My name’s Jack, and I need some help to stay in the country that’s been my home for the past 11 years. I'm raising money to secure my immigration status with a new UK visa. About Me I’m a 28-year-old American who’s been studying and working in the UK since 2010. I currently live in London, teach history part-time at a university level, and work as an advocate for MindOut, an LGBTQ mental health charity. I’m a gay trans man and do work helping other marginalised people navigate oppressive healthcare and immigration systems, know and defend their rights, look after each other, and create safe, joyful community spaces. I love writing, theatre, sci-fi, hiking, teaching, dancing, wild swimming, and my pet fish Frank. The Situation Like most of us, I’ve had a pretty hard year. I finished my PhD and lost my primary source of income as a walking tour guide just as the pandemic started, sending me into a nonexistent job market and leaving me unemployed and unwell for four months. Because of my immigration situation, I’ve had no access to unemployment benefits in either the US or UK. I was the victim of a banking scam in July, which left me without any money at all. I only stayed housed and fed during the pandemic due to mutual aid networks (including a few I helped set up) and a supportive, loving community. Though I’m now very lucky to have a job, a frontline mental healthcare salary and significant education debt mean I’m still living paycheque to paycheque and approaching a big immigration decision – which is why I’m asking for some help to build a stable living situation for 2021. What’s The Plan? I really, really want to stay in the UK, which has been home for over a decade. My partner of eight years, most of my closest friends, professional networks, career opportunities, and community are all here. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean much to the Home Office, and without a new visa I’ll need to leave the country in the spring. Living with an insecure immigration status since I was 18 has significantly impacted my ability to make decisions and feel secure about my career, housing, relationships, and hopes for the future. Going back to the US would also mean losing access to healthcare, which is a pretty scary proposition for a trans person in a pandemic. I really want to be able to spend the rest of 2021 knowing where I'll live a year from now, having some housing and employment stability, and hopefully getting a little space to rest and recover from the year we've had. I’m therefore looking to apply for a Skilled Worker (formerly Tier 2) visa, which is my best option for staying in the country based on my visa eligibility and travel/immigration history. I'm asking for about £5000 to help me hire an lawyer, pay for the application, and ideally get an expedited visa decision, which will hopefully allow me to make plans to visit my family. Though some of these costs may change as I finalise the circumstances of my visa application, I’m currently looking at the following breakdown: - £1408: Visa application fee - £624: Healthcare surcharge - £1500: Immigration lawyer costs - £1000: Buffer costs to demonstrate ability to support self - £500: Expedited visa decision Any funds I don't use will be donated to Lesbians &amp; Gays Support the Migrants and the UK Lesbian &amp; Gay Immigration Group, both of which provide vital support, campaigning, and solidarity work for people navigating the draconian, inhumane UK border system. I am so, so grateful for the support I've gotten from my friends, colleagues, and strangers over the past year. I want to be able to continue to give back to my communities in the UK and beyond by setting myself up with the stability a new visa would bring. Any contribution or boost really helps; thank you so much.

Hiroki Dionysus

O A ABEL-UNOKAN

Caitlin Turnbull

Anonymous

Roan Runge

Frey Kwa Hawking

Maurice Casey

Jhanie Fender

Nicholas Shannon

Annalise Kieley

Ash Parry

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