Under DHS regulations, refugees are authorized employment incident to status, and under current USCIS policy and practice, refugees are not charged a fee by USCIS for their initial Form I-765, Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Parolees, however, are not employment authorized incident to status, and must pay a fee (currently $410) for their EAD, unless the fee is waived or exempted.
To implement the statutory language “other benefits available to refugees” in the context of section 2502(b), P.L. No. 117-43 (Afghan parolees) and section 401 of Public Law 117-128 (Ukrainian parolees), USCIS is providing the benefits of employment authorization incident to status normally accorded to refugees and a no-fee initial (and replacement of an initial) EAD to Afghan and Ukrainian parolees so that they receive the same treatment as refugees.
Effective Nov. 21, 2022, Ukrainian and Afghan parolees, and their qualifying family members, with certain classes of admission are considered employment authorized incident to parole, which means that they do not need to wait for USCIS to approve their Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, before they can work in the United States.
This updated policy guidance applies to the following individuals, if their parole has not been terminated:
- Afghan parolees whose unexpired Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, contains a class of admission of “OAR.” If you are an Afghan parolee covered under section 2502(b), P.L. No. 117-43 who did not receive an “OAR” class of admission on your Form I-94, please email U.S. Customs and Border Protection at oawi94adjustments@cbp.dhs.gov to update your class of admission, if appropriate;
- Ukrainian parolees whose unexpired Form I-94 contains a class of admission of “UHP”; and
- Ukrainian parolees whose unexpired Form I-94 contains a class of admission of “DT” issued between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, and indicates Ukraine as the country of citizenship on the document.
After the 90-day period, parolees must present an EAD or unrestricted Social Security card and acceptable List B identity document from the Form I-9 Lists of Acceptable Documents (such as a state-issued driver’s license or identification card). Ukrainian and Afghan parolees must still file a Form I-765 to receive a physical EAD. USCIS will provide additional guidance for employers about completion of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
Effective Nov. 21, 2022, USCIS is also exempting the fee to file Form I-765 for Ukrainian parolees filing for the first form I-765, application for an EAD by mail. Afghan parolees under OAW are already exempt from the fee for an initial paper-filed Form I-765 (and a replacement EAD) through Sept. 30, 2023.
Effective Dec. 5, 2022, USCIS will be able to process fee exemptions for online filings of Form I-765 for eligible Ukrainian and Afghan parolees. We encourage use of online filing for more efficient processing.
See Uniting for Ukraine and Information for Afghan Nationals pages for more information about submitting Form I-765. See File Online page for more information about creating an account and filing online.
Briefly in Russian:
Если вы приехали в США по программе Uniting for Ukraine из Украины, с 21 ноября 2022 вы имеете право работать в США первые 90 дней без предварительного получения разрешения на работу, если на вашей карточке I-94 Admission Record о въезде в США стоит статус UHP или DT.
Вы можете также подавать заявление на получение карточки соцстрахования на основании этой формы I-94 и штампа пароль в паспорте.
Чтобы получить саму карточку разрешение на работу, нужно подать заявление Form I-765 или по почте или онлайн в USCIS. C 21 ноября 2022 подача первого заявления I-765 по почте стала бесплатной для укаринских беженцев по программе U4U. С 5 декабря ожидается что подача первого I-765 также станет бесплатной онлайн (пока онлайн требует оплату). Эти новый изменения произошли из-за того, что Конгресс США приравнял статус пароль из Украины и Афганистана к статусу беженца.