A Utah man and his Belarusian wife are racing against a visa deadline in Poland after a U.S. embassy officer refused her immigrant-visa case in under 10 minutes, and now they are asking people back home in Utah to help push the decision into a review before time runs out. Valentin and Anastasia Sergeif say they have less than a month before Anastasia's Polish visa expires, and if it does, they could be forced back to Belarus and cut off from the embassy altogether.
The couple, who married in Salt Lake City in July 2023, has spent roughly three years stranded in Eastern Europe, according to KSL. Anastasia traveled to Belarus to finish her education and obtain full piano teaching credentials, and what the couple expected to be a standard consular process instead stretched into years of waiting. Valentin described their situation as being stranded in a level-four travel advisory country under sanctions, border shutdowns and immigration freezes, per the outlet's report.
A Decade of Preparation Undone in Minutes
The couple worked with a sponsor in West Valley and compiled documents for a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Poland back in April. At that meeting, an embassy caseworker vetted their case and verified their Utah sponsor and spousal petition, telling them their case was solid but on hold because of a federal immigration freeze, and instructing them to return with updated documents once the freeze ended, KSL reports.
They did exactly that, returning to the embassy on Oct. 19. But the station's report says a different, replacement caseworker handled their case this time, and issued a blanket refusal in under 10 minutes without reviewing the evidence they brought, including the sponsor's affidavit of support and Anastasia's piano credentials. Valentin described the refusal as erasing three years of sacrifice, travel and community support in just 10 minutes, according to the same account.
Why They Can't Just Come Home
Valentin, as a U.S. citizen, could return to Utah relatively simply because his citizenship is not in question, KSL notes. But he has said he could not abandon his wife in a hostile, sanctioned country with closed borders. The fundraiser set up for the couple frames the stakes bluntly, with Valentin writing, “I am a U.S. citizen. My wife, Anastasia, is not,” explaining why he stayed by her side overseas.
Accounts differ on why Valentin lost his remote job in 2025. KSL reports he attributed the loss to international sanctions and regional supply issues, while the GoFundMe page set up on the couple's behalf states that, “my own employer chose to replace me with AI, erasing our only income.” The fundraiser also says the couple is staying in Warsaw to fight for reconsideration after Anastasia's visa was refused during the October embassy interview, and that her Polish entry visa is set to expire in November.
Racing the Clock in Warsaw
The Sergeifs are now looking for help from Utahns and lawmakers to push their case and the refusal into a review, KSL reports. Valentin has said they may have to contact Senator Mike Lee's office as soon as possible, after being told they can contact only one representative in the United States, and has requested that a senator open an emergency constituent inquiry to the embassy. The outlet also reports that the embassy has the authority to conduct a supervisory review of the refusal before Anastasia's Polish visa expires.
If that review doesn't happen in time, Valentin has said the couple will be forced back to Belarus and will lose access to the embassy, potentially leaving them stranded indefinitely. Federal travel guidance notes that borders with neighboring countries can close without notice, which can prevent U.S. citizens from leaving Belarus, and that U.S. citizens are restricted from entering Poland from Belarus unless they meet one of the exceptions currently in place, according to the U.S. State Department.
Valentin and Anastasia have also experienced deteriorating health during their time abroad, Valentin has said. Friends and the couple's Utah church congregation have stepped in financially and set up the GoFundMe fundraiser, which lists lodging in Warsaw, emergency legal support, document preparation and transit home among the expenses the money is meant to cover.
What a Visa Refusal Actually Means
Under federal rules, when a consular officer determines an applicant is not eligible under U.S. law, the application is denied or refused and the applicant is given a reason for the denial, according to the State Department's guidance on visa denials. The National Visa Center cannot change a refused decision; applicants must contact the consular office that made the original call, per the department's immigrant-visa processing FAQs. If missing documentation is the issue, the consular officer is supposed to inform the applicant what's missing and how to provide it, the department's guidance on the interview process states.
The Sergeifs' struggle echoes a wider pattern described by NPR, which reported that a federal judge struck down a ban on issuing immigrant visas to people from 75 countries, yet immigrants continue to be stuck in their countries regardless of that ruling. For now, the Sergeifs remain in Poland, hoping a review comes through before their options run out.
