A pro bono opportunity sponsored by the International and Immigration Law Section Council:

Many of us looked on with horror as Russia invaded Ukraine in February. As international law and immigration lawyers, we received many calls from other lawyers, friends, and family members of Ukrainians asking what could be done to help the Ukrainians driven from their homes. In April, the U.S. government announced the Uniting For Ukraine (U4U) program, which allows U.S. sponsors to submit affidavits of support for Ukrainians, who can then apply for Humanitarian Parole to enter the United States temporarily. 

In April 2022, the Section Councils for Human and Civil Rights and International and Immigration Law adopted a resolution calling on members of the ISBA to take action to show their support for and solidarity with refugees seeking resettlement, especially Ukrainians driven out of their country by the Russian invasion. Read the full resolution. 

In furtherance of this resolution, at the ISBA Annual Meeting, the International and Immigration Law Section Council agreed to assist in the review of humanitarian parole applications for Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes due to the war and who are seeking to come to the United States. Humanitarian Parole allows a non-U.S. citizen to enter the United States temporarily for urgent humanitarian reasons. 

The first step in the U4U process is the submission of an Affidavit of Support for the Ukrainians. These documents have already been prepared by persons sponsoring Ukrainians working through sponsorcircles.org, but the sponsors would like an attorney to review the documents before they are filed with the U.S. government. We need the help of our fellow ISBA members here! 

The International and Immigration Law Section Council urges ISBA members to get involved to help these Ukrainians on a pro bono basis. It is a limited commitment of time - anticipating less than 30 minutes per application. Members from the Council will also provide a training session via Zoom, as well as other online resources for those not familiar with humanitarian parole. This is a great opportunity to do important pro bono work with little time commitment. 

There are sponsors waiting for their applications to be reviewed now. Please complete the Interest Form by Monday, August 8, 2022, to volunteer and receive information about online training to help with Uniting for Ukraine! 

For questions, contact Cindy Buys at cbuys@law.siu.edu.