Hi friends,

I’m Nelson. I moved to New York from Argentina in 2019 to seek a better life. One where I could be free, safe, and start a new chapter in a country that has more opportunities. In 2021, Not long after I relocated, I married my now husband Greg, which finally allowed me to apply for a green card and start the process of securing my papers. This process was exhausting, expensive, and deeply invasive just to prove that I deserve to be here.

The first round of the green card process cost us nearly $5,000: $3,000 in legal fees and another $2,000 to the U.S. government just to file the paperwork. It took weeks of gathering documents, endless emotional energy, and then months of anxious waiting. But eventually, I got it—valid for a whopping two years. Because nothing says “Welcome to America” like a limited-time offer on your human rights.

Now those two years are up, I have to go through the whole thing all over again, just to keep living in the country where I work, pay taxes, and contribute like anyone else. That means more lawyers, more government fees, more stress. Another $5,000.

Greg and I are also moving apartments right now, which unfortunately means things are financially tight. After many weeks of thought and knowing that my green card is about to expire I’ve decided to swallow my pride and ask for help. I came to this country with $6000, a suitcase, and my cat, and through all the hurdles of being the new kid on the block in a place that I so badly wanted to be my new home I found my way.

I never asked for help even though if you live here, I’m sure you know that my $6000 dollars was gone by the time I secured my first apartment. I was a well known film maker in Argentina, but relocating has been the most humbling experience of my 46 years of life. I have worked several jobs from server, to cashier at a chocolate shop, to receptionist at a dog grooming place. These are all occupations that are way out of the comfort zone of what I have a degree in. It’s taken me nearly four years of networking to finally feel like I’m almost securing the work that feeds my soul again. I’m so grateful for the progress I’ve made however sometimes following your heart can be expensive. Which again, is why I’m humbly asking for a hand if you have one.

We’ve hired a great lawyer and started the process, but this time around I thought… maybe I don’t have to do it all alone.

If you’re able to chip in, any amount helps. Truly. Your support not only takes some of the pressure off—it reminds me that I’m not just trying to survive this system, I have an amazing city and a supportive community behind me that wants me to succeed.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me stay in the country I now call home.

With love and gratitude,

Nelson

P.S. They say this is the land of the free—but under this administration? I’m not so sure any of us are actually free or safe for that matter. Especially not migrants. And let me tell you, the freedom that comes with living here is definitely not free.