Help Tiah to stay in the US as she waits for visa

Hi, my name is Tiah and I am a recent graduate of Wesleyan University.

Originally from Birmingham, England, I moved to the U.S. four years ago as a first-generation, POC, and low-income student. I am a Sutton Trust scholar—a Fulbright Commission program that supports low-income and state school students to gain access to leading U.S. universities.

As a non-traditional student, my time at Wesleyan and in the U.S. has brought and continues to bring many challenges. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I worked 3-4 jobs each semester to support myself and relied upon my scholarship to cover my major expenses.

Now that I have graduated, I will no longer receive this support. I spent my senior year applying for numerous jobs and have since received offers of employment. However, according to strict immigration regulations, I may not begin working until I receive a visa work authorization. It has been almost three months since I applied for this authorization and therefore, I have not been able to work in any capacity nor have I been able to pursue these opportunities. I have lost job offers as a result. I am doing everything I can to expedite my application, including working with a case manager. However, it is not clear whether and when US immigration will respond to my requests. I also do not have the means to pay $1500 for a premium processing fee that the agency charges to expedite the process. In the meantime and until I receive this authorization, I am unable to earn an income and am surviving purely on the personal savings I have acquired. I am quickly running out of these funds and do not know how much longer I can sustain myself.

Moreover, Wesleyan was unable to provide me with housing during this period, leaving me without a permanent address or stable living situation. I have been staying with friends since leaving university but I do not know how much longer these friends will be able to host me. I will have to continue couch surfing until I can begin work and secure permanent housing.

I come from a single-parent household and am the only member of my family to have traveled to the U.S. Neither one of my parents attended college and they are not in a position to support me throughout this time. I have endeavored to maximize the opportunities I have been given since moving to the U.S. I am now striving to carve out a life and career for myself in the U.S., but greatly fear that these immigration and financial barriers will take this opportunity away from me.

Any amount that you can help with, no matter how small, will be extremely helpful and greatly appreciated.

Even if you cannot directly help, thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

-Tiah