A Ukrainian in California was deceived by a lawyer: a man lost money and got problems with immigration status

Ukrainian Vitaly Karetnikov filed a complaint with the California Bar Association. According to the man, he became a victim of fraud in Los Angeles and lost more than $2000. YouTube channel «The Bureau» talked with Vitaly regarding his situation.

Photo: IStock

Vitaliy claims that in California he applied for the so-called protected status (TPS) - this is the second program in the United States that was opened specifically for Ukrainians. A special form was filled out for Karetnikov at the legal services office, but in the end the man was rejected by the immigration service and lost $2000.

“I am the chief mate. Our ship has arrived in the States. The senior assistant has a lot of work: Loading and unloading the ship, and there is a lot of routine work. There are 12 people working on the ship at the port,” says Vitaly. “What I’m saying is that I didn’t have time to delve into all this and figure it out myself.”

Not having time to check everything himself and sort out the information, Vitaly contacted a friend who lives in the USA.

On the subject: Mariupol - Bucha - Kyiv - California: the history of the war in one amazing fate

“It so happens that my friend lives in the States. We used to go on flights with him. He is already a US citizen. We corresponded throughout the voyage, and when the ship arrived in the States, circumstances coincided that my contract ended,” Vitaly continues.

“And when the contract ends, the company does not provide you with housing during the break between contracts. Therefore, my friend advised me to stay in the USA, since there is a war in Ukraine,” explains the sailor. — He said that he had already talked to the lawyer and everything would be fine. A friend left me the phone number of this lawyer so that I could make sure and get to know him. He said that I just needed to go ashore and that’s all. Then you had to come to a lawyer and submit documents. He said not to worry, because there are several programs for Ukrainians and not one of us has ever been refused.”

As a result, Vitaly not only received a refusal, but also lost money.

“And so I came to him, submitted all the documents, he named the amount, I paid him,” says the man. - I didn’t even delve into all this. This lawyer said to wait - in six months there will be documents.”

But no documents have arrived. Vitaly was refused and believes that the lawyer is to blame.

“The problem arose due to the incompetence of a human rights activist, who, as I understand it, just wanted to make money. He, most likely, counted on the fact that they would not refuse, and decided not to delve into the essence, says Vitaly. - But this is if you look at it from one side. But on the other hand, maybe he knew in advance that they would refuse. And I trusted him, I thought that if there are programs for Ukrainians, then no one will deport me, because there is military action in the country.”

After the refusal, the Ukrainian turned to the California Bar Association. No decision has yet been made on his request.

“When the refusal came, I learned that the lawyer had filed for TPS, which is only valid for those Ukrainians who were in the United States before April 11, and I came ashore on July 1. The question arises: how can a legally literate person who knows the laws submit my documents for TPS? - Vitaly is surprised. “When I start telling this, everyone understands and laughs.”

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

“When I asked him why he submitted my documents to this program knowing that there would be a negative answer, the lawyer said that he did everything right, because if he had made a mistake, the application would not even be considered,” the man noted.

Consideration of Vitaly's complaint will take from 4 to 8 weeks.

The lawyer, whose name was not disclosed, refused to comment on this and said that let everything be decided in the right instances.

As a result, Vitaly now has huge problems with immigration status.

“I have two options, and I’m working on both of them - to go on a flight or get humanitarian asylum. I hope more that I will go on a voyage,” the sailor concluded.

Read also on ForumDaily:

What the Number Codes the IRS Assigns to Our Tax Returns Mean: You Can Learn a Lot from Them

Beer soup, 'garbage plate' and fried cucumbers: what dish to try in every state of America

Is traveling to Mexico dangerous: where Americans should not go at all

Ten states with $1 million in retirement savings to last

Scientists believe that soon people will have wings, tentacles or a third hand: this will be the result of a leap in human development

Tesla humanoid robot showed what he can: many were surprised at the huge progress

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.