holders, undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients. His nonimmigrant student visa allows him to live in the United States while studying at a U.S. institution.

"As soon as I'm done [with] my studies, as soon as I graduate, and then become a doctor of philosophy, I have to leave the U.S. within, I believe, it's two or three months. … I was thinking of coming back there after I finished my degree. But at the moment, the situation is so severe that, you know, there are no flights to Ukraine,” said Korol, who is expected to graduate this year.

Temporary Protected Status

These uncertainties, coupled with the magnitude of the conflict, have led some immigration rights groups to call for Ukraine to be given Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to ensure safety for Ukrainians in American soil.

Lisa Parisio, an immigration attorney with Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said the responsibility of designating a country with TPS lies with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“That is a designation that the secretary of homeland security can make for an entire country — a blanket protection for nationals if there are conditions in a country that makes safe returning impossible, including armed conflict and other extraordinary and temporary conditions, which we are seeing in Ukraine right now,” Parisio told VOA.

Students gather at a candlelight vigil in support of Ukraine, outside the University of Southern California's Office of Religious & Spiritual Life, in Los Angeles, March 1, 2022.
Students gather at a candlelight vigil in support of Ukraine, outside the University of Southern California's Office of Religious & Spiritual Life, in Los Angeles, March 1, 2022.

TPS was a program started in 1990 when Congress said the attorney general had the authority to not deport immigrants in the United States who were unable to safely return to their home countries. It has been subsequently applied in countries embroiled in conflict such as Syria, South Sudan and Haiti.

If applied to Ukraine, Parisio said, the designation would provide protection from deportation for Ukrainian nationals in the United States for up to 18 months. And it also can provide work permits for people, if they choose to apply for them.

According to the U.S. Census' 2019 American Community Survey, there are about 105,000 Ukrainian noncitizens in the United States who would benefit from TPS.

Returning is possible

Andrii Umanskyi, a second-year student at American University in Washington, is in a state of disbelief over the Russian invasion.

“I'm feeling partially anxious. Even though the invasion was expected by most Ukrainians, who were receiving a lot of reports about Russian troops' movements, and the Ukrainian army was preparing for it, in spite of that, it is still quite shocking to see your own country being invaded,” he said.

Recently, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators called on President Joe Biden and Mayorkas to grant Temporary Protected Status to Ukraine, writing in a letter: "It is obviously too dangerous for Ukrainian nationals to return to Ukraine due to the ongoing armed conflict.”

When asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security told VOA that while it was monitoring the situation in Ukraine, it could not say whether a decision had been made.

Umanskyi said that although protection would be welcome, returning to Ukraine would always be an option.

“I do intend to go back to Ukraine, no matter the outcome, but I would really prefer to go back to an independent and sovereign Ukraine with all its territories,” he said.

Umanskyi said the conflict only strengthened his determination to assist his country, however he can.

“Ukrainians need support now more than ever before,” he said.

VOA's Aline Barros contributed to this report.

See all News Updates of the Day

‘Study away’ programs in the US can provide enrichment opportunities 

FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.
FILE - Students walk on the campus of Boston College, April 29, 2024, in Boston.

While studying abroad can expose students to new cultures and experiences, researchers are finding that domestic ‘study away’ programs can be helpful as well.

Some students, including those on an international visa, may not be able to study abroad, but they can travel to other locations in the U.S. for enrichment experiences, Ashley Mowreader writes in Inside Higher Ed. (October 2024)

Fewer students disclose race in applications to top colleges 

FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023
FILE - An unidentified person walks past Harvard yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 7, 2023

FAfter the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions last year, fewer students are disclosing their race or ethnicity in applications to top colleges.

Writing in USA Today, Zachary Schermele notes that the data is preliminary, but it could signal a change in the way students are approaching college applications. (October 2024)

Overall college enrollment is up, first-year enrollment down 

FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.
FILE - A student delivers packages to the dormitory at DePaul University in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024.

For the second year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has climbed in the United States.

But the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center noticed a substantial drop in the number of freshmen, which could be troubling for future enrollment, according to a report in Forbes. (October 2024)

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool

South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool
please wait

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:59 0:00

The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked debate in higher education, raising questions about ethics and integrity in teaching, learning and knowledge creation. In South Africa, some academic institutions are taking a proactive approach, integrating AI into their curricula. Experts say this step is not only innovative but also helps level the playing field among students. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.

International students may be able to get jobs at school 

FILE - Northeastern University graduate student Shabbir Hussain, of Indore, India, left, views a computer screen at the entrance to the Snell Library on the Northeastern University campus in Boston on May 24, 2016.
FILE - Northeastern University graduate student Shabbir Hussain, of Indore, India, left, views a computer screen at the entrance to the Snell Library on the Northeastern University campus in Boston on May 24, 2016.

International students studying in the United States may be able to work on campus.

Jobs can include working in libraries, labs, food service and dormitories – but students will have to research the rules before applying for jobs, according to U.S. News & World Report. (September 2024)

Load more

XS
SM
MD
LG