Uniting for Ukraine
Uniting for Ukraine
Hi all.
We have already been in the USA for a week under the U4U program.
We flew from Canada via Toronto. Two adults, our 10 month old daughter and our dog. Due to weather conditions, our journey took 2 days instead of 7 hours. Tickets were changed 4 times and it was all during flights. But everything is fine, we went through customs and flew to Houston.
*I want to thank the best community "[Uniting for Ukraine](https://www.facebook.com/groups/uniting4ukraine/)" on behalf of my family and everyone who supported with a word or advice. In particular: I want to express my deep gratitude to the admins Martin Muscheid and Lidiia Popova. We are very grateful for your support with the process and the move - it would not have been possible without you.*Thanks to our sponsor Susanne and her family for their sponsorship. Kind heart.
*Thanks to the YMCA organization (Houston) and its employees who help Ukrainians every day to start a new life in the USA.
I wish that your kindness will return to you 1000 times more.
In the plans: to finish the initial adaptation, to make the necessary documents to start working. And at the first opportunity to become a sponsor for other families from Ukraine.
If you can help, just do it.
Anyone who has a legal status in the USA (U4U, TPS, etc.) can become a sponsor. You only need to have an income for a few months.
I wish you all health, success, luck and peace.
We want to share our success story.
The long journey always begins with the first step, followed by another step, and yet another, until you find yourself at your destination.
At the start of our journey, we had nothing but DREAMS, HOPE, and FAITH. However, we were still far from reaching our final goal and had only a limited understanding of what America was truly like.
In our quest for a sponsor, we tried to remember everyone we knew or anyone who might know someone in America who could assist us in some way. We reached out to Telegram groups and Facebook communities, but our search remained fruitless for a long time.
It's hard to believe, but it has been a week since we arrived in America, and three months have passed since we wrote our post in the 'Uniting for Ukraine' group.
This time, we made every effort to do everything right, as the group moderators recommended in their posts and comments. Specifically, we shared our complete story, were open and honest, added family photos that conveyed the spirit of our family, our love, emotions, and feelings, and crafted a detailed plan for how we envision ourselves in America – where we plan to go, where we will live, and how we will make a living.
We knew that by doing so, we could assist potential sponsors in helping us. These kind-hearted people, both Americans and fellow Ukrainians in America who have walked a similar path, share our pain and wholeheartedly want to support us and be a part of our success. However, they also understand that for our story, yours and mine, to become successful, we must approach it with full responsibility and, most importantly, an understanding of what awaits us in America and the challenges we may face.
We were fortunate that two wonderful ladies, Christie Dizzia and Lidiia Popova who are moderators of the group, responded to our plea for help and believed in us, wanting to assist us. They have done so much for us that it's hard to put into words. Such support is rarely expected, even from close friends.We are deeply grateful to Christie Dizzia for her boundless assistance and advice, for helping us assess our chances and prospects realistically, showing us the true reality of what awaits us in the USA, and for sharing real-life examples from her own life and the experiences of other Ukrainians. This helped us shape our expectations correctly and be prepared for the American reality.
And we are immensely thankful to Lidiia Popova and her family, who believed in us and our plan. They have already become an integral part of our lives and our story, guiding us like little children from the very beginning until our arrival, and continue to help us in every way possible. We are grateful to fate for allowing us to meet Lidiia's family on our journey.
We finally met them a week ago and heard the cherished words 'WELCOME TO AMERICA'
Hello dear U4U community, my fellow ukrainians and group members!
I think the time has come to share my own U4U experience and a wonderful story about how lucky I was to join this group.
But before I proceed to the main story, I’d like to share some details of my background and I think it may answer some questions for the beneficiaries seeking a sponsorship.
Back in February 2022, I used to reside in Kyiv and work at home.
On February 11 my close friend told me that war is coming and insisted on my departure to Poland asap. Thus I took a flight from Boryspil to Warsaw on Feb 14, 2022 and have never returned home since.
When war exploded, I contacted my extended family member in Toronto and in 3 months I arrived to Canada under CUAET program. Unfortunately 5 weeks under the same roof with that relative and uncomfortable conditions alongside the boring city vibe made fly back to Warsaw.
While I was trying to find myself a place to live and work, my mom has come and stayed in US and applied for TPS.
In October 2023 I was lucky enough to fly to US to meet my mom and friends and make a final decision to participate in U4U…
The main story tells about a wait time, my patience, support from people and a daily involvement into news checking around U4U program.
After my arrival back at Warsaw in October 2023, I had begun a search of the sponsors for U4U.
It took me 2 weeks, +-35 different calls and emails to my friends and to friends of my friends to realize nobody cares and all my acquaintances aren’t bothered with helping me out. Thus I came back to my ukrainian friend who I was seeing a few earlier in US. By that time he had already had two I-134A forms approved for a gay couple.
Optimistically me and him decided to file a form with the co-sponsor who provided us with the documents for the real-estate and a cover letter.
On November 15, 2023 every single document was precisely explained in the form and the whole situation was described in details, we clicked the submit button and the timer was set.
Long story short: during the waiting period, a lot of TG groups were researched, a plenty of info was studied and on January 26, after 70+ days, the case was declined without any explanations.
Shock, rethinking and despair took place instantly. Besides the change of plans I was obligated to leave due to the upcoming expiration date of my polish work visa. I needed to figure out the other way of finding sponsors.
Three weeks later I came back to the sponsorship research and found a few well known web-service alongside the most popular fb groups.
And here starts the miracle…
On February 27, 2024 I sat down and did a research, applied to a few U4U groups.On February 28, I was accepted to this group. I had instantly checked the feed and posted my own request for a sponsorship and in a few minutes Martin Muscheid commented my post with the questions to clarify my personal situation that is mandatory for the potential sponsors to make a decision. I had carefully answered to each single question and then we jumped with Martin on the call to discuss possible sponsorships.
It was such a miracle that the next day I had the form I-134A already filed on my behalf and tracking number was shared with me instantly.
On top of that, my sponsor had filed another form 2 weeks earlier on behalf of another beneficiary.
On March 12, the first beneficiary reported to the chat the updates on his case. He was approved 4 weeks after the application. Luckily, USCIS has reviewed all the forms from our sponsor simultaneously and approved them all.
I instantly requested TA and got a confirmation within next 2 weeks.
My heart was beating fast and I decided to share the news with mother immediately.
This was one of the happiest moments for our family in the course of the last couple years.
Next day I got myself a one-way ticket from Warsaw to Miami. In 10 days, on March 23, 2024 I arrived to Miami airport.
At the airport, I had approached to the border patrol desk where I presented my TA and passport.
> Lillu Snail:
The other female officer came to me to invite to the CBP office.
There were 6 ukrainian adults and 2 children of one lady from the southern part of Ukraine.
None of us was asked any questions. We provided our fingerprints and CBP officer handed back our passports with parole stamps.
In general, it took 55-70 minutes from the moment of approaching to the border control to the moment of receiving a passport with the UHP.
Considering the stories that I read on FB and TG, my particular case seems to be very exclusive and more like a miracle.
This is mostly because the administration of this group is very responsive, attentive and caring even after arrival to US.
My greatest gratitude to the admin group, Martin and that one very special person
I wish everyone who is seeking support to be patient, responsive and put an effort into communicating with the community.
God bless America
Glory to Ukraine
Good time of the day everyone! Here is how we (family of 4) found a true sponsor and moved to America.
I was born in Kazakhstan into a military family. My father served at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. He was responsible for rear support (provision of food, fuel, clothing…) and I saw rockets and how they flew into space! We moved around, here and there. In 1991 we moved to Crimea, and then after occupation (and university in Kharkiv), moved to Kyiv with my wife and children.
A week after the war began, I left for Germany to look for work and accommodation for our family. In the summer, my family came to me in Germany.
In September we decided to try to leave for America. We joined many facebook groups where I posted a photo and short story about us. Mostly, many sponsors were just interested to process our forms for money (Russian-speaking Americans).
2 days later, an American volunteer (sponsor coordinator) wrote to us and we began communicating. This volunteer said she would help us search for free, but could not guarantee that she would find us a sponsor. She asked basic things about us, our jobs, our English level, where we wanted to live.
3 days later, she sent us a contact, Daniel in Iowa. We messaged back and forth. In the process of communication, we, not wanting to stress the sponsor with accommodation, said that we wanted him to be a paper sponsor. Because of this, he refused to help us at all. He wanted to sponsor and host. He thought that hosting someone would be the most helpful thing he could do, and since we did not want that, he chose another family.
I asked the volunteer for another option and she questioned me with many many many questions. She told me that both sides have preferences and that we needed to be truthful about what we wanted and needed. We said what we thought the sponsor wanted to hear - and it backfired. We had many messages about this until she was sure that I understood the mind of the American sponsors (hosting is meaningful, we can be true friends, why are we refusing friendship, makes Americans sad).
I told her - for us, it doesn't matter where to live, the main thing is that it is the US. It is financially better to live in a sponsor's house but if it doesn't suit a sponsor, we can rent accommodation. We are flexible. We just worry that we would burden a sponsor and we are used to relying only on ourselves. If there was an honest sponsor, we got along, I had a job, got children to school, were good friends, and they wanted us to stay in their house for 2 years - we would! If a sponsor is lonely, it is also good support for them. My wife cooks tasty food. I can fix everything at home. I just did not think that Americans wanted to host and viewed that as “better” than papers only.
A few days later, she sent another sponsor profile, Lauren in Oregon. We started to communicate and quickly found common ground. We immediately talked about the desire to live in her house. She was retired, had space for us, was eager to help, and we liked each other.
In Oct 2022, one of our passports expired. We made an appointment at the embassy to renew it, but that was for Nov 16. During this time, Lauren and I often corresponded and became friends. The sponsor coordinator and I also corresponded and became friends and helped me prepare for the future.
Finally, the passport was renewed, and in December the 134s were submitted for our family. We had to wait and hope for a miracle! 2 days later, the long-term travel permit was received!!!! We couldn’t believe it!!! We were full of joy.
We purchased tickets for January 2023. We were counting the days until departure. Soon we will have a completely different life, and we decided to make one final European trip. We went to Paris by car. It was my wife’s dream.
We have been here for almost 1 month and we have a lot of new emotions. All new. We went to the Pacific Ocean. We started doing paperwork and we've already received the SSN, submitted the I765 forms, gotten medicaid, and got the children into school in the first 2 weeks. They liked the American school. I passed my driving theory test and practical driving test, so we are looking for a cheap car now. We bought a separate bed for our youngest child. We had a pizza dinner with a family who has 3 adopted children from Ukraine! They came 3-4 years ago. Their oldest daughter helps my child with translation while at school. We will surely be friends. We are going to a Ukrainian music concert together this week, both our families.
We became better friends with Lauren. She is a very nice woman. We were very lucky to get to know her. She was under the impression that she would need to house us for 2 years and had no problem with that. We know of two other sponsors who offered to house their beneficiaries for 2 years also, so it is not so rare. There is a pet shelter in town that lets you “adopt” a dog for the weekend and she said the boys can borrow a dog every weekend, which they are excited for. We met her adult child, who is the one who advised her mother to become a sponsor. I think we got along well. Julia cooks in the kitchen and I help with the house and garden.
I want to give advice to everyone who tries to find a sponsor. Do not neglect any possible help and everything will work out. Our volunteer continues to help and we correspond with her. After arriving, I wrote to our first potential sponsor and told him how we got here. He in turn said that he also is hosting a family now.
Americans are ready and willing to help! If anyone has questions, write to me, I will answer and see if I can help. Best of luck to everyone! Let all your dreams come true!
I would like to share my success story as my family found a sponsor who was willing to house the 5 of us (and dog).
We studied about life in the USA a lot, talked to different people, weighed up all the good things and difficulties in this country, and made a decision calmly and deliberately.
We have friends in the USA, but all of our friends had already sponsored other families. Thus, we searched for a sponsor wherever we could - facebook / telegram / organizations on the internet, but all of it was fruitless. Until one person responded to our appeal, she immediately informed us that she was not a sponsor, but could share information and perhaps help us that way.
She was the only person who agreed to help us with at least some advice that could increase our chance of success. She gave us so much information about the difference in mentality, about many simple and obvious things that we had not even thought about. We were very grateful for such help from someone we didn't know before.
All of her advice was very correct and we accepted almost all recommendations. Afterward she forwarded us a lot of information from this group, from the pinned posts. This is really a huge and very helpful piece of work. Just like a small book with very useful content.
She helped us to find organizations that hold online meetings of Ukrainians (we communicated with those who are already in the US, we could exchange information/ask questions to those who have already arrived and live in the US). She also helped us find organizations that help with English practice. It was incredible to get so much help from a stranger, one we have still not met in person. We were immensely grateful to her.
We continued looking for a sponsor, correcting our mistakes and using proper understanding.
After some time we managed to find a sponsor. He was Ukrainian by origin, who gladly agreed to help us. He is a wonderful and kind person who supports Ukraine.
I have tried many times to share such useful information, which helped us so much, with other Ukrainians who are looking for a sponsor and who are making so many mistakes as we did before. I was shocked - many Ukrainians are not interested in this information. Many people want the sponsor to be found without their participation, and so they do not take any action. They want the sponsor to do everything for them - like Santa Claus. I was very surprised by this, but it did not stop me from sharing useful information.
We were also introduced to a 3rd helper / volunteer. This is another incredible person, just a modern day genius without exaggeration. A brilliant and funny businessman from whom you can learn a lot.
He offered his help with practicing English before we arrived and we had weekly lessons. He also gave us helpful advice on resumes / document filling and how things work and work in the US. It was just an ocean of useful material. He was planning to move to the area where our sponsor lives, and he offered to help pick us up from the airport (it was a 5 hour drive for him), and subsequently help with paperwork as we started our journey to the US. He fought for us so my daughter could go to the best school possible, he helped so that I had a job, and he made it possible that I could rent a safe house in a great neighborhood. Although he doesn't live close to us, he was willing to help drive us and help our family (and dog) until we bought a car.
These are 3 incredible people. Do you understand? We were fortunate to have the help of not 1 or 2, but 3 Americans!!!
Whatever experience you have living in your own country (or Europe, China, Africa), it is virtually worthless in the US. New arrivals are like little kids who know nothing about the world they've gotten into, exploring it and trying to figure out how things work and work. Your sponsors or hosts or volunteers are your older brothers/sisters or parents, who will help you in the world known to them, and will help you not to make bumps and avoid falls, making your way safe and correct.
In conclusion I would like to say: do what Americans recommend (if you want to find a sponsor and if you want to have a smooth move to the US), they are very practical and smart people. They know their country, and they will recommend the best solutions.
And those who have been helped, remember.Now they helped you, then it's your turn to help others.
Peace and goodwill to all!
Hello dear friends! My name is Alona. I want to share with you my story about finding a sponsor.
I did not post an advertisement about our family for a very long time. I read other people's posts, and there were a lot of negative comments from our Ukrainians... It was sad… I had doubts…
But, in Sept 2022, after almost six months, I finally decided to create a post and ask for a true sponsor! I didn't ask for "paper only" sponsorship because I had my 7 year old son with me. He needed a place he could call "home" and a school. I couldn't just go anywhere. There were just two of us. My husband couldn't leave Ukraine like most Ukrainian men.
really needed help, and I asked for it! And I found amazing people from Iowa. Or they found me...Their names are Dennis and Donna.
We started talking, texting and getting to know each other. They asked me what kind of job I would like to find here, but I understood that Ukrainian education in America means practically nothing, so I said that I want to work, but I never said that I would go to work right away, it's not realistic for me! If you did it, then I'm very happy for you! They also had me talk with their friend, Claire, who had sponsored many others and was a sponsor coordinator, and could help us with advice. Even now, we are all still in touch with her when we need to be. Dennis even called her this week about green card application and then she sent me info about it.
In Dec 2022, we bought plane tickets and arrived in America.
I've been in America for a month now. All paperwork is done. Biometrics done and approved, I'm waiting for a work permit in a few days. I have already passed the written test and received a learner's permit. I can drive a car if a person who has a driver's license is sitting next to me. In Ukraine, I did not have a driver's license, but I will have it soon! Dennis and Donna teach me how to drive! They are very patient and kind people. My son adores them!
Speaking of my son, he went to school right after the holidays. The school enrolled him without any problems; they only asked for a passport and translated vaccinations. He likes being here, in the US. Again, a big thanks to my new family, they prepared a lot before I arrived. They themselves called here and there, found out everything, and took me where it was necessary!
Dennis and Donna have adult children. We met them, they are like their parents, very kind and friendly people. I want to say that I met all the good people here, I hope everyone is so lucky! Because I am very lucky! Dennis and Donna called us family from our early days in the USA. And they ARE our family! Thank you very much for your help, support and faith in me! You are incredible people. Love you, guys!
I hope that all Ukrainians who are looking for a sponsor will find the same wonderful people! Good luck to everyone! Glory to Ukraine! Слава Україні!
*some names changed for privacy
Hi everyone! I already found a sponsor here on Facebook, in another group, but still want to share my experience and give some useful advice to help you find a sponsor.
Describe yourself in depth. Everyone has heard about the war. Talk about your new life - you should present your job skills, English level and the steps you plan to take after arrival to the US. Where do you plan to go, where would you live, work and etc? What do you plan to do once the 2 years pass? Sponsors don't want to put you in danger, so don't act like a blind kitten - be a predator.
My timeline
July 8: I made a post in the group and an American contacted me with questions. She did not promise to sponsor me and I did not ask. She had no connection to Ukraine, just wanted to help.
July 9-19: Almost every other day, we say hi and messaged about life things, her job, my job, cities in America, the American bank system and credit history, Dyson vacuum cleaners, coworking spaces, Battle of the Psychics... Sometimes she would ask me direct questions, like "Where will you live?". Mostly we had random conversations.
July 20: Sponsor video called me through facebook but I missed the call
July 21: Sponsor video called me. I was not expecting her to sponsor me. I thought she was just going to give me advice on America. But she said she would sponsor me!
July 23: Sponsor created USCIS account
July 24: I emailed sponsor info about myself so she could enter it into the I-134.
July 26: Sponsor submitted I-134
July 28: Got confirmation and submitted my answers
July 29: Received Travel Authorization
Sept 1: Arrived in US. Charlotte's Douglas airport is amazing. Border patrol said: Good to go buddy, welcome to the USA. No questions!
I have been living with roommates in the typical American house and working in North Carolina. Here, everything is so nice. Houses, roads. People are helpful. I can't believe I'm so lucky to be there. I like the US so much. It just feels different. Like I'm sitting in the 3d cinema and watching my dream movie. My sponsor and I still message each other now, even though we don't need to keep in touch and we have not met in person. We talk about English slang phrases, different American cities (I visited LA!), car dealerships, Ukrainian vs American culture of gifts, college, crypto, orange juice, relationships...
Hi all! I want to tell you about my story of moving to the USA. After the opening of the borders and the U4U program, I tried for several days to find a sponsor, when my friends decided to pay for the money and arrived without any problems. In turn, I didn't want to try to make money by myself.
Soon I met sponsor Christy. She helped me with all my questions. I found a sponsor who helped with the paperwork and wanted to give a special thanks to Hana who helped me in person. Christy is a wonderful person who brings kindness and helps from the bottom of her heart, and I am very grateful to her for that.
I feel welcomed and accepted, and that makes me feel at home even though I am far away from my country. I appreciate the diversity of cultures and ethnicity in America, and how everyone is celebrated for who they are. I am also amazed at the opportunities available here, and how hard work and dedication can lead to success. Thank you, America, for welcoming me with open arms and for being a great place to live.
Hello,I would like to say thank you for all the moderators of this group, with the help of which we found a sponsor here. I m very grateful to all the moderators and admins of this group.
A few days ago we arrived to USA. Our sponsor is a wonderful and helpful person . I would like to advise all Ukrainians to not lose hope and look for sponsors. I m sure there is people who wants to help.
Small advice for those who is looking for sponsor. Write true information about yourself and your family. Describe yourself, what kind of help you need from a sponsor, knowledge of English, etc.
I wish you all good luck
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