We, the undersigned, residents of the State of Utah and your constituents, are asking the Utah government and by extension the U.S. government to take concrete and immediate action to waive U.S. visa requirements and/or grant refugee status to the Ukrainian nationals.

As a result of a full-scale brutal war that Russia launched with Ukraine on February 24, 2022, millions of Ukrainians (2.5+ million as of 3/11/22) had to flee their homes into the neighboring countries on the Western border - i.e.  Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia. The sudden exodus of Ukrainian refugees is at a scale not seen in Europe since World War II.

The migration of Ukrainian refugees has prompted swift international and regional responses, but such momentum is unlikely to sustain itself. Some world entities are already calling the refugee situation a ‘humanitarian crisis’ since the growing numbers and geographical concentration of refugees put a strain on the host country’s resources and infrastructure. 

Since European host communities may not be able to sustain the Ukrainian refugee crisis, which may last for years, we ask that the Utah and U.S. government allow Ukrainian nationals to join their family and friends in the U.S. Thus, to facilitate timely and effective migration, we ask that the U.S. government waive U.S. visa requirements and/or grant refugee status to the Ukrainian nationals.

The U.S. government and its constituents can save and shape many Ukrainian lives, which are now being abruptly and senselessly destroyed due to the unprovoked invasion of their country. Every day matters, so please act now!