Visa to Keep Dad with Us!
Donation protected
Hello! Sawadeeka! Before we get into WHY we need your help, let me start with HOW my wonderful family all began in the first place! 8 years ago, I was walking over a jungle mountain in Railay, Thailand and met the cowboy of my dreams. He joking asked me to stay and teach in Krabi, and I laughed. Today we are married with 2 beautiful daughters and our family is in dire need of visa funds. We were young and in love and spent the last 6 years building a life in Thailand. Over 50 people flew from other countries to attend our wedding in Thailand. Shortly after we were married, I became pregnant with our first daughter. Tara just turned 2, and she is smart, sweet, and silly. Just after her first birthday we found out we were expecting our second child.
Now here's the WHY, this summer we came to America to visit extended family before we became a family of four. I had prepared a "fit to fly" certificate from my doctor in Thailand, and we traveled the east coast for 5 weeks right into my third trimester. After a wonderful trip and heartfelt goodbyes, we headed to JFK to return to Thailand; knowing we had a short amount of time to properly prepare for the birth of our second daughter.
Devastatingly, the airline attendant checked our passports, printed our boarding passes, and allowed me to move away to take care of our screaming baby girl, Tara, who was tired, hungry, and overwhelmed because the check-in counter was the busiest I have ever seen. It was in that moment they refused me for travel. They said I could have 24 hours to get a new certificate. Unfortunately no one would issue me a new one that far into my pregnancy as a first time/new patient. We ended up back in my home state of North Carolina and had to work quickly to set up life before baby number two's arrival.
At 33 weeks pregnant, with the support of our family we got ourselves settled into a temporary home and got back to anxiously waiting for our newest addition. Norah was born just a few weeks later and she was showered with more love and cuddles than you could ever imagine. After a few days in the hospital, our family of four was finally under the same roof! While we ooh’ed and ahh’ed over our girls, in the back of our minds we were still facing the reality that Z Games’ visa was up at the end of December which meant a costly trip back to Thailand for him.
Although Kerry was a well-versed traveler, the two-day trip back home with his almost-two year old daughter was nothing short of daunting! They made it! Tara and Z returned to Thailand for 3 weeks. Mind you, this was the first time we had ever been away from one another, except for the 2 nights in hospital when Norah was born. He did a fantastic job taking care of Tara and getting back home. I worked as much as I could just one and a half months after having a baby. When he arrived in the US, he was skeptically granted another 6 month tourist visa. This does not grant him to work, puts limitations on his options for driving, and most importantly means that we only have six, now 5, months to figure it out!
Now, here’s where we need your help! I have applied to as many different types of jobs as possible. I am either overqualified or under qualified for everything, but haven't given up on the extensive job search. We currently know all the paperwork needed to apply for his proper marriage visa which would allow Z Games to eventually get a green card– however, the cost of the application and process alone is almost $3,000! On top of those fees, the final step is an interview with immigration in Bangkok which means another costly ticket to Thailand. After being stuck in the US, where I am the only one eligible to work, and we need your help! We are looking for your donations to primarily cover the cost of the visa process and Z Games ticket home for the final immigration interview in Bangkok.
ANY and ALL donations are deeply appreciated as it is one step closer to keeping our family together!
Now here's the WHY, this summer we came to America to visit extended family before we became a family of four. I had prepared a "fit to fly" certificate from my doctor in Thailand, and we traveled the east coast for 5 weeks right into my third trimester. After a wonderful trip and heartfelt goodbyes, we headed to JFK to return to Thailand; knowing we had a short amount of time to properly prepare for the birth of our second daughter.
Devastatingly, the airline attendant checked our passports, printed our boarding passes, and allowed me to move away to take care of our screaming baby girl, Tara, who was tired, hungry, and overwhelmed because the check-in counter was the busiest I have ever seen. It was in that moment they refused me for travel. They said I could have 24 hours to get a new certificate. Unfortunately no one would issue me a new one that far into my pregnancy as a first time/new patient. We ended up back in my home state of North Carolina and had to work quickly to set up life before baby number two's arrival.
At 33 weeks pregnant, with the support of our family we got ourselves settled into a temporary home and got back to anxiously waiting for our newest addition. Norah was born just a few weeks later and she was showered with more love and cuddles than you could ever imagine. After a few days in the hospital, our family of four was finally under the same roof! While we ooh’ed and ahh’ed over our girls, in the back of our minds we were still facing the reality that Z Games’ visa was up at the end of December which meant a costly trip back to Thailand for him.
Although Kerry was a well-versed traveler, the two-day trip back home with his almost-two year old daughter was nothing short of daunting! They made it! Tara and Z returned to Thailand for 3 weeks. Mind you, this was the first time we had ever been away from one another, except for the 2 nights in hospital when Norah was born. He did a fantastic job taking care of Tara and getting back home. I worked as much as I could just one and a half months after having a baby. When he arrived in the US, he was skeptically granted another 6 month tourist visa. This does not grant him to work, puts limitations on his options for driving, and most importantly means that we only have six, now 5, months to figure it out!
Now, here’s where we need your help! I have applied to as many different types of jobs as possible. I am either overqualified or under qualified for everything, but haven't given up on the extensive job search. We currently know all the paperwork needed to apply for his proper marriage visa which would allow Z Games to eventually get a green card– however, the cost of the application and process alone is almost $3,000! On top of those fees, the final step is an interview with immigration in Bangkok which means another costly ticket to Thailand. After being stuck in the US, where I am the only one eligible to work, and we need your help! We are looking for your donations to primarily cover the cost of the visa process and Z Games ticket home for the final immigration interview in Bangkok.
ANY and ALL donations are deeply appreciated as it is one step closer to keeping our family together!
Organizer
Kerry Gallagher
Organizer
Chapel Hill, NC