Estimated 82,000 Ukrainian refugees entered U.S. since Russian invasion

There are around 82,000 Ukrainian refugees who have been allowed to enter the United States under the “U4U”—United for Ukraine—program, according to a new report by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

On April 21, the Biden administration announced that the U.S. would welcome Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. The White House specified that the Ukrainian refugees would be admitted under U.S. law under a “humanitarian parole” program.

“This is an international responsibility and the United States as the leader – one of the leaders in the international community – has an obligation to be engaged,” President Joe Biden said at the time. 

Under the program, refugees and their immediate family members would be allowed to apply to stay to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years.

According to the USCIS report, more than 82,000 Ukrainians and "their immediate family members have been paroled into the United States under the U4U process."

The report added that the USCIS has confirmed "the financial suitability of over 177,000 supporters for the Uniting for Ukraine."

Nearly 8 million Ukrainians—20% of the population—have fled their home country since Russia began its invasion in February of this year. While many of those seeking refuge have fled to neighboring countries such as Poland, which has taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees, and Germany, which is sheltering 1.03 million. However, several others have made their way to the United States.