Immigrant girl

Chapter 14. Anya.

"I want to apply for political asylum," I practically shouted this sentence. After both Caleb and Alex said they were willing to proceed for arranged marriage with me (I don't know about them, but for me, it's definitely arranged marriage), I felt like I just had to say something. It all felt like some crazy comedy of situations.

"Are you sure about this, Anya?" the lawyer looked at me attentively. "I mean, marriage is the easiest option we can use."

"I understand, but for starters, I would like to know about the other two options before resorting to the simplest one. After all, we're just discussing it for now," I said, looking at everyone in the room one by one, before settling comfortably.

"Of course, Anya, I understand you. It's the right and professional approach to the matter. I appreciate that," Hugo stood up and approached me, sitting down on a chair, crossing his legs and checking his organizer. "So, if we're considering the option of political asylum, we'll encounter a number of problems and limitations. Since you've been in the country illegally for more than six months, the immigration service may question why you didn't apply for asylum immediately. Let me explain why you've been in the country illegally for only six months. When you entered, the border officer stamped your passport with the maximum length of stay in the country, which is six months. So, for the first six months, you were here entirely legally. So, we may have a few explanations as to why you didn't apply for asylum right away: first, changed circumstances in the country of your residence, and second, changed circumstances in the individual's life that give them the right to seek asylum (for example, adopting a new religion). As you can see, we don't have many options."

"What did you mean by changed circumstances in the country of residence?" Alex asked, not me.

"I mean that there could be a war, a change of power, protests, and other events affecting the political situation," all this information was difficult for me to grasp. It felt like the lawyer was speaking in a language I couldn't understand.

"How will I provide evidence that I'm being persecuted in my home country?" I asked.

"You don't have to worry about that. We have highly professional lawyers in our firm who will handle all the documents, evidence, certificates, and so on. Your involvement in the process will be minimal," Hugo was jotting something down in his organizer. "As you can see, seeking political asylum is a very complex option. As for a work visa, theoretically, we can start the process even though you're already in the U.S., even though you're supposed to be outside the country to obtain this visa. We can involve one of Mr. Dovlatov's companies, I assume?" He looked questioningly at Alex.

"Yes, of course, I own two international companies and can file a petition to bring in foreign specialists," I thought, irritatedly: Who would doubt that you have international companies? You probably have a company on Mars! I mused to myself.

"That's very good; it would be quite helpful for us. But again, we have this issue of six months of illegal stay in the U.S. I want to talk to some of my acquaintances to see if we can smooth over this little slip-up, but I must warn you that it will require additional expenses," Hugo smiled politely.

"Whatever the expenses may be, it's not a problem. Miss Stern is a very valuable employee to me, and your task is to do everything necessary to resolve her document issue," Alex's eyes were fixed on the lawyer with a hidden threat.

"Mr. Dovlatov, you can have no doubt; I am the best in my field," Martins replied to Alex, and it seemed like a small confrontation. "So, we've discussed two possible options. Again, I'll repeat that the marriage option would be a very easy solution for all of us, especially because there's no need to address the issue of the expired six months since immigration services won't be interested in your violations in this case, Anya," he leaned closer to me, as if he didn't want Alex and Caleb to hear him. The guys tensed up, and everyone listened carefully. "Anya, if you're not satisfied with either of these candidates for your spouse, we can easily find another contender. But I very much ask you to consider this option."