On April 24th, the Toronto Star carried on its upper fold the story of a dying caregiver, 44-year-old Maricon Gerente, who was granted the elusive permanent residence status. It was reported that it was no less than Minister Jason Kenney who decided to dispatch two immigration officers to Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital to fingerprint the unresponsive Gerente in exchange for the landing status. The move was unprecedented and was said to be a direct reaction of the receptive Minister Kenney to the Star’s article on the plight of Gerente and the “tragic circumstances.”
However, Gerente’s two daughters, Lean, 14 and Saniel, 11, who flew in recently from the Philippines to be at her bedside were, by technicality, not provided their PR status.
Reactions to the unusual granting of PR to Gerente was swift and varied. Caregivers and advocates took to Facebook and immediately started a conversation.
“Good news, but it’s half the battle. We’ll have to deal with the issues regarding her children,” commented an advocate.
“CIC should grant PR faster for everyone and not just for caregivers who are sick or dying,” posted another.
In one casual private message thread, caregivers were quick to point out the cases of then dying nannies- Juana Tejada and Precy Limpiado- who were also granted their permanent residence status through the direct intervention of Minister Kenney.
Shortly after the two were granted their PRs, they both succumbed to their illnesses. Tejada died in a Toronto hospital while Limpiado decided to spend her last days surrounded by her mother and siblings in the Philippines.
A commonality shared by these three ill-fated caregivers was that they all worked hard, sacrificed so much and aspired for a better future for their loved ones in Canada.
Gerente’s case, however, highlights the all too familiar problem faced by thousands of caregivers who are patiently waiting for their PRs to be granted.
Gerente came to Canada in 2006 and applied for PR status back in 2010. The years that went by as Gerente waited for her PR in vain made her tragic story all the more heart-wrenching. Gerente will not have the benefit of raising her two daughters and give them a better life in Canada.
Hers is one extreme example of the human cost of prolonged wait times in the processing of PR applications. This predicament resonated with the caregivers who gathered at Wilson Parkette on a wintry Family Day to plead for faster processing of their PR applications.
“Longer wait times mean prolonged separation between caregivers and their families, increased financial, mental, physical, social and emotional costs,” they stressed, as they held a giant streamer saying, “Where art thou my family? I miss you. Happy Family Day.”
“Caregivers continue to suffer in silence as they continue to long for that day when they are finally reunited with their families in Canada. We cannot stress enough the importance of the role of a united family unit in building a stronger, better and healthier Canada,” according to the petition the caregivers presented to Minister Kenney at the parkette.
Like Gerente, many caregivers long for that day when they can be reunited with their families.
Prolonged separation also takes its toll on marriages with many caregivers, including Gerente, ended up divorced from their spouses.
Children are scarred by a feeling of abandonment caused by absent mothers.
It is worth reiterating the number one petition of caregivers to Minister Kenney: “Undertake all necessary measures to accelerate the processing of the applications of caregivers for permanent resident status and reunite them with their families as soon as possible.”
