Help Gracie and Mike go home
Donation protected
In 2015,I was awarded custody of my then 5 year old daughter. It was a short,but emotional court case that came with some strings. I was told that I would be awarded custody,but we would have to stay in Alberta. The lawyers and the courts here felt that there should be a time period for Grace and her mother to rebuild their relationship. I agreed even though there was no time limit set for this experiment.
So for the last 6 years we have been on our own. In a different country away from all family. To cross the border with Gracie,I needed written permission from her mother. So for the last 6 years we have been allowed one week a year to visit my parents,friends,and the rest of our family. We usually paired the visit up with my work to over travel costs,so we were only able to see so many people in the time allowed.
On Good Friday of this year,Grace's mother sat down with us and admitted the experiment just hadn't/wasn't working and gave us permission to move. To finally go back home.
Staying in Canada allows us to keep all our medical benefits,so we have narrowed our choices down to Ottawa or back to Rochester,New York. Ottawa is close enough to family and friends and still keeps us in Canada.
So that leads us to the cost. Gracie needs a Citizenship Certificate to solidify her dual citizenship. This also would allow us to go back and forth without the written permission. Just to file the form is $1100 US,so around $1500 CA. The lowest retainer I've found for an immigration lawyer is $3,500. That brings us to 5,000,leaving 3,000 towards moving expenses. A U-haul is 3,500 for 7 days one way or we sell everything and just start over.
And then we're home.
If you can help,fantastic.
If you are one of the hundreds of people that have helped us on our journey so far,thank you so much. We love each and every one of you. And if you can't help financially maybe you could just share this and someone else may be able to lend a hand.
Gracie and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for being so supportive of our journey from day one.
It's finally time to go home.
Peace,
Mike and Gracie Dambra
Organizer
Michael Dambra
Organizer
Edmonton, AB