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TWINS,
SEPARATED AT BIRTH: REUNITED IN THE U.S.
TWIN SISTER GETS VISA after being
refused a visa, Jsha Cusi sought the help of Atty. Gurfinkel and
celebrated her first Christmas in the US.
From Left to Right: Lolo Filemon, Father Simeon , Twin Sister
Jhona, Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel, Jsha with her baby Shaun, and
Adoptive “mom” Catalina Cusi.
To say that life wasn’t fair to 20 year old
Jsha Cusi would be an understatement. Try putting yourself in
her shoes on the day of her interview at the US Embassy when her
entire world almost collapsed.
She saw her dreams of going to America shatter before her very
eyes. While the rest of her family, including her twin sister,
were granted immigrant visas, her case was denied, and she had
to be left behind.
This tale of family intrigue all started years ago, when Jsha
and her twin sister, Jhona, were born to Simeon and Judith Cusi
(although were twins, they were not “identical”).
Simeon’s own sister, Catalina, was childless, and asked
if she could have one of the twins to raise as her own.
Seeing the desperation in his sister’s eyes, Simeon agreed
to give one of his twins, Jsha, to his sister Catalina. Jsha’s
birth certificate was then recorded, with Catalina listed as the
biological mother, although she was really the aunt.
In the meantime, the US citizen father of Simeon and Catalina,
Filemon Cusi, petitioned them, and the priority date on their
petitions became current. During visa processing, medical tests
at St. Luke’s showed that Jsha’s “mother,”
Catalina, had never given birth. So, how could she be the mother
of this child?
Confronted with this information, Catalina broke down and cried,
and confessed that Jsha was really her niece, and was Jhona’s
twin sister. Catalina tried to explain that her brother was merely
concerned about her growing old alone, and so he gave her one
of his daughters to take care of her in her old age.
(Under US laws, because Jsha was not Catalina’s biological
child, Jsha was not entitled to “derivative” status
under Catalina’s petition. There simply was no legal basis
to support a visa for Jsha under these circumstances.)
After the interview, Simeon (the real father) , along with Jhona
(Jsha’s twin), Catalina (Adoptive mom), and their “real”
families, were all issued immigrant visas to immigrate to the
US. But Jsha was not so lucky. Her visa was refused, and she had
to be left behind.
The painful revelation about her situation at St. Luke’s,
that her mother was really her aunt, her cousin was her twin sister,
and her uncle was really her father, coupled with the disappointment
of being refused a visa, while the rest of her family got theirs,
was too much for Jsha. The girl ran away from home, dropped out
of school, and later became pregnant.
It was in this desperate and seemingly hopeless situation that
the family thought that only a “miracle” could reunite
the family in America, They heard of the many success stories
of Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel in seemingly hopeless or impossible
situations. So they turned to this attorney, dubbed as the “Miracle
Attorney”, in the hopes that he could salvage their hopes
and family dreams.
Despite the fact that there was no petition filed by Jsha’s
real father, Atty. Gurfinkel was able to convince the US Embassy
to take another look at the case, by demonstrating that Jsha was
actually immediately entitled to a visa, despite how the family
had messed up the papers. The embassy reconsidered, and agreed
to issue the visa.
Atty. Gurfinkel also managed to have Jsha’s new Embassy
interview expedited, so that she could arrive in America in time
to give birth to a beautiful “American citizen” baby.
“I would like to thank Atty. Gurfinkel for helping me and
my baby get a new lease on life. This is a new hope and a new
beginning for all of us.” Jsha said, from her home in California.
“For Atty. Gurfinkel to turn around the case from a “denial”
to “approval” in such a short time was worth every
penny we paid him.” Simeon and Filemon added, “Seeing
one’s family under one roof is priceless”.
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