With many people leaving Ukraine, this country is now an addition to the U.S. Homeless Nationalities List. This is a list of countries that do not offer standard consular services. Political representation may be tenuous, and visa applications cannot receive authorization. Friends and family of Ukrainians in California may know that the U.S. embassy in Kyiv suspended its operations in February of 2022.
There are now other options for visa processing. Frankfurt and Warsaw are now processing points. Frankfurt is now the main one for Ukrainian nationals.
Assignment to one of these centers
The National Visa Center will review an application. Once this happens, they will assign the applicant to one of the centers. The term, Homeless Nationalities relates to those who are filing immigrant visa applications. It does not include those who want a non-immigrant visa. Those applicants can file in the country in which they presently live.
Airspace closure issue
Ukrainians may apply for a visa in neighboring European Union (EU) countries where there are U.S. consulates. They may be able cross the border by land, although at some areas there may be a wait. Poland and all main crossing points into Moldova are severely backed up, and wait times may be over 30 hours. The borders of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia are destinations that have much lower wait times.
No visas needed for EU countries
Ukrainians who travel through EU countries as part of immigration do not need a visa for travel up to 90 days within any 180-day period. This is part of an agreement made by Ukraine and the EU. If outside the EU, travelers will need to check the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.
There are options for visa processing for Ukrainian nationals. With closed airspace, European countries offer land border crossings and U.S. consulates. Some of the borders may take less time to cross than others.