Mary Anne De Ramos arrived in Mexico this month with her vacationing Canadian employer. But now, the Filipina nanny is facing the prospect of being stranded indefinitely in Puerto Vallarta thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Monday, Canada closed its border to anyone except Canadian citizens, permanent residents and Americans. Temporary residents such as those with valid student and work visas like De Ramos are not exempt.

“I understand the need for quick and decisive action; however, please consider the people who have already left their families to begin a better life in your country and are on the path to becoming Canadians,” said De Ramos, who came to Toronto early last year to look after Toronto resident Deborah Lucas’ two young sons.

“My life and all my possessions are in Canada, and I know this is the case for many temporary residents like me. In these unique circumstances, please don’t turn away people who pay taxes and work hard to build the multicultural Canadian community we all are proud of.”

It is not known how many temporary foreign workers, international students and other temporary residence visa holders are currently stranded overseas and banned from re-entering Canada but the latest immigration data shows Ottawa had issued 2.4 million temporary residence permits in 2019.

De Ramos flew with her Philippines passport to Mexico on March 1 with Lucas and her husband to look after their two boys, one who is four, the other 10 months, on their vacation.

Although they had booked an Air Canada flight to come back on March 26, Lucas, a marketing professional, said they started reaching out to the Canadian embassy last Friday as soon as they heeded Ottawa’s warning asking Canadians abroad to return home.

Since De Ramos carries a Philippines passport, she would need an American visa to fly through the United States, but the application would take days, if not weeks.

“It has been impossible to get in touch with any airline. The earliest direct flight we could find online is March 22,” said Lucas, who purchased the tickets over the weekend, just before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau closed the border to non-Canadians on Monday.

“We did everything we could as responsible Canadian citizens. We are trying to come home. Mary Anne is like a family member now. How can we leave her? How can Canada let down a member of its community?”

While she appreciates Ottawa’s effort to protect Canadians, Lucas said the border closure measures overlooked the interests of the country’s temporary residents who are part of the Canadian fabric, too.

“We are all exposed to the same germs. Mary Anne will self-isolate with us when we get home. It’s a non-Canadian thing to do, to turn our back on them and put them at further risks,” said Lucas, adding that the border policy oversight must be rectified.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

On Wednesday, De Ramos heard back from the Philippines Embassy in Ottawa that she cannot return to her homeland because she is without an official “Canadian visa exit stamp” that she needs to be admitted to Manila.

She has no other option but to remain alone in Mexico if Lucas and her family leave for Canada.

“I am really worried that I can’t go back to Canada,” said a teary De Ramos, who has a university degree in psychology and dreams of one day becoming a Canadian citizen.

Read more about: