Next month, Betsy will become eligible to apply for Irish citizenship.

And while being Irish is great in and of itself, it's especially important for Betsy because it will remove the burden of applying for visas to be allowed to remain in the same country as her young Irish child.

She cannot rely on her child's father to cooperate with her applications for a spousal visa, or to produce the documents to prove that she is the parent of an Irish citizen.

Due to international custody laws, it will be extremely difficult for her child to live anywhere but Ireland for several years, or even leave to visit family  without the consent of his father.

Betsy needs to stay in Ireland if she wants to stay with her child.

The citizenship process is expensive even in the most uncomplicated cases, but in a case involving an uncooperative ex-spouse, she will incur additional legal fees. Betsy needs to apply for a dispensation for her child's passport in order to receive a non-spousal visa that will allow her to continue to live and work in Ireland.

This fundraiser hopes to cover the citizenship application and legal fees that will keep Betsy and her child together.

We are so grateful for your help in keeping a loving mother and her child together through a frightening situation.