Yara Zaya of the 90 Day Fiancé franchise is a very family-oriented person, but there’s a lot that’s standing in the way of her returning home to Ukraine for a visit. She’s been dying to see her friends and family again and introduce them all to her daughter Mylah. However, there are significant obstacles preventing her from going home, and Yara is getting frustrated.
It was at the start of 2020—pre-pandemic—when Yara moved to New Orleans on the K-1 visa to be with her fiancé Jovi Dufren. Their journey was depicted on 90 Day Fiancé season 8 and later 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, and though they had rocky beginnings, Jovi and Yara have become one of the most solid couples in the franchise. Yara is thriving as a new mom and has grown close with Jovi’s family in Louisiana, but she still misses home. Unlike many franchise cast members, Yara never intended to leave Ukraine, but fell in love with Jovi and followed him to the U.S. Yara still has a lot of love for her home country, but she hasn’t been back since she left in 2020.
On a recent episode of 90 Day Diaries, Yara revealed that a major roadblock preventing her from traveling to Ukraine is that she has not gotten her Green Card yet. Yara is still waiting for an interview appointment, and if she leaves the U.S. before her paperwork has been approved, her Green Card application could be considered abandoned. The pandemic has put strain on many government agencies, and in New Orleans there were further impediments due to Hurricane Ida. Louisiana was hit hard by Ida and the resulting property damage and power loss created more delays in the Green Card process.
Of course, even if Yara’s Green Gard application were to be approved today, she still would not be able to travel to Ukraine due to the country being under attack from Russia. In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an assault on Ukraine that is still ongoing, and it has understandably caused Yara a lot of stress. Though she’s assured fans that her family is in a safe region and out of harm’s way, it’s still heartbreaking to see what is happening in her home country. Americans are being advised by the Department of State to not travel to Ukraine, and it’s clear the country isn’t a safe place for Yara, Jovi, and especially Mylah.
Yara is growing desperate while waiting for her Green Card and watching the war in her country. It’s unfortunate that the 90 Day Fiancé franchise star hasn’t been able to visit home, and her family and friends haven’t had a chance to meet her daughter. But Yara’s situation probably won’t be changing any time soon, and even if she finally gets her Green Card, it could be months before she could safely travel to Ukraine.