Help Anastasia Rebuild: Rising Immigration Legal Fees

UPD: Thanks to this first wave of support, I’m now able to cover the government fee for my appeal, and the small part for the second filing as well.

For 15 years, I worked for social change and innovation, building civil society in Russia. In February 2022, my life turned upside down early one morning. I had just woken up, sitting on my bed, listening to the news, and realized my life would never be the same. Tears rolled down my cheeks—everything we had built for so many years was destroyed in a moment. My life split into “before” and “after.” Fifteen years of work, gone.

Before working in social change, I was a lawyer, so I knew the Russian system well and understood what would happen next. And it did—people who had anything to do with free speech or democracy started getting arrested. Every day, someone I knew—colleagues, friends—ended up in jail. I had to grab my cat and my laptop and leave my home. I jumped into the unknown, leaving behind my friends, my career, my home, my reputation, and everything I had built.

I was able to fly to the U.S. and get O-1 status as a person with extraordinary ability in social change. The day I got it, I felt real happiness for the first time in months—I was safe. These three years have not been easy, but now I finally see some light, and I feel that my work here matters and helps people.

In December, I applied for a green card. I have all the proof and documents needed. But the USCIS officer denied my case. My world turned upside down again. The refusal was completely unfair and made no sense. The officer ignored real evidence. My lawyers say the officer was careless and didn’t review my case properly. But knowing this doesn’t make it any easier. Just as I started to feel at home in America and made friends, this happened.

I have until June 10 to file an appeal and resubmit my case. The government fees alone are $6,500, and the lawyers’ work is another $10,000. I already spent $25,000 to get my O-1 and for my first green card application.

I cannot go back to Russia—it’s not safe for me. I want to stay in the U.S. and keep using my knowledge and experience to help here. Sadly, I have no family to support me, so there is no one else I can turn to. That’s why I am asking for your help. I need to file my case again and appeal, to prove the officer’s decision was wrong, but I cannot do this alone.

So many people in America have helped me—from finding a place to live to inviting me for Thanksgiving so I wouldn’t be alone. Here, I learned to believe in kindness and support. That’s why I decided to write and ask for your help.

All the money raised will go directly to pay the USCIS fees and my lawyers.

Thank you for every cent and any support you can give!