Help Neil Fund His Green Card

[Updated 11-26-2016] I'm Neil Aitken -- I'm a published poet, the author of an award-winning first book of poetry, the founding  editor of Boxcar Poetry Review, a scholar of 19th century artificial intelligence in literature, a prolific translator of contemporary Chinese poetry, and a former computer games programmer (website ).  I recently completed a Ph.D. in Literature & Creative Writing at the University of Southern California.  Prior to that, I did an MFA in Creative Writing (poetry & fiction), and prior to that, I worked as a lead programmer for a company that published kids computer games.   Although a Canadian by birth, I've spent almost my entire adult life (roughly 20 of the last 24 years), from undergraduate to my  Ph.D. in the US.  You'd figure that I'd have a green card or be a citizen by now -- and you'd be wrong.

It turns out that US immigration policy is very complicated (see this chart ).  For the most part, if you're on a student visa, you can't apply for a green card other than through the lottery system.   Obtaining work authorization is also tricky and requires that you find a single employer who can sponsor you for a full-time job in your field of study.  For most international students, this is not always feasible -- especially in the humanities where it is far more common to pick up a number of adjunct positions from different schools in order to make ends meet. Not only is it complicated -- it's also very expensive (and beginning in 2017, likely to become even more expensive and complicated)

Ordinarily I'd have to first find a company or university to sponsor me for a visa to teach/work in a full-time position doing something clearly related to my studies.  This would get me a 3-5 year work authorization visa.  From there, I'd apply for a green card/permanent residency.  And later, I could decide to apply for full citizenship.  This whole process can easily take over 10 years.  Just getting to the green card can take 5-8 years.

But there's a shortcut.  If you happen to qualify for the EB1A category of green card (wonderfully titled "Alien of Extraordinary Ability"), you can bypass the visa stage and directly apply for permanent resident / green card status on the basis of your exceptional contributions and reputation within your field.  This is what (with your help) I am doing.

From the US Immigration Services Website:

Criteria for Demonstrating Extraordinary Ability
You must meet 3 out of the 10 listed criteria below to prove extraordinary ability in your field:

* Evidence of receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence 
* Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members 
* Evidence of published material about you in professional or major trade publications or other major media 
* Evidence that you have been asked to judge the work of others, either individually or on a panel 
* Evidence of your original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field 
* Evidence of your authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major trade publications or other major media 
* Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases 
* Evidence of your performance of a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations 
* Evidence that you command a high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field (Sadly not -- POETRY)
* Evidence of your commercial successes in the performing arts 

My odds of a successful application for the EB1 green card are good -- but the process requires more money than I have available (I've sunk an additional $2500 of my own money into this application)

Here's the breakdown of projected expenses (why $7000)

$540 - Application processing fee for US Immigration Services
$4800 (minimum) - Legal preparation fees (without a lawyer preparing the application, most applications, regardless of merit fail)
$700 - EAD application fee, Biometrics fee, medical exam, miscellaneous
$960 - 2nd round legal fees.

[2016 Update]   After completing my PhD, but not finding full-time teaching employment for Fall 2016, I moved up to Vancouver, WA (close to Portland, OR).  I'm applying again for various teaching positions for Fall 2017, but am also exploring options outside academia. Either way, having a green card in hand will make my applications much more persuasive.

So will you help me reach my goal of getting a green card and becoming a permanent resident?  I need your assistance.  Any donation is welcome - and please feel free to spread the word.  Think of it also as a way to help this geeky poet guy become a legally recognized  "Alien of Extraordinary Ability" -- the first in his class :)

Read more about me and my projects at:
www.neil-aitken.com