I need help with my immigration fees

Hi, I'm Megh. In 2016 I moved from the US to the UK to settle with my husband and child (who are both British citizens). It has been a long and expensive process, but when my limited leave to remain in the UK expires this summer, I will be eligible to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

I am in a difficult position because when my current status expires in July, I have to apply to either extend my current immigration status, apply for indefinite leave to remain, or move back to the US.

The application fee to apply for indefinite leave to remain is thousands of pounds. Although my husband and I are both working, the last few years have been very difficult financially. In addition to the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, we hadn't fully recovered from the expense of moving countries when I was signed off work in May 2019 due to my health. I've been very fortunate to now be in a stable job where my employers are able to accommodate my needs. However, being financially unstable for several years took its toll, and we have been unable to save any money and are basically just trying to keep our heads above water.

I have researched options for fee waivers or discounts, and the only option the UK Government offers is to extend my current visa rather than applying for indefinite leave to remain. The cost of applying to extend my current immigration status is also thousands of pounds when you factor in the application fee and the NHS surcharge I'd have to pay. So the most cost effective option is to apply for Indefinite leave now, not just because the fee is slightly lower, but also because it means I won't need to pay any more immigration fees until I'm ready to apply for naturalisation. Whereas right now I'm having to pay thousands in fees every 2.5 years to extend my temporary status.

Moving back to the US is not an option due to the financial and emotional cost.*

I know times are tough for a lot of people right now, but any little bit you can donate to help with these fees will be so deeply appreciated. And maybe with a lot of people donating a little, we'll be able to raise enough to pay the fee.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

*Amongst other reasons, my child is Autistic and currently attending a special school as he is unable to attend mainstream schools. He has only just really settled into this school after a year and a half, and started to really see the benefit in terms of his emotional wellbeing and academic performance. Changes such as moving to a new country and going to a new school would be a major disruption to a neurotypical child, much more a neurodivergent child, and would cause major setbacks in his development.