Dear Members of Congress,

First, let me thank you for the support United States is providing to the people of Ukraine, and the support we are getting from the US citizens.

With this petition, I'd like to ask you to:

a) extend the current definition of the beneficiary immediate family member under the “Uniting for Ukraine” program to include the vulnerable and sensitive population of non-Ukrainian parents and 

b) temporarily allow permanent US residents of Ukrainian nationality, green card holders, to bring in their non-Ukrainian parents as immediate family members. 

According to US 2019 Census data, there were almost 95 thousand foreign-born non-U.S. citizens Ukrainians in the U.S. My family is among them. My kids’ grandparents, aged 70 and 74, live in the Moscow suburbs, their older son is in Ukraine, and the younger, my husband, resides in California since 2014. They came to visit their older son and his family in Ukraine early January 2022. And the war found them there. Currently, they are trapped, as, with Russian passports, it may be unsafe and definitely complicated to move within Ukraine, and it's not safe for them to return to Moscow because their older son is fighting Russians since day 2 of the war in Territorial Defense, and their younger son is living in the U.S. and, according to VCIOM - Russian Public Opinion Research Center survey of 19 Mar 2022, index of attitude towards the US is the lowest since 1991 - "- 57" (Russian Public Opinion Research Center). We are afraid they may face a real threat in Russia, not even to mention the informational isolation.

Covid-19 epidemics already stole 2 precious years that they could have spent with their grandkids, and now Russians are stealing the rest.  

Under current legislation, we can’t help them come and find shelter and peace with us. The little city where they are since the beginning of the war is under constant danger of an airstrike.  

I believe this should be the Senate’s moral and ethical obligation to help the people of Ukraine and their relatives and extend the U.S. welcome to the ones in need.

I don’t know how many families may face the same situation, anyone from thousands of permanent U.S. residents Ukrainians can be in our position.

I hope I was able to avert your attention to this important issue and the corresponding actions will be taken to enable support to the vulnerable population. 

Sincerely and hopefully,

Yours, Ukrainian, Anna (Ganna) Nekhymchuk