NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans man, Bruce Godfrey, who now lives in Biloxi, is stuck in Warsaw, Poland with his wife, Antonina Godfrey, and elderly mother-in-law, Hanna Khmyz, after rescuing her from Ukraine. With visa delays and a lack of clarity over the process, they don't know when they'll be able to come back to the United States.
"We're just kind of stuck here right now," Bruce Godfrey said.
Khmyz is from a city called Kmelnytskyi.
"She was hearing sirens morning, noon, and night. She is in western Ukraine, there was some bombing in her city," Godfrey said.
In anticipation for the war, the Godfreys began the process of applying for a Permanent Resident Visa for Khmyz last June so she could live with them in their new home in Biloxi.
"But it’s a long process, sometimes up to three years and we understood that, but obviously things were escalated when the invasion happened and we so we knew we had to get her out one way or another," Godfrey said.
They left New Orleans for Poland last Monday.
"She's in her 80s, can't walk well, can't stand long, so getting her out on a bus or train wasn't an option," Godfrey said.
They met her at the Ukrainian/Polish border thanks to people offering rides.
"These guys didn’t ask for one penny. They did it out the goodness of their heart," Godfrey said.
After rescuing Khmyz, they were ready to come back home.
"Before we left we actually received word we have an approved visa, our visa was approved by immigration and sent to the National Visa Center," Godfrey said. "We said, 'that’s great you know, that’s perfect, we get here, get our visa, and we're gone.'"
To get his mother-in-law's visa, Godfrey went to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw.
"I stood in line for hours. The line was very long as you can imagine," Godfrey said.
While waiting, he was told by a worker he would need an appointment.
"So I said fine, okay," Godfrey said. "I made my appointment for the next day."
He showed up early and waited outside in line for three hours, but was once again told he didn't take the proper steps and couldn't be helped.
"Said I had the wrong type of appointment, which the website doesn’t distinguish on types, so I'm not sure what she meant," he said.
He's made countless efforts to figure out what to do.
"We tried phone calls, we tried websites to the embassy here in Warsaw, to the National Visa Center, everything just leads you in a circle," Godfrey said.
Godfrey is a former NOPD reserve officer and military veteran. He feels disappointed he hasn't been able to step foot inside the embassy for help.
"I can't get inside the embassy to talk to anybody, that’s the problem. Our own embassy basically has turned our back on us," he said.
He's now pleading for guidance.
"Believe me, we're not asking to be put in front of the line. We're willing to wait our turn, but we don’t know what line to get in or what turn we're going to get. The hotel wants to know when we're going to check out. Our checkout date we booked until Tuesday and there's people outside, women and children wanting a room and we checked all of Warsaw, there's no rooms anywhere," Godfrey said. "We feel guilty for even having a room because we have somewhere to go."
For now, though they are stuck and can't get back home with their elderly mother.
The Godfreys have been in touch with a member of Congress from Mississippi who is trying to help, but they are still waiting for direction.
New Orleans couple stuck in Poland after rescuing elderly mother from Ukraine
"She's in her 80s, can't walk well, can't stand long, so getting her out on a bus or train wasn't an option," Godfrey said.