Malliotakis: Great Kills man and wife, a Ukrainian citizen, await visa approval so they can return to the U.S.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ivan -- an American citizen from Great Kills who has been living in the Eastern European country with his wife, a Ukrainian citizen -- has been trying to get back home.
More than a year ago, the couple applied for a spousal visa for Ivan’s wife so they could travel back to the U.S. together, explained Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), who has been helping them try to expedite the process.
Ivan and his wife are among many Americans and their Ukrainian relatives who are stranded and struggling to make it back to America since the U.S. embassy in Kyiv closed at the onset of the invasion.
After recently finding out that the State Department never processed Ivan’s wife’s initial visa application, Ivan contacted his representative – Malliotakis – for assistance.
“We’ve been working with them for a couple months leading up to the president urging Americans to evacuate. The issue is, obviously Ivan doesn’t want to leave his wife behind in a war torn country,” Malliotakis told the Advance/SILive.com.
She told the Advance/SILive.com that Ivan and his wife have made it out of Ukraine and arrived in neighboring Moldova on Friday.
Malliotakis explained that the State Department is and has been understaffed during the pandemic, resulting in delays in processing visas and passports.
“It’s very frustrating for me that the State Department and their embassies around the world have not been fully staffed, and therefore, it’s even hard to get an appointment [and] get somebody to answer the phone,” the congresswoman said.
However, following the invasion, the congresswoman’s office was able to reach a staff member in the Secretary of State’s office, she said. The offices are working directly to evacuate the couple.
With the U.S. embassy in Ukraine being closed, American citizens and visa holders trying to get back to the U.S. must travel to U.S. embassies in neighboring European Union (EU) countries.
Upon request from the congresswoman and the State Dept., Moldova agreed to process Ivan’s wife’s visa there.
Her office said she visited Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church on Sunday to show her solidarity for Ukraine and provide an update from Congress’ meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Malliotakis met other Staten Islanders who have cases or know of others who are trying to evacuate from Ukraine, and they will try to help those people leave the country safely, her office said.