Bills & expensesLegal & immigrationCritical
Justice shouldn't depend on a bank balance: Jian's family reunification petition
A family reunification petition deadline is approaching and Jian cannot afford the lawyer.
Anywhere in the world1,672 views
I'm facing a family reunification petition. My hearing is scheduled for November, and the filing fees and the lawyer's retainer come to $1,150. I have been told by three legal-aid offices that their waiting list is longer than my deadline.
I have all of my paperwork ready, and my caseworker at a local immigrant rights clinic has confirmed that my case is valid.
If I miss the deadline I could lose my right to stay with my family and my job. My children were born here and this is the only home they know.
I'll share any non-sensitive updates as the case moves along.
The money goes to the immigration attorney's trust account and the court filing office. I'll upload receipts with sensitive details removed.
Where the $1,150 goes:
• Filing and biometrics fees: $720
• Certified translations and document copies: $270
• Court-appointed interpreter and travel: $160
I'll keep this page updated with receipts as things happen.
- Jian
Updates from Jian
No updates yet. Supporters are notified when the owner posts one.
- Riley T. Boyd 🇨🇦 · $250
- Jenny A. Bautista 🇵🇭 · $200
- Aaron Jimenez 🇺🇸 · $100
- Nilmini Madhavi Amarasinghe 🇱🇰 · $100
- Gianna Shaw 🇬🇧 · $75
“Best of luck. Been where you are, it gets better. - Birmingham”
- Nomsa A. Singh 🇿🇦 · $60.50
“God bless. Hope this covers a bit of it. - Soweto”
- Chloe K. Wood 🇺🇸 · $50
“Keep your head up. Thought of Jian all day after reading this. - Greensboro”
- Vino Fajar Pane 🇮🇩 · $50
- Armando E. Estrada 🇪🇸 · $25
- Alice Robinson 🇺🇸 · $25
- Solène Sanchez 🇫🇷 · $25
“Only $25 but hope it helps. - Reims”
- Koen Ruben Dijkstra 🇳🇱 · $22
“My cousin told me about this one. - The Hague”
- Jihan Kirana Wijaya 🇮🇩 · $20
- José M. Núñez 🇨🇴 · $10
“Hope things get better. Only $10 but hope it helps. - Medellín”
- Anonymous 🇪🇸 · $10
- Zain Farhan Ismail 🇵🇰 · $10
- Thanaporn Tippawan Tangsiri 🇹🇭 · $10
- Piper K. Peters 🇺🇸 · $10
- Fikru Eyob Lemma 🇪🇹 · $10
“Be well. Hope the November deadline works out. - Adama”
- Anonymous 🇳🇬 · $10
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Thanks for sharing this, Jian. It takes guts to ask. Well done.
You're not alone, Jian. Your post was clear and honest. Don't be hard on yourself for asking. All the best.
Best of luck, Jian. Reading this made my day a bit heavier but I'm glad I did.
wishing you peace. Your post was clear and honest. We lost years of savings to something like this so I get it. Greetings from Kathmandu
Looking forward to the next update. My neighbor in Kisumu donated after I showed her your page.
Thanks for sharing this, Jian. I hope things turn around soon. Put this on a community board in Brampton this morning. God bless.
Good luck, Jian. Reading this made my day a bit heavier but I'm glad I did. Thinking of Rockford
hope it all works out, Jian. I hope things turn around soon. Wish I lived closer to Hồ Chí Minh City so I could bring a meal. Thinking of Rockford