When war erupted in February 2022, relentless shelling forced millions of Ukrainians to flee. About 3.7 million remain displaced inside Ukraine, and nearly 6.9 million have sought refuge abroad, according to UNHCR. Behind the numbers are families like Anastasia’s, who left everything in search of safety and hope.
Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) has welcomed and supported 465 Ukrainian women, children and older adults to Maryland and Virginia since 2022. With community support, families have found housing, learned English, secured jobs, and begun rebuilding their lives.
Four years later, stability is increasingly uncertain. On Jan. 28, 2025, the United States stopped accepting new Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) applications, paused pending cases, and issued no new travel authorizations. The move effectively halted humanitarian parole, a pathway for Ukrainians seeking safety in the United States. Those who have already arrived through the U4U program and are dependent on their parole status to live and work in the United States now face uncertainty. Support programs for Ukrainians, including the Ukrainian Supplemental Assistance Program (USAP), have also ended, leaving many families unsure of their future. Despite these changes, LSSNCA served 119 Ukrainian participants in fiscal year 2025, focusing primarily on legal assistance, employment support, and community outreach.
Legal help is now the most urgent need.
“Most of our clients have been here for three or more years. They are working, paying taxes, learning English, and building their lives — but what they truly need now is legal assistance,” said Liudmyla Avierina, LSSNCA case manager. “Uncertainty around immigration status is the biggest obstacle. Some families are losing jobs not because they cannot work, but because the government has not renewed their work permit in time.”
Many Ukrainians have become self-sufficient and rooted in their communities yet delays in re-parole processing can leave families waiting months or longer.
“We can’t predict when decisions are made. Some applications are approved quickly, some denied, and some families wait for more than a year with no clear way to follow up,” Avierina said. “Before, people received answers within weeks. Now families are left in limbo.”
This uncertainty has real consequences.
“We have seen families prepare to leave [the United States] because they didn't want to live in a gray zone. They had jobs, their children were learning English, and they were building a future — but losing their legal status might force them to go,” Avierina said.
LSSNCA continues to provide legal guidance, employment support, health services, and youth mentorship, but legal needs are rising as immigration processes grow more complex. Joanne Kelsey, LSSNCA director of legal services, described a system under strain.
“We are seeing unjustifiably heavy scrutiny in re-parole processing. Requests for additional evidence to support humanitarian parole claims have become very common, and cases are taking much longer to prepare than before,” Kelsey said. “Re-parole is starting to resemble asylum in terms of the level of documentation required.”
She said uncertainty itself is one of the greatest challenges.
“We can no longer give families a timeline. Some decisions come quickly; others take many months. Our biggest concern is that families who fled violence may lose their status simply because the process is slow and unpredictable,” Kelsey said.
Recently, an LSSNCA legal client was granted asylum, providing them a chance at long- term stability. However, many Ukrainians fled generalized violence, which can make asylum difficult to obtain.
“Despite the obstacles, the legal team continues to assist in filing strong asylum cases, re-parole applications, and responses to requests for additional evidence” Kelsey said. In another case, a client was granted humanitarian re-parole following the team’s response to a request for additional evidence. “Our team is small, but we are doing everything we can to help families stay together and remain in status.”
Beyond legal services, LSSNCA provides food, clothing, and basic support to families who temporarily lost work authorization while awaiting decisions. Many Ukrainian families have built lives here.
“They want to work, support their families, and be productive members of society. What they need most is clarity about their future,” Avierina said.
Four years into the war, the need for support remains urgent. Your support helps provide critical legal services, employment assistance, and essential resources for families facing uncertainty.
Donate or contact us to partner with LSSNCA to help families find stability and hope.
