U.S. moves to slash long waits for Ukrainians and other newcomers who want permission to work

The federal government has issued a six-paragraph notice that portends a potentially huge improvement for Ukrainians fleeing to this country — cutting their wait for work permits by months., and strained their relationships with relatives who never imagined hosting long-term dependents, the wait could drop to as short as three months, according to people familiar with the change, announced on Thursday.

“It’s very good news,” said Valentyn Khimchuk, who came here from Ukraine with his girlfriend, Roksolana Tokarevych, both 21. They arrived in the U.S. on July 8, moving into the home of an uncle in Northeast Philadelphia, and six days later applied for work permits. “I hope they can proceed with this as fast as they can.”

“I am thrilled to hear that USCIS has responded to this huge crisis, not only to help so many Ukrainians, who are struggling because they can’t work, but also many of our neighbors who recently arrived from Afghanistan, Cuba, and Haiti — who also deserve the ability to support themselves and their families,” said Anne Smith, an immigration attorney in Washington who serves as task force policy director.

“We were excited to see the announcement,” said Kit Taintor, vice president of policy and practice atTo file, applicants must visitA faster approval process promises to make a big difference for people like Liliia Kravtsova, who fled the Ukrainian seaport city of Odesa. She lives with an aunt, uncle, and cousin in Huntingdon Valley, but has not been allowed to work.

USCIS, like other federal immigration agencies, faces enormous backlogs. More than 1.5 million work-permit applications were pending at the end of 2021, according to the agency.

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