According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Alvina filed on Friday in Los Angeles and is requesting spousal support from Anthony. She also checked the box to block the court's ability to award any support to Anthony ... and also wants him to pay for her attorney fees.

Anthony and Alvina met while attending Howard University in Washington D.C. in 1989 ... he dropped out his junior year due to financial issues, but is reportedly working towards graduating this year with his son.

After marrying in 1999, the two became separated from 2014 to 2016. As we reported, Alvina filed for divorce back in 2015 but dropped the case the following year. This occurred at the same time Anthony booked his popular role on "Black-ish."