US welcomes 100,000 Ukrainians in 5 months of war

CBS News shared the statement.

According to the US government, the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who entered the US after the February 24 invasion arrived through various immigration channels and with different legal statuses, most of them with temporary permission to stay in the country.

Government statistics show that about 47,000 Ukrainians came to the US on temporary or immigrant visas; almost 30,000 Ukrainians arrived under the private sponsorship program; more than 22,000 Ukrainians were let through at the US-Mexico border; and 500 Ukrainians entered the country through the traditional refugee system.

The publication reports that at the end of March, Biden promised to shelter 100,000 Ukrainians displaced by the war. At the time, the White House announced that Ukrainians would come to the US under various immigration programs. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that more than 100,000 Ukrainians had arrived, saying the target was "never limited".

"We are deeply proud to help provide refuge for Ukrainians fleeing Russia's unprovoked invasion. DHS will continue to welcome additional Ukrainians in the weeks and months to come, consistent with President Biden's commitment," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement to CBS News. 

CBS News writes only Ukrainians who entered the U.S. with immigrant visas or through the refugee admissions program have a direct path to permanent residency and ultimately, U.S. citizenship. These immigration pathways, however, typically take years to complete due to interviews, vetting and other steps.

Those who have arrived through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which was launched in late April to allow U.S.-based individuals to financially sponsor Ukrainians, were granted parole, a temporary humanitarian immigration classification that allows them to live and work in the U.S. for two years.

The publication notes that although the US fulfilled Biden's promise and accepted 100,000 Ukrainians in a relatively short period of time, these achievements pale in comparison to the number of Ukrainians accepted by European countries.

European countries host more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees, most of whom are in Russia, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Spain and Great Britain, the UN Refugee Agency reports.