Critical Update (May 2026): Because of the sudden U.S. Immigration Freeze, the Embassy cannot issue my wife’s final Green Card Visa. We are now running out of time to legally remain in the EU near the Embassy. All funds cover the emergency survival, medical, and legal expenses required to beat this crisis.

HOW WE GOT TRAPPED.

In the summer of 2023, one month after our wedding at Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, we were full of hope and ready to start our new life. Instead, we found ourselves 5,000 miles away from home.

I am a U.S. citizen. My wife, Anastasia, is not. To comply with U.S. immigration law and finish her mandatory post-graduation assignment as a piano teacher, she had to return overseas to one of the most isolated regions of Eastern Europe. I went with her. We thought this would be a short-term setback.

But borders closed. Geopolitics shifted. The world changed. A temporary work trip became an exile of nearly 3 years.

By the time Anastasia was finally free to go, my own employer chose to replace me with AI, erasing our only income. My life savings were gone. Our living expenses were going on credit cards. We were trapped with no way to earn, no way to leave, and no way to build a life in a foreign country.

At the same time, the isolation and the daily struggle to find safe, nutritious food took a devastating toll on our health. I have a permanent hormonal disorder (hypogonadism) that has led to severe bone loss, muscle atrophy, and chronic fatigue. Anastasia suffers from a nervous system condition (dysautonomia) that triggers debilitating nausea and piercing migraines, often leaving her bedridden. We are weak. We rely on each other for daily care. We cannot separate or leave each other behind.

In the dry Utah climate – with the right food, supplements, and medication – our conditions are highly treatable. But every month we remain in exile is another month of deterioration we may never fully recover from. Back home, we will finally have the nutrition, care, and community we need to regain our strength and return to productive lives.

WHAT YOUR SUPPORT HAS ACHIEVED: $23,000 RAISED (FUNDS SPENT).

 

When we launched this campaign, coming home felt impossible. But the love and generosity of friends, family, fellow parishioners, and wonderful strangers from across the United States and beyond carried us forward.

We cleared thousands in survival debt. We paid the U.S. federal taxes required to sponsor my wife. We built the case and gathered the evidence for an emergency immigration filing at the U.S. Embassy. And we funded the grueling journey to Warsaw, Poland – and every week of living expenses needed to keep us there while our case was processed.

 

This was an enormous investment, and it paid off. Against all odds, the U.S. Department of State approved our petition. On April 17, 2026, Anastasia passed her multi-step medical exam and walked into the U.S. Embassy for her long-awaited immigration interview.

Every single dollar you gave brought us to that door.

 

OUR NEW BREAKING POINT: THE U.S. IMMIGRATION FREEZE.

Anastasia’s Green Card Visa should have been printed that very morning. But it wasn’t.

The U.S. Government has imposed a sudden, indefinite freeze on U.S. immigration. The Embassy cannot issue the visa. There are no exceptions. We must survive in legal limbo until the courts strike it down.

During the freeze, the Embassy wants to ensure my wife will not apply for U.S. public assistance. Because our health has destabilized and we cannot legally work in the EU, they demand concrete evidence of financial support. A successful campaign both keeps us alive and provides the financial guarantee our Embassy case requires.

SURVIVING IN POLAND: WHY WE MUST RAISE $12,000 NOW.

Just as the freeze hit, our GoFundMe was hit with an automated international compliance review (“Fundraiser not found”). We lost all our momentum. For 3 months, our link was dead, and every donation attempt failed. With no other way to cover our living expenses, we had to drain the funds set aside for our flights home.

We survived the blackout, but we spent our reserves. We are currently in Poland on a 90-day visitor limit – and our time is running out.

To remain in Poland, we must fund a residency program upfront. If we fail, we lose our legal status and physical access to the Embassy – and face separation across borders or a forced return to the isolated region we just escaped.

To beat this deadline and stay together, we must raise the funds for:

We must secure this 4-month survival window. A federal lawsuit, CLINIC vs. Rubio, is challenging the freeze in court, but the legal process takes time. Fully funding this step will help ensure we are not separated while we wait for a ruling and work with the U.S. Embassy toward visa issuance.

WE NEED YOU TO STAND WITH US.

We fought this battle for nearly 3 years. We survived a 3-month blackout. We kept going when everything seemed lost because we knew you were with us.

You carried us to the Embassy. We have won 90% of the case. With your support, we can beat the hard 10% that remains.

Here is how you can help us finish this fight:

1. Give if you can. Every donation – whether it’s your first, your next, or a monthly lifeline – funds our immediate survival in Poland while building the financial guarantee the Embassy requires. $50 buys us a day of food and medicine. $100 keeps a roof over our heads. A larger contribution unlocks the upfront costs of the legal residency we need to reach safety.

2. Share our link. Your share puts our story in front of someone who might be the difference between us making it home and being forced back into an isolated, hostile environment. Think of the warmest, safest people you know – friends, family, or church community. Please send them our link. This is the only way our page can be found and not forgotten.

Every donation and every share directly changes the course of our lives. Please help us survive this freeze so we can finally be safe, healthy, together, and home.

With love and gratitude,

Valentin & Anastasia