SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A Ukrainian mother who fled from Kyiv with her 4-month-old baby was unable to board a flight to San Francisco International Airport because her baby did not have a travel visa and passport.

Olha Korol and her infant son, Severyn Korotniuk, fled after the Russian military invaded. Her husband and father stayed behind in Kyiv.

They took a 20-hour bus ride before reaching Frankfurt, Germany, where they are currently stranded.

Korol and her baby had plane tickets to fly from Germany to San Francisco on March 7 with hopes of reaching family members who live in San Jose, California.

“I went to the Ukrainian consulate in Frankfurt. They put a photo of my baby in my passport. They put stamps showing it’s official and legal. They said it should be enough. He’s an infant, he’s small, he doesn’t have anything. Then we boarded the plane and the (airlines) did not board us because the baby doesn’t have a passport,” Korol told Nexstar’s KRON4.

Baby Severyn Korotniuk (Credit: Olha Korol)

The war has forced more than 2.8 million civilians to flee Ukraine, according to the UN refugee agency. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the conflict.

While stuck in limbo and alone with her baby, Korol worries about her husband and father back in Ukraine.

“When I look out at Germany, I feel guilty that we can breathe. My husband and my father are not able to go out because it’s safer to stay in the shelters,” Korol said.

Korol said she still hears emergency sirens blaring.

“In Kyiv, there were sirens all the time. Even when it’s silent, I still hear it,” Korol said.

Baby Severyn Korotniuk (Credit: Olha Korol)

Air raid sirens were heard across Ukraine Monday as Russian troops refocused their efforts to seize Kyiv.

The fighting is now in the third week. A pregnant woman and her baby were among the dead, after Russia bombed the maternity hospital in Mariupol where she was meant to give birth.

The towns of Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel have seen some of the worst conflict during Russia’s stalled attempt to take the capital.

Russian mortars kill mother and her children fleeing Irpin in civilian convoy

Last week, Veronika Didusenko, a former Miss Ukraine, called on the United States to do more to help mothers fleeing Ukraine with children by granting “humanitarian parole.” The status allows otherwise ineligible people to enter the United States “if you have a compelling emergency and there is an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit to allowing you to temporarily enter the United States,” according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Didusenko fled with her 7-year-old son from Kyiv while Russian military bombs fell from the sky.

“On February 24, my 7-year-old son and I were awakened by sirens and explosions. In between raids, we, along with tens of thousands of other families, tried to get out of the city,” Didusenko said.

Miss Ukraine 2018 Veronika Didusenko holds a Ukrainian flag on March 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Didusenko discussed the impact of the Ukrainian war on mothers and children fleeing Ukraine. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images)

Didusenko and her son escaped over Ukraine’s southwestern border. They traveled across Moldova, Romania, and Luxembourg before reaching a friend’s house in Switzerland.

Olha Korol holds her infant son, Severyn Korotniuk, in their home in Kyiv. (Credit: Olha Korol)

Didusenko said she went to a US embassy to obtain a travel visa for her son so they could fly to California together. Her son’s visa application was denied.

Miss Ukraine calls on US to help mothers fleeing war

Like many Ukrainian refugees, Korol said she loves her country and hopes to return after the war is over.

“I had a good life in Kyiv,” Korol said.

Her cousin, Lena Tutko, lives in San Jose and is holding out hope that Korol and Severyn will find a way to California. Tutko started a GoFundMe page to help Korol pay for places to stay in Germany.

“They are stuck in a foreign country, with no resolution in sight. I am desperately trying to help my family in this very difficult situation,” Tutko said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The post Ukrainian child denied flight to San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – A woman who provides immigration services in San Jose is charged with allegedly defrauding customers seeking help with their applications, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office.

Detectives from the Notario Fraud Unit said a husband and wife came forward and said they paid the suspect about $ 5,000 to fill out a citizenship and visa application.

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Over a four-year period, the suspect announced to clients that she had filed her application with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Detectives said the suspect made no claims to USCIS, kept the victims’ money and made no refunds.

As a result, the couple were unable to visit their homeland to visit their dying relatives, detectives said.

In another case, detectives said another client paid about $ 1,000 to apply for Deferred Action under the DACA program. No application was sent and no money was refunded.

The victim lost a scholarship and the opportunity to attend a local business school, the sheriff’s office said.

Detectives said they interviewed the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Jasmine E. Sanchez, at her office in the Tropicana Shopping Center on Story Road. The detectives found she hadn’t filed immigration papers or cleared her client’s transactions.

Jasmine Sanchez. (Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office)

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Sanchez also allegedly claimed to be a drafted immigration adviser with the California State Department office and showed an expired note deed in her office.

According to state records, Sanchez did not have approval from the Secretary of State or the State of California. Sanchez received a cease and desist letter from state officials in 2018.

On Saturday, Sanchez turned himself in to a bail officer. She is charged with aggravated theft, theft on false pretenses, and violations of the Immigration Consultant Act.

At first it was not known when Sanchez would appear in court.

MPs said the alleged victims of Sanchez are working with immigration lawyers to gain citizenship.

According to the sheriff’s office, an immigration officer must have a $ 100,000 bond, undergo a background check, and file a disclosure statement with the Secretary of State. Immigration advisors are not lawyers, cannot provide legal advice, and are required to notify clients.

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Anyone who may have been a victim is asked to contact detectives with the sheriff’s office at 408-808-4599 or email tips@sheriff.sccgov.org.

The post San Jose Immigration Advisor Accused Of Fraud; Victims Denied From Touring, Scholarship – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.