Hi, if you’re reading this you most likely know who I am, and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll also know my dear friend Juan Diego. After moving from Ecuador to Georgia to study at the Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD), Juandi moved to NYC to start his career in architecture at BIG, one of the leading architecture firms, and now his three year visa is up. He found out in June that he did not get the H1-B visa through the lottery system, and quickly realized that his only chance at staying in the US was through an O1 visa, where visas are granted to foreign nationals based on their merits and contributions to a particular field. Juandi’s incredible talent speaks for itself and after speaking and working with immigration lawyers, they strongly believe that his portfolio could guarantee him an O1 visa to stay in the US. To accept his case and move forward with the process, he would have to upfront $10,000, in addition to the fees he has already paid up to this point. Starting July 27th, he will no longer be allowed to legally work in the US or be paid by his company, and by October he will be forced to leave and return to his native Ecuador. He still has a couple of weeks to trigger the O1 visa but the financial burden is keeping him from moving forward with the process. If I could, I’d pay for his legal fees myself so that he could stay in the US and continue pursuing his career, but I’m hoping that there are others out there who feel as touched by his friendship or by his story to help one of the hardest working and most deserving people stay in the city where he belongs.
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