Helping Ukrainian Refugees Remain in the U.S.
Within days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kirkland partnered with Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) to create one of the first projects for lawyers providing free legal services to Ukrainians in the U.S. More than 2,000 attorneys from more than 100 law firms and corporate legal departments, including more than 200 Kirkland lawyers, are assisting 50,000+ potentially eligible Ukrainians in the U.S. with applications for temporary protected status (TPS), a form of immigration relief that would allow them to safely stay in the country and receive work authorization.
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Global Program Director & Pro Bono Counsel, KirklandWe have a long track record at Kirkland of quickly mobilizing our teams and partnering with others in the legal community to respond to evolving legal needs in vulnerable communities. It’s extremely gratifying to see this happening again in an effort to support Ukrainians in the U.S. as war takes place in their home country.
In late February 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent the country and its citizens into crisis, with millions of Ukrainians displaced from their homes or fleeing the country as refugees. From day one, Kirkland began exploring ways to offer legal assistance, and started preparing for the extension of temporary protected status (TPS) to Ukrainians in the U.S.
On March 3, 2022, the Biden administration announced that Ukrainians in the U.S. would be eligible to receive TPS, which would allow them to safely remain in the country for 18 months (with the option of renewal, depending on circumstances) and become eligible for work authorization.
In the weeks leading up to this anticipated announcement, Kirkland and Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) began laying the groundwork for a program that would assist many of the newly eligible Ukrainians in the U.S. with the TPS application process. While individuals can apply for TPS on their own, an attorney can help navigate the process, address concerns of the wary, help identify those who will not qualify or cannot apply, and identify other immigration relief that may be available.
More than 2,000 attorneys signed up for the program, including 200 Kirkland lawyers and several attorneys from in-house legal departments at Kirkland clients Bristol-Myers Squibb, Facebook/Meta and Pfizer. After receiving in-depth virtual training on TPS assistance, employment authorization and more, attorneys have started screening clients to verify that they entered the U.S. by April 11, 2022, have no felony convictions, and don’t pose a threat to U.S. national security. For those cases deemed likely to succeed, attorneys will pursue the application process, employment authorization and, if appropriate, waivers for application-processing fees required by the Department of Homeland Security.