In recent days and weeks, the united States Government announced that Ukrainians living in the United States that do not have proper legal documentation to reside within the United States that arrived in the United States on or before March 1, 2022 are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) and that Ukrainians that have been displaced by the violence in Ukraine will become eligible to apply for refugee status to come to the United States.
While the application process for these programs is still being determined, it is important to note that obtaining TPS or refugee status can be an intensive process. As such, it is important for anyone seeking to apply for such statuses have all of their important documentation in their possession and ready to provide to U.S. immigration authorities.
Important documents to have include, but are not limited to: birth certificates, marriage/divorce certificates, certificates of name change, criminal background records, and government-issued photo identification documents such as passports, driver’s licenses, national ID cards, etc. Having these documents in one’s possession and ready to submit in support of an application for TPS or refugee status will make the process easier, and possibly shorten the application process.