For the past eighteen months I have been in the process of applying for a US Green Card (E3-Skilled worked) with the goal of living and working in Northern California as a Special Education teacher. After a thorough test of the labor market was completed, I was very fortunate to secure a full time job offer from a great public high school. Basically, my skill set allows me to be considered for work in the US within the area of Special Education because it is an area of such high need in my community.

There are a multitude of challenging hoops that one has to jump through in order to secure a US Green Card, and I am almost there! However the financial cost of this application is more than I ever anticipated.

This includes:

DHS Filing Fee for I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker)   700.00
I-140 Processing Fee                                                                                                200.00
DHS Filing Fee for I-485 (Petition to Adjust Status to Permanent Resident)                                                                                                                     1,225.00
I-485  Processing Fee                                                                                               300.00
Premium Processing Fee                                                                                   1,225.00

For the last 10 months I have been legally restricted to part time work ( 20 hours max per week )  and have also been responsible for the course fees as a full time international student ( $2,100 per quarter). This has given me little opportunity to save money towards these visa fees, despite my desire to work as hard and as much as possible.

There is an acute shortage of Special Education teachers in California and a teacher shortage nationally. I am committed to staying in this specialist field to support the most vulnerable students where I feel I am able to a make the most positive contribution. In 2016 I  received the California Charter Schools Star award, highlighting my commitment to supporting students and my fellow teachers. https://www.theunion.com/news/news-briefs/sael-teacher-wins-charter-schools-award/


I am really hoping that I can raise the funds for this final leg. Anything you are able to contribute would be greatly appreciated.


"Ms James.... the most adventurous teacher.... as strict as she is caring" - quote from actual high school student.