Felled by stroke, Filipino TFW faces deportation from Canada
Jose Osano in hospital in Canada. PHOTOS BY NOVIE SANCHEZ
RED DEER, Alberta – An overstaying Filipino in Calgary is appealing before the Canadian government to let him remain in Alberta to recover from a stroke.
Jose Osano, 47, who is undergoing physical rehabilitation at the Calgary Foothills Medical Center, was met by an agent of the Canada Border Services Agency on January 29. His ballooning hospital bills may have prompted hospital administrators to notify CBSA of his status, suspects Osano.
In January, the manager on the stroke unit informed Osano that his bill had reached over $100,000. A daily charge of $2,500 is added on for the duration of his hospital stay.
Inland enforcement officer Neil Opthof, under subsection 44 (1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, sent a report to the minister of immigration outlining Osano’s offense.
In his report, Opthof cited violation of the act subsection 29 (2) which orders temporary residents, such as a temporary foreign worker, to leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay. An admissibility hearing would follow if the minister determines the report is well founded.
Was a TFW
In a phone interview, Osano said he had been working under the federal government’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program for seven years when his work permit expired in March 2015.
His temporary resident status was only valid until June 30, 2015. He worked for Country Hills Toyota in Calgary as a car detailer. TFWs whose work permits expire do not receive further health care coverage.
In August 2014, Osano filed his application for the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, a pathway for skilled and semi-skilled immigrants in Alberta to obtain permanent residency. The program requires a valid work permit from applicants. His application did not proceed because of an invalid work permit.
Osano first entered Canada in 2008 on a work permit. After coming back from the Philippines in April 2011 to work for the same company, he was again granted two extensions by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the second of which expired in March 2015.
He applied for another extension but this was denied by CIC on June 30, 2015 on which date, his temporary resident status lapsed. He then applied for a restoration of his status, which was also denied by CIC in November, 2015.
Ordered to stop working
CBSA officer Opthof has also imposed conditions on Osano. He is being ordered to report a new residential address, stop working without prior authorization by CIC or CBSA, surrender his passport or travel document, abide by all conditions imposed by a CBSA officer, cooperate with the agency in completing any documents related to establishing identity or obtaining travel documents and report as directed for a removal arrangement from Canada.
Jose Osano recuperating.
Osano, a father of three, survived the months without a job with the help of his Filipino friends. He said he stayed in Canada despite an expired work permit because he would like a permanent residency status based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. He recently filed this application this January.
On December 11, 2015, Osano was helping a friend fix a car when he fainted. He was taken to Peter Lougheed Hospital and was later transported to Foothills Medical Center for a specialized care.
It took a week after the incident for him to stabilize. The stroke caused paralysis to the left side of his body. It was a month later that hospital staff started reminding him of his expired temporary status in Canada, he said.
“Even my neurologist keeps saying I should not be here because I am taking up a bed,” said Osano. He is now able to step his left foot and a left hand grip is also present. He receives four times daily physical and occupational therapy.
Novie Sanchez, a close friend, has put up a GoFundMe page for Osano, pleading financial support from the Filipino community to help fund his day-to-day needs and legal fees. She said that Osano should be allowed to stay for his welfare and for his family’s future.
For those interested in donating please visit the website: https://www.gofundme.com/3m3gg59d.
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