Help Brenda & Fernando Stay in the US
Donation protected
Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted souls,
Nearly eight years ago, we arrived in this wonderful country to pursue our musical dreams. Since then, we’ve lived in four cities and states—sometimes together, sometimes apart (Cincinnati, OH; Macomb, IL; Boston, MA; Binghamton, NY)—and Fernando spent an additional year in Munich, Germany. Along the way, through hard work and with the support of merit-based scholarships, we both completed our Master’s and Doctoral programs and even managed to get married during a global pandemic. It’s certainly been quite a ride!
Despite our advanced degrees, pursuing careers in the arts has been challenging. Most companies and institutions are reluctant to navigate our temporary immigration status. On top of that, working under an F1 student visa limits job options and hours, making the job search incredibly difficult. However, two and a half years ago, Brenda was fortunate to secure a full-time academic position and obtain a work visa (H1B).
Thanks to her current status, we are now eligible to apply for permanent residency. While this process would greatly improve our lives—allowing us both to live and work freely in the US, and enabling Fernando to pursue any job—it requires significant financial resources that we do not currently have. Unexpected expenses, such as premium processing fees (due to recently increased visa processing times), expiring passports, and unplanned travel, have raised the total cost beyond what we had initially budgeted for.
We need to expedite this process before July 12 so we can travel to fulfill important professional engagements: Brenda’s presentation at the 11th International Congress of Voice Teachers in Toronto, and Fernando’s participation in the 2025 Khachaturian International Conducting Competition in Armenia (Fernando is honored to be the only Latin-American and Hispanic conductor in this prestigious competition, a significant milestone in his career). Additionally, he will also participate in the 2025 Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Conducting Festival in Canada.
We’ve been building our lives, brick by brick, overcoming the challenges life has presented. Looking back, we are incredibly grateful for the friends we’ve made, the communities we’ve been a part of, the lessons learned, and the greatest gift this beautiful country has given us—meeting each other. Over the years, we’ve learned when to ask for help, and it would mean so much to us if you could offer yours. If you’re unable to contribute financially, sharing our campaign would also be a huge help. Please know that we deeply value your friendship and the role you've played in helping us become who we are today.
If you're interested in seeing what we do, you can do so by clicking on the links below.
Warmly,
Brenda and Fernando
PS: You can find a breakdown of our total costs below.
FERNANDO
DS-160 Form: $160.00
Visa Issuance Fee (at the Consulate): $205.00
Form I-765 (Employment Authorization): $520.00
Form I-539 (Extend/Change Non-Immigrant Status): $470.00
Form I-693 (Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record): $500.00
Birth Certificate Translation: $80.00
Premium Processing Fee (Green Card): $2,805.00
TOTAL: $4,740.00
BRENDA
Premium Processing Fee (for H1B renewal-shared cost): $1,402.50
DS-160 Form: $160.00
Visa Issuance Fee (at the Consulate): $205.00
Form I-693 (Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record): $500.00
Birth Certificate Translation: $80.00
Premium Processing Fee (Green Card): $2,805.00
TOTAL: $5,152.50
TRAVEL EXPENSES
Roundtrip flights to Mexico for Consulate Appointment: $1,200.00
FINAL TOTAL: $11,092.50
Co-organizers (1)
Fernando Gaggini
Organizer
Binghamton, NY
Brenda Iglesias
Co-organizer