Help Immigrant Theatre Artist Stay in the US
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Rodrigo Hernandez Martinez and Im an Immigrant Scenic and Costume Designer from Cancun, Mexico based in NYC.
I graduated from my BFA in Theatre Production Arts last year from Ithaca College and currently are on my OPT (Optional Practical Experience.) This is a 1 year work permit for us to gain practical experience in our field.
Under this visa you aren't allowed to work on anything non-related to your field of studies which means I haven't had any income since Covid-19 shut down the theatre industry and I haven't been able to apply to other "survival-jobs".
Another condition of the visa is that you cannot be unemployed for more than 60 days or you would get deported. This is why I haven't been able to file for unemployment and I've been living out of my savings. Plus applying for unemployment as an immigrant can be risky and doesn't guarantee that it'll get us benefits.
Im now in the midst of applying for a new visa to be able to stay in the US and work since my OPT ends in a week from now (July 19th). After that I have a 60 day grace period to apply for a new visa and hopefully be able to stay but Im not legally allowed to work during that time.
Im asking for $4250 dollars of "legal fees" to pay the layers that would help me apply for the visa. Plus $1885 dollars of "filing fees" that need to be payed for paperwork for the documentation. These numbers are based on the layers that Ive already contacted and broke down the prices for me.
Im hoping to reach the goal before my OPT ends (July 19th) so me getting money from donations gets less muddy since I would still be actively under a work permit.
I have been building my life in the US for 5 years now and I would love to keep growing here since this is where my personal and professional relationships are rooted now.
I know this are hard times for us so please know that any donation is more than welcome and deeply appreciated.
THANK YOU!
Rodrigo HM Edit: i never thought I would reach the goal let alone to reach it on the same day. I was hesitant to ask for money to pay my rent but the response has been so good I’m gonna change the goal to cover the last 2 moths of rent that I owe since I’ve been waiting for NYC to forgive rent. Thank you!!!
I graduated from my BFA in Theatre Production Arts last year from Ithaca College and currently are on my OPT (Optional Practical Experience.) This is a 1 year work permit for us to gain practical experience in our field.
Under this visa you aren't allowed to work on anything non-related to your field of studies which means I haven't had any income since Covid-19 shut down the theatre industry and I haven't been able to apply to other "survival-jobs".
Another condition of the visa is that you cannot be unemployed for more than 60 days or you would get deported. This is why I haven't been able to file for unemployment and I've been living out of my savings. Plus applying for unemployment as an immigrant can be risky and doesn't guarantee that it'll get us benefits.
Im now in the midst of applying for a new visa to be able to stay in the US and work since my OPT ends in a week from now (July 19th). After that I have a 60 day grace period to apply for a new visa and hopefully be able to stay but Im not legally allowed to work during that time.
Im asking for $4250 dollars of "legal fees" to pay the layers that would help me apply for the visa. Plus $1885 dollars of "filing fees" that need to be payed for paperwork for the documentation. These numbers are based on the layers that Ive already contacted and broke down the prices for me.
Im hoping to reach the goal before my OPT ends (July 19th) so me getting money from donations gets less muddy since I would still be actively under a work permit.
I have been building my life in the US for 5 years now and I would love to keep growing here since this is where my personal and professional relationships are rooted now.
I know this are hard times for us so please know that any donation is more than welcome and deeply appreciated.
THANK YOU!
Rodrigo HM Edit: i never thought I would reach the goal let alone to reach it on the same day. I was hesitant to ask for money to pay my rent but the response has been so good I’m gonna change the goal to cover the last 2 moths of rent that I owe since I’ve been waiting for NYC to forgive rent. Thank you!!!
Organizer
Rodrigo Hernandez Martinez
Organizer
New York, NY