<div>Hi all,
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<div>We’re humbly asking for support in what has been an extremely difficult season. As most know, we recently got married in August with a small park gathering, followed by a trip to Japan to hold a ceremony in Mamiko’s home, meeting and including both her family and Devin’s. Coordinating and affording any wedding is a major task, but we tried our best to keep it affordable and beautiful in the way we dreamed.
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<div>Part of this process’ next steps, as we move forward in living our lives in the States together, means that Mamiko needs to change her immigration status from non-immigrant visa holder to green card holder.
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<div>These were things we have tried our best to plan and save for, but as some of you also know, life handed us unexpected challenges in the summer.
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<div>Since July, we’ve had to weather a chaotic time, starting just a couple weeks before we married in NYC, we were unexpectedly told that we’d have to leave our old apartment. Our landlords, whom we had a great relationship with, changed suddenly and told us they’d be selling the building, assuring us that it would take at least a year, and not to worry — to focus on our wedding and travel plans.
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<div>Then, a couple weeks after our NYC wedding in August, they told us we had until the end of November to leave. Never mind that we’d be leaving for Japan soon and gone for a good chunk of that time.
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<div>We were then juggling national (both of us in and out of town) and international travel plans, wedding ceremony in Japan, work that had been changing and shifting… and now moving. This move definitely affected us emotionally and financially, which was very much so heartbreaking and added a lot of pressure on us who are both artists living in NYC.
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<div>Sharing this information might sounds “normal” — but if you have moved your apartment/house before with all of your furniture and belongings, you know how much of emotional and financial weight it gives you. Luckily, we were able to find somewhere, and so 5 days before we left to Japan we moved into our current apartment. The move took out almost all of our savings for the wedding, and we had to rely on family to safely finalize the move itself. The emotional toll on us both was heavy. And so with a new apartment full of boxes, we left for Japan.
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<div>So, we are now asking for help, as our savings were depleted between all of these events and we still need to move forward with Mamiko’s immigration status adjustment.
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<div>This GoFundMe is to cover Mamiko’s Green Card petition; We are humbly asking you to help us as we go through this challenging process, that will give us the roots and soil to grow together as a family, here in the States.
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<div>…and if you have any friends/family who went through any type of green card petition, you probably know that it is a process that cost you tons of money, time, and mental/emotional energy. (P.S. Thank you for all the people who have followed/supported Mamiko’s O1B artist visa renewal last time in 2023. &lt;3)
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<div>Luckily, this O1B artist visa will allow Mamiko to remain AND work in the States until the end of May of 2026. So we are hopeful to initiate and finalize all green card proceedings before her O1B expiration date in June of 2026 using a different path to her adjustment — the I-130 Immigrant Petition. (Our other path to her green card would mean she is unable to leave the States, AND cannot work while remaining, perhaps for years until she hears back from the government).
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<div>Thank you everyone, so so much. Every little bit helps, and we appreciate your time and support through this process. We have included a breakdown of our needs below:
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<ul>
<li>Lawyer fee <strong>$2750</strong>
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<li>Associated government filing fees (Family Sponsorship Form $675 + Financial Support Form $120 + State Department Processing $325 + USCIS Immigrant Fee $235)<strong> $1340</strong>
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<li>Mandatory health requirements and physical exam tests (to be completed in Japan at a later, TBD date) Around <strong>$650 </strong>for the base fee and could be additional fee for vaccination and exams if needed
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<li>Flexible flights to Japan and back for immigration interview (for immigration interview in Japan, also TBD date) <strong>$1800-3000</strong>
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<li>GoFundMe fee for around <strong>$200</strong>
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<div>Estimated total: Around <strong>$8000</strong>
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<div>It’s important to us, especially now more than ever, that we can continue to do what we do in the place we love, surrounded by the community we love. Creating places for radical expression. Connecting folks in places of safety and belonging. Spreading love, warmth, and human connection through the acts we do, the art we create, the people we cherish. We want to continue doing this together, here in NYC where we call home, and we need to help in order to do so. Thank you for your time in reading, and thank you for your consideration and generosity.
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<div>-Devin &amp; Mamiko
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/85202939_1735004609725667_r." width="100%" />
<div>(Family photo at Shiogama Shrine after wedding ceremony)
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Maryam Monalisa Gharavi

Manatsu Tanaka

Thomas Joseph

laurel walford

Maria Mendoza

Pedro Garza

Victoria Chaieb Dieck

Katherine Koyanagi

Elise Lukasiewicz

Chia-Ta Tsai

Nayara Estrada

Renee A Vito

Vanessa Raffaele

Arnold Balla

Emma Pfaeffle

Nancy Fields

Eileen Abidin

Brett Jackson

Holly Burdick

Brittany Marsicek

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