help n & r
UPDATE (25 February, 2015)
My (n) father died very, very suddenly on the 26th of January. It was completely unexpected--one week, he was talking about going home in a few days from the hospital, the next he was in hospice and died the day after moving to the hospice.
His family is almost completely harming both my sister and myself, withholding funds from my father's business, and wholly being... cruel, to say the least.
He didn't leave a will (as mentioned, no one saw this coming) and had gotten my sister and myself an apartment which he was going to pay for the first two-three months to help us get back on our feet. I've been unable to work due to injuries sustained from being hit by a car while walking in 2013 and have needed a lot of medical treatment (and still do--I need a third surgery).
Sufficeit to say, I'm turning this GoFundMe into a combination of helping to get Reema here and to help my sister and I get funds to live.
I will update this with more information, right now I am mentally exhausted and having a lot of trouble putting all of this into words.
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The last leg to get Reema safely home and free of her oppression is close. Both she and I (n) are doing our best to raise money with jobs and commissions. If you can help, even with spare change, our cost breakdown is as follows, quoted from my attorney:
1. The forms that you will have to complete are: I-130, G-325A and I-864 – this last one is the Affidavit of Support.
2. The forms that Reema will have to complete are: I-485, I-765 (for employment) and I-131 (for travel).
3. The total filing fee is $1490. Other out of pocket costs are approximately $200-$250 for a medical exam for Reema. There are certified immigration civil surgeons who do this around the country. She will receive the exam in a sealed envelope which has to be file along with everything else. There is a minimal cost also for passport style photos – she needs 8 and you will need to and then charges for express mailing and copying. We do that to ensure that the packages are received.
4. The filing fee must be paid to us in advance (by that I mean the day before or the day of filing).
5. My attorney fees will be $1500 which is a reduced rate. However, I can only open a file with a retainer. Normally my firm requires $1000 but I will ask them to make an exception and only require you to pay $500 as a retainer. In the event of problems, substantive issues that we could not have predicted in advance I will charge an hourly rate, also reduced to $350/hr. I am hoping this will be unnecessary but need you to know regardless.
6. As I said, I do attend the interviews with my clients. I charge only for the time that I am actually at the interview, at the $350 per hour rate and mileage. I do not charge for driving time. Typically, I am at the immigration office for about an hour.
To summarize, our costs include
-Travel Documents for R: $120
-Filing Fees for Immigration Forms: $1490
-Attorney fees: $1500, + Interview Costs (~$350, + $20-$50)
-Flight: $800-$1200
These are our most immediate costs. I would like to be with Reema when she flies as it will be a scary experience for her alone, which would add another $800-$1200. However, this is only if we succeed in raising the money we need simply to GET her here. What is most important is that she and I are together, and I can protect and take care of her. No more starving from lack of food.
This will be edited and updated as I work on it. As many of our followers know, we must be discreet due to her family. I will do my best to provide all information needed, so long as it does not endanger Reema. This will be updated with a link to our commissions page as well as soon as we get all of our examples up.
Thank you all so much!! We are really very, VERY close to our goal. Reema is out of an oppressive country, but her situation is still frightening. Please help us get past this last little leg of the journey!
My (n) father died very, very suddenly on the 26th of January. It was completely unexpected--one week, he was talking about going home in a few days from the hospital, the next he was in hospice and died the day after moving to the hospice.
His family is almost completely harming both my sister and myself, withholding funds from my father's business, and wholly being... cruel, to say the least.
He didn't leave a will (as mentioned, no one saw this coming) and had gotten my sister and myself an apartment which he was going to pay for the first two-three months to help us get back on our feet. I've been unable to work due to injuries sustained from being hit by a car while walking in 2013 and have needed a lot of medical treatment (and still do--I need a third surgery).
Sufficeit to say, I'm turning this GoFundMe into a combination of helping to get Reema here and to help my sister and I get funds to live.
I will update this with more information, right now I am mentally exhausted and having a lot of trouble putting all of this into words.
-------------
The last leg to get Reema safely home and free of her oppression is close. Both she and I (n) are doing our best to raise money with jobs and commissions. If you can help, even with spare change, our cost breakdown is as follows, quoted from my attorney:
1. The forms that you will have to complete are: I-130, G-325A and I-864 – this last one is the Affidavit of Support.
2. The forms that Reema will have to complete are: I-485, I-765 (for employment) and I-131 (for travel).
3. The total filing fee is $1490. Other out of pocket costs are approximately $200-$250 for a medical exam for Reema. There are certified immigration civil surgeons who do this around the country. She will receive the exam in a sealed envelope which has to be file along with everything else. There is a minimal cost also for passport style photos – she needs 8 and you will need to and then charges for express mailing and copying. We do that to ensure that the packages are received.
4. The filing fee must be paid to us in advance (by that I mean the day before or the day of filing).
5. My attorney fees will be $1500 which is a reduced rate. However, I can only open a file with a retainer. Normally my firm requires $1000 but I will ask them to make an exception and only require you to pay $500 as a retainer. In the event of problems, substantive issues that we could not have predicted in advance I will charge an hourly rate, also reduced to $350/hr. I am hoping this will be unnecessary but need you to know regardless.
6. As I said, I do attend the interviews with my clients. I charge only for the time that I am actually at the interview, at the $350 per hour rate and mileage. I do not charge for driving time. Typically, I am at the immigration office for about an hour.
To summarize, our costs include
-Travel Documents for R: $120
-Filing Fees for Immigration Forms: $1490
-Attorney fees: $1500, + Interview Costs (~$350, + $20-$50)
-Flight: $800-$1200
These are our most immediate costs. I would like to be with Reema when she flies as it will be a scary experience for her alone, which would add another $800-$1200. However, this is only if we succeed in raising the money we need simply to GET her here. What is most important is that she and I are together, and I can protect and take care of her. No more starving from lack of food.
This will be edited and updated as I work on it. As many of our followers know, we must be discreet due to her family. I will do my best to provide all information needed, so long as it does not endanger Reema. This will be updated with a link to our commissions page as well as soon as we get all of our examples up.
Thank you all so much!! We are really very, VERY close to our goal. Reema is out of an oppressive country, but her situation is still frightening. Please help us get past this last little leg of the journey!
Organizer
Helen Allen
Organizer
Detroit, MI