Biden administration sharply expands temporary status for Ukrainians already in US

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration has announced a major expansion of temporary legal status for Ukrainians already living in the United States, granting a reprieve for those who fled Russia’s invasion. The Homeland Security Department says the move is expected to make 166,700 Ukrainians eligible for Temporary Protected Status, up from about 26,000 currently. To qualify, Ukrainians must have been in the United States by Wednesday, two days before the announcement. The temporary status was originally scheduled to expire on Oct. 19, 2023 but is being extended 18 months to April 19, 2025. The expansion comes as the administration extends Temporary Protected Status to people from a growing number of countries as part of a carrot-and-stick approach to immigration.