Brazilian ex-pat Juliana Costa has just finished her last round of chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer, but it’s her immigration fight that’s still up in the air.
After being told her working visa wouldn’t be renewed, she was due to leave the country yesterday.
But now she’s applying for an exemption that will allow her to stay for another 42 days.
That will give her extra time to see if a petition to the Immigration Minister to grant her a medical waiver will be granted.
”It was a hard period and now we are facing a new challenge, but we are so confident,” she says.
”I pray every day for the best. We have tried everything we could and the community is on our side, so to stay and reciprocate all of the love and help would be amazing.”
A Givealittle page set up to help Costa cover her Immigration expenses has reached more than $2750.
Any leftover funds will be donated to the Cancer Society.
She says she and husband Armindo Machada have flights booked to Brazil for May 15.
”If I don’t hear anything or have the request declined, I’ll have to leave for good on that date.”
Mayor Jim Boult has also written to the Minister.
As of Tuesday he hadn’t heard back, and said he would be following it up.
