The United States is halting its Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program, which allowed displaced Ukrainians to remain and work in the country for up to two years with a US-based sponsor. According to a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) update, the agency is “pausing acceptance of Form I-134A,” the application form for US-based sponsors and the first step in the U4U application process, until the USCIS “[reviews] all categorical parole processes as required by that order.”

According to the update, the decision followed US President Donald Trump’s executive order “Securing Our Borders” signed on January 20, his first day in office.

Following Trump’s executive order, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Jan. 24 that the US Department of Homeland Security had chosen to temporarily suspend programs that permitted immigrants to settle in the nation. Under the U4U program, eligible Ukrainians (who must be residents of Ukraine as of February 11, 2022) can come and stay in the United States for up to two years on humanitarian parole if they have a financial sponsor and an approved Form I-134A application. For individuals already in the nation under the program, the USCIS requested that they and their immediate family members apply for re-parole “no earlier than 180 days (six months) before the expiration of the current period of parole.”

It also stated that applications received 180 days before the expiration date may be denied without a reimbursement. Trump then issued another executive order suspending all foreign aid for 90 days, with the exception of emergency food relief and military support to Israel and Egypt, according to an internal memo provided by newly nominated US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As a result, several Ukraine-based humanitarian projects have had their funding frozen, according to AFP on Monday.

As of Tuesday, billions of dollars had been cut from Ukraine-based projects under the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission, including those in the energy and healthcare sectors, according to project implementation sources.