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Ukraine Community Resources

RESOURCES FOR LOCAL UKRAINIANS
Colton-Hall-Lit-in-Ukraine-ColorsInformation last updated on February 256, 2024
The City of Monterey is closely monitoring the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and proudly stands in solidarity with Ukraine and our Ukrainian community in this extraordinarily challenging time. We are ready to support our community now and long into the future.

We will continue to share resources and information as it becomes available both on this page and on our social media pages, @cityofmonterey on Twitter and Facebook.

Required Tuberculosis Screening to Ukrainian Refugees - free in Salinas 
The Monterey County Health Department in Salinas is offering Tuberculosis Screening to Ukrainian Refugees for free. All new arrivers are required to be screened for TB within the first 90 days of arrival. People can call the main Health department number (831) 755-5000, and ask for the TB control Unit. Or you can email Bergit Arctander, Supervising Public Health Nurse, at arctanderb@co.monterey.ca.us. The location is Monterey County Health Department, 1270 Natividad Rd, Salinas, CA  93906.

Local Translation Services
Our local Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) at the Presidio of Monterey has Ukrainian speaking teachers. Anyone in need of help from someone who speaks Ukrainian can complete the volunteer form provided at https://www.dliflc.edu/administration/volunteer-request-submission-form to request help.

UNITING WITH UKRAINE - emergency and humanitarian assistance
OPA_U4U_486x252@2xUniting for Ukraine provides a pathway for displaced Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily for a two-year period of parole. The US Citizen and Immigration Services website along with the US Department of Homeland Security website provides an outline of steps to participate in this process.

The Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco is located at 530 Bush St # 402, San Francisco, CA 94108. They can be contacted at (415) 398-0240 or at uaconsulatesf@gmail.com for consular, political, economic, cultural and other issues.
St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Center is located at 445 Washington Street Santa Clara, CA 95050 and can be reached at (415) 468-2601.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey is located at 922 Hilby Avenue, Suite C, Seaside, CA 93955 and can be reached at (831) 393-3110. More information can be found at https://catholiccharitiesdom.org/immigration-citizenship
U.S. citizens seeking to depart Ukraine should contact the US State Department at the following numbers for immediate assistance:
1-833-741-2777 (in the United States)
1-606-260-4379 (from overseas) 
U.S. citizens in Ukraine should complete this online form so that the State Department can communicate with you. This form can be completed on behalf of family members. 

The Office of Senator Alex Padilla is currently providing humanitarian casework assistance if you or your immediate family have been affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and need humanitarian assistance, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM.  *Select “Citizenship and Immigration Services” under the “What Can I Assist You With?” menu 
For any questions about how to complete the above form, please email our office: casework_padilla@padilla.senate.gov 

Congressman Jimmy Panetta
Salinas Office: 
142 W. Alisal Street, Room E116 
Salinas, CA 93901 
Phone: (831) 424-2229 

Congressman Jimmy Panetta
Santa Cruz Office: 
701 Ocean Street, Room 318C 
Santa Cruz, CA 95060 
Phone: (831) 429-1976 
Get Congressman Panetta's help with a federal agency

The American Red Cross is currently accepting cases for their Restoring Family Links program. If you have lost contact with a family member who is still within Ukraine, please contact Hawley Rising, American Red Cross RFL Caseworker at Hawley.Rising@redcross.org or at (408)935-9760. If you have lost contact with a family member who may have fled Ukraine and are in a neighboring country, please contact the Red Cross Restoring Family Links national helpline at 1-844-782-9441 or complete an inquiry form. 

The United Nations Refugee Agency has set up dedicated websites for Ukrainian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries:
IMMIGRATION LEGAL ASSISTANCE AND INFORMATION 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Ukraine has been designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months due to the invasion by Russia and ongoing conflict. 

To qualify, Ukrainian nationals must have continuously resided in the United States as of April 11, 2022, and must apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within 180 days (until August 28, 2022). TPS applicants may also apply for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) allowing them to work lawfully in the United States. 

Effective April 19, 2022, through Oct. 19, 2023, Ukrainian nationals and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine may submit an initial registration application under the Ukraine TPS designation and apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) during the 180-month registration period that begins April 19, 2022, and ends on Oct. 19, 2023. 

When applying for a Federal, state, or local government benefit, individuals will need to provide documentation to show they are TPS Ukraine beneficiaries or, in some instances, that they have a pending TPS application. TPS Ukraine beneficiaries may provide their new TPS EAD with a category code of A12 or C19, or a copy of their Form I-797, Notice of Approval, for a current Form I-821, Application for Temporary Status, to show they have TPS. To show a pending TPS application, an individual may show their receipt notice for TPS. SAVE will be able to verify an individual’s TPS or pending TPS application and employment authorization by using information from one of these documents.   

For more information regarding Ukraine’s TPS designation, please refer to 87 FR23211, dated April 19, 2022. 

Every individual case is different and you are highly encouraged to schedule a consultation with a qualified immigration professional to help discuss the options that are available in your circumstances. 

You can search for providers here if you are interested in finding immigration legal assistance for TPS or other immigration applications or download this Legal Services Referral List (PDF) for Legal Service Providers throughout the Bay Area.  

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) will be providing free legal assistance to Ukrainian nationals seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a form of protected immigration status available to certain Ukrainian nationals who entered the U.S. on or before April11, 2022. We have opened a waiting list for interested people, who will be notified when the Department of Homeland Security allows Ukrainians to prepare and submit TPS applications. 

With a team of more than 2,100 attorneys across the country standing by to provide pro bono (free) legal assistance. As soon as the government publishes the date upon which they will begin accepting applications, we will email and/or text people on the waiting list with the link to a screening form. Interested Ukrainians will then need to complete that screening form in order to be screened for possible eligibility and matched with a pro bono attorney. Visit L4GG.ORG/TPS-UKRAINE 

Ukrainian nonimmigrant visa applicants may apply anywhere they are physically located & can schedule an appointment. Follow instructions on the respective embassy website to apply. Find a list of embassy websites here: https://usembassy.gov. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also offers immigration services that may help people affected by extreme situations, including the invasion of Ukraine. 
The following measures may be available on a case-by-case basis upon request:
  • Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States. If you fail to apply for the extension or change before expiration of your authorized period of admission, we may excuse that if the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond your control; 
  • Re-parole of individuals previously granted parole by USCIS;
  • Expedited processing of advance parole requests;
  • Expedited adjudication of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
  • Expedited adjudication of petitions or applications, including employment authorization applications, when appropriate;
  • Consideration of fee waiver requests due to an inability to pay;
  • Flexibility for those who received a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny but were unable to submit evidence or otherwise respond in a timely manner;
  • Flexibility if you were unable to appear for a scheduled interview with USCIS;
  • Expedited replacement of lost or damaged immigration or travel documents issued by USCIS, such as a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), Employment Authorization Document, or Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record; and
  • Rescheduling a biometric services appointment.
SPONSOR A UKRAINIAN FAMILY
The U.S. government will allow people fleeing the war in Ukraine to seek refuge in the United States on a temporary basis known as humanitarian parole, with the help of a sponsor in the United States who will provide initial financial and other support to ensure people fleeing Ukraine have housing and other basic needs met, and assistance with accessing education or securing employment. 
 
Sponsors can be U.S. citizens, permanent residents or other lawfully present individuals. Non-profits, educational institutions, and employers can also help to sponsor people fleeing Ukraine. Beneficiaries under Uniting for Ukraine include those individuals and families who fled Ukraine as a result of the war, including Ukrainians and other foreign nationals. 
 
Adult beneficiaries will be authorized to work in the United States, and may seek employment once welcomed into their new community. 

By becoming a sponsor, you can provide the necessary support for a Ukrainian family fleeing the war. The federal government will vet and approve the applications of both sponsors and Ukrainians seeking humanitarian parole.

Step 1: Learn more about sponsorship and Uniting for Ukraine
Step 2: Complete the available U.S. government forms to begin your application beginning this week!

Sponsors are responsible for finding safe and appropriate housing and supporting newcomers to ensure health needs are met, kids are enrolled in school, and that employment is secured, among other factors that will ensure that the sponsored beneficiary has the means to support themselves while they are in the United States, and feel welcomed in their new communities. While not required, sponsorship is often most successful when groups of individuals –through friends, work, faith, community or other networks – come together to pool their resources to sponsor families and share the joy and responsibilities of helping newly arrived individuals and families thrive in their new communities. There is the hope, and expectation, that groups of individuals can share resources, including financial ones, to support the beneficiary. 

Sponsorship of immigrants is not new, but these tools are being reimagined by the federal government to respond to the needs of people fleeing Ukraine to find safety quickly as well as the willingness of many Americans, including but not limited to Ukrainian Americans, to immediately support those fleeing the war. 

You also do not need to be a family member of those who you are sponsoring. Uniting for Ukraine allows anyone to serve as a named sponsor, including extended family, employers, friends, or others interested in welcoming whose application is approved. 

Sponsors will undergo background checks conducted by the Department of Homeland Security as part of the application process, and beneficiaries will also be screened as part of the approval process. (Learn more information) 
DONATE OR VOLUNTEER 
List of organizations providing aid from Community Foundation for Monterey County

Local Ukrainian-led nonprofit Nova Ukraine is fundraising for emergency and humanitarian relief. Nova Ukraine has an established and proven network of trusted partners on the ground in Ukraine. Money from donations is allocated daily to frontline volunteers helping provide emergency resources to both refugees and citizens who have remained in the war zone in Ukraine. You can learn more by visiting the Nova Ukraine website. 

Another local Ukrainian-led nonprofit, Hromada, is also fundraising for humanitarian aid. Hromada is actively collecting funds and sending them overnight each day to Ukraine to areas most affected by war – Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizha, Chernihiv. 

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society has an emergency appeal to help those in need throughout the country affected by armed conflict, including blood collection, mobilization of volunteers and resources, and emergency activities. For more information please visit the Ukrainian Red Cross Society website. 

How you can help (from Northern California Public Media)
If you’re hoping to get involved with groups providing aid to affected Ukranians, here are some ways to do so: