Progress in Class Action Suit for Ukrainian Parolees Denied Work Authorization

IMMpact Litigation, Apr. 25, 2024

"IMMpact Litigation, seeking redress for over 100,000 Ukrainian nationals paroled into the United States post-February 2022, today announces a significant advancement in their ongoing class action lawsuit against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). IMMpact sued USCIS in August 2022 for failing to carry out provisions in the 2022 Ukraine supplemental which mandated Ukrainian parolees be provided automatic, free employment authorization. As a result of the litigation, USCIS changed its policy to recognize automatic work authorization in November 2022, but failed to refund unlawfully collected I-765 employment authorization document fees for applications received prior to that date. IMMpact filed a second suit in 2023 to recover those funds for 10s of 1000s of Ukrainians. USCIS announced on April 24th that it is refunding all of the I-765 fees collected from Ukrainian parolees who entered as parolees after February 24, 2022. https://www.uscis.gov/U4URefund IMMpact is proud of its Ukrainian work authorization double victories – forcing USCIS in November 2022 to recognize automatic work authorization for parolees and yesterday’s USCIS announcement that it will fully refund all of the fees to the class on whose behalf we were suing."