MANILA, Philippines – Will a quadriplegic Filipino worker in Canada be deported?
Maria Victoria Venancio, a Filipino worker living in Edmonton, Canada, who is in the country on a temporary visa, was biking to work at a McDonalds franchise in 2013 when she was hit by a car. The accident left her quadriplegic and unable to work.
If that wasn’t painful enough to deal with, she may get deported, according to a report on CBC News Edmonton.
“We’re still hoping they can allow me to stay here. I was so blessed and thankful for all my friends and church friends who came here to support me,” Vanancio said.
Venancio entered the country through a temporary work visa and will be unable to renew it due to her condition.
According to CTV Edmonton, Venancio has been living in Canada illegally since her work visa expired and has no medical coverage. But she is receiving free treatment from the University of Alberta.
Back in the Philippines, “her family lives 3 hours from a major center and the simple lack of infrastructure would present incredible challenges to her,” her lawyer Chris Bataluk told CTV News. He said, “She’s becoming more independent. And here in Canada, where we have things we take for granted, like paved streets and DATS buses, she has the opportunity to progress and live a relatively fulfilling life.”
She was issued an exclusion order in a deportation hearing – which would not allow her to return to Canada if she left. But the removal itself would have to come from Canadian Border Services, which has not scheduled an enforcement hearing.
Venancio is also suing her former employer for medical and disability coverage. – Rappler.com
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