Hi, my name is Kaitlyn Lewis and I am fundraising to afford my spouse visa renewal, to stay living with my disabled husband in Wales United Kingdom. I was born and raised in Ohio USA and my husband, Michael Lewis, was born in Shropshire, UK. Michael moved to Llanelli Wales, UK when he was 5 years old and has lived here ever since. I moved here to be with him Aug 2020, after we got married in Ohio in July of 2019. Spouse Visas are very expensive and need to be renewed every 2.5 years. Neither Michael nor I come from a well off family, and have struggled paying for the Visas since the beginning. At the end of this month, Oct 25th, my visa needs to be renewed again and turned into ILR (indefinite Leave to remain), meaning I can stay in the UK permanently with my husband with no more visa renewals required. This is going to cost us about 4,500 GBP in total with lawyer fees. We have done everything we can to save money over the last 2.5 years but have been hit with a series of unfortunate family and personal issues.
My husband has severe issues with his feet that will one day lead to amputation. He also has problems wit his knees and mental health. Due to this he has been unable to work and has relied on PIP (Personal Independent Payment) and Universal Credit to survive. I work in retail part-time, as I also struggle both physically and mentally. I have had a pain condition since the age of 13 and am diagnosed with a few mental health problems as well. I am also Michael's full time unpaid carer. As he gets older and his feet get worse, I am doing progressively more to make sure he can live his life to the fullest.
To help his mental and physical health, Michael plays wheelchair rugby for a local club. He loves it, and I love getting to watch him practice and compete. In our spare time, we both volunteer at a local Wheelchair Rugby Club for mixed ability children that meets on the weekends.
Despite our ailments, we are madly in love and have been since we met. Michael also has a daughter, Kodie, who I love being a step-mother to. We have created a home here, made up of all our wonderful friends, family members, and our 2 cats (Butters and Enzo). I can't imagine my life without Michael, and my wonderful step-daughter Kodie, by my side. This beautiful country has been my home for over 5 years now and I want nothing more than for that to continue.
If we can't come up with the money to fund this final visa and application for ILR, I will be deported by the UK government and sent back to Ohio USA. My entire life is in jeopardy, and we have done everything we can think of to get the money needed without any luck. We would take out a loan, but no place will give us one due to being in debt from the pervious visas.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our story, any help you could offer us would be greatly appreciated!
Organizer
