Filipina caregiver Karen Talosig has been denied a permanent resident status in Canaba because her daughter, Jazmine, is deaf. VANCOUVER SUN PHOTO
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A Filipina caregiver cannot become a permanent resident of Canada because she has a deaf daughter, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Karen Talosig, who has worked as a caregiver in Vancouver since 2008, learned that her 14-year-old daughter Jazmine would be too burdensome on the public system as she would need more than $91,000 in special education funding over five years, according to a report by theFilipinoPost.com.
School districts are eligible to apply for up to $18,300 per deaf student per year, depending on what the needs are, according to the website of British Columbia’s education ministry.
A person with a condition would cost the public system more than $6,327 a year will be found inadmissible on medical grounds, Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman Nancy Caron said in an interview with the Vancouver Sun.
The BC School for the Deaf and the Burnaby school district wrote letters of support for Talosig, but the government did not change its mind, stating that Talosig was not eligible for permanent residence since she has an inadmissible family member.
Talosig worked for Helene Whitefield, a Kitsilano resident in 2009. She applied for permanent residence for herself and her daughter in 2010. When she told immigration officials her daughter was deaf, she was not informed about her daughter being a potential financial burden on the public system.
Before a final decision is made, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has given Talosig another 60 days to submit more documents.
To sign the petition supporting Talosig, visit https://www.thepetitionsite.com/410/685/779/ask-immigration-minister-chris-alexander-reverse-decision-made-regarding-deaf-child/
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