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NEW YORK FILIPINO GETS VISA IN SIX
MONTHS, AFTER YEARS OF PRAYER!!!
A MOTHER'S DREAM COME TRUE : Teresita Delfin (Left) is finally reunited with son (Lorenzo Delfin) after 14 years of separation. Thanks to Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel, they can now celebrate their first Christmas in New York. Teresita's former attorney gave up on the case, and letters from 2 senators and a congressman were of no help. Attorney Gurfinkel took their case and in a mere 6 months, was able to bring mother and son together again.
NEW YORK -Lorenzo Delfin Jr. was four years old when his father died. He was eight years old when his mother, Teresita, left for Spain in 1980 to work as a caregiver to support her two children, Lorenzo and Lorendo.
In 1986, she went to Canada, where she worked as a babysitter. In 1988, Teresita entered the United States as a visitor, and settled in New York City, where she found odd jobs as house cleaner, baby sitter and caregiver. After six months in New York, she found an employer who petitioned her as a babysitter. In 1989, she got her green card, and immediately petitioned her sons Lorenzo and Lorendo.
In April 1994, Lorendo's application was processed, but brother Lorenzo's application was nowhere to be found. When Lorendo left for the U.S. in July 1994, Lorenzo was devastated. He was without a mother for 14 years already, and now his brother was also leaving.
Although Teresita was happy that at least one of her sons had joined her, her happiness was not complete without her other son, Lorenzo. She thought that maybe there was just a delay in the processing of Lorenzo's application. But after a year of waiting, there was still no word from the U.S. Embassy. So, Teresita decided to consult a lawyer in 1995.
After a year working on the case, the lawyer gave up, saying the case was "too complicated." She decided against seeking the services of any other lawyer, after her bad experience with the first attorney. Instead, she sought the help of two senators and a congressman, to no avail. It seemed that her dream of having both her children in the U.S. was never to come true.
Even though she lived in New York, she had heard and read about the track record of success of a very popular immigration attorney based in Los Angeles, who handled many "impossible" cases similar to Lorenzo's. She knew the lawyer, Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel, had an office in Makati, so she thought of asking her son Lorenzo to call Atty. Gurfinkel's Makati office. But she hesitated, thinking that Lorenzo's case was already hopeless. After all, if the two Senators, a Congressman and an immigration attorney she previously hired couldn't do anything, what could Atty. Gurfinkel do differently? So again she waited.
More than four years passed, and by 2003, there was still no word about Lorenzo's visa application. Now, Teresita was really worried.
Teresita then heard that Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel had just opened a branch office in New York City in November 2003, right across from the Grand Central Terminal, in the heart of Manhattan. She consulted with the popular attorney in his New York office in May 2004. Atty. Gurfinkel accepted the case, and in less than six months, in November 2004, Lorenzo got his precious visa and arrived in New York on December 1 to join his mother and brother for their first Christmas together after 14 years. Now, they can spend their holidays and future together.
"We were lucky that Atty. Gurfinkel opened an office in New York City, so he could help Filipinos in New York, New Jersey, and entire East Coast, with their immigration problems. He came to our rescue at a time when we needed an attorney's help the most," Teresita said. "The result of his work speaks for itself: He was able to give me my son, which my previous attorney, 4 senators and a congressman failed to do."
She added: "Had we not consulted him, we would not be celebrating our first Christmas together in 14 years. It was Atty. Gurfinkel's 'miracle' that made my dream come true."
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