Thousands of Ukrainians who temporarily resettled in Minnesota are now facing the possibility of having to leave, even as the war in Ukraine rages on. This uncertainty stems from the Trump administration’s decision to halt the renewal of work permits for those who entered the U.S. under a humanitarian program launched during President Biden’s term.
Anastasiia Onyshchenko, who came from Kyiv in 2023, said her job ended abruptly last week. After applying for an extension of her two-year work permit in the fall, she never received a response from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “Permits aren’t getting extended, and more people are losing their right to work every day,” she said.
Onyshchenko is among about 240,000 Ukrainians who arrived in the U.S. under the “Uniting for Ukraine” (U4U) program, initiated by Biden following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Around 2,600 have settled in Minnesota, according to state data.
Biden’s administration used humanitarian parole authority to create the program, but after Trump returned to office in January, he immediately suspended all parole initiatives. While Ukrainians aren’t being ordered to leave immediately, the Ukraine Immigration Task Force warns that extension applications are not being processed, leaving many in limbo unless procedures are reinstated. USCIS has yet to respond on this issue.
For others, the future feels uncertain even though their permit is valid until September 2026. “Today I can work, but I don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” she said.
Another employee, Viktoriia Pashchyn, who came from a village near Ternopil, said she appreciated Minneapolis’s affordability and the support she got which helped her settle. Although her permit runs through September, she’s been unable to renew it.
Immigration attorney Evangeline Dhawan-Maloney explained that programs like U4U are highly dependent on the administration in power, as humanitarian parole gives the president wide discretion. “One administration can welcome more people, while another can drastically scale it back,” she said. She noted that the U4U program does not offer a direct path to citizenship or permanent residency, and asylum claims—while an option—are difficult to win.
Nick Kramarczuk, a Ukranian and the general manager of Kramarczuk restaurant, said Ukrainian employees now make up about a third of his staff, injecting new energy and reinforcing the business’s authentic Ukrainian roots. “They bring passion, new ideas, and a fresh perspective,” he said. “But it’s clear they’re under a lot of stress.”
He hopes the Trump administration will offer clarity on the workers’ future, arguing they deserve the same opportunities his grandparents once had. Although many employees dream of returning home to Ukraine someday, he believes that for now, they deserve a chance to build their lives in America.
