An American woman who has had a home in Nova Scotia for more than 15 years faces deportation this week.

Patricia DuRuz returned to Canada as usual last week after a visit to the U.S., but border agents told her she was an illegal alien and would have to leave.

"I was shocked and horrified. I thought this cannot be happening,” she said Monday.

She must exit Canada by Wednesday.

DuRuz cares for her Canadian common-law husband, Stelios Donald Ninos, and says the sudden, forced departure will be hard on his failing health.

"I'm ready for a breakdown, put it that way. I'm at my wits’ end. I can't stand the thought of what could happen Wednesday morning. It's just an impossibility to think about,” she said.

Like a 'death sentence'

Ninos has twice suffered heart attacks in the last two years, as well as a stroke and the effects of type two diabetes.

"It's almost like a death sentence for me because I don't do well. I need care. I'm lucky to have her,” he said.

DuRuz spent Monday working the phones, trying to contact her MP, her councillor, her MLA — anyone who could help her remain in her Eastern Shore home.

DuRuz applied for permanent residency two years ago, and recently learned her paperwork was wrong. She thinks that led to the deportation order.

"If there appears to be a problem with my paperwork and my residency status, give me a chance to sort it out,” she argued.

"It's an impossibility for me to go anywhere. I have nowhere to go. This is my home."

Stelios Donald Ninos says his health will suffer should his wife leave. (CBC)

She bought her Lake Charlotte home in 1999. The retired flight attendant says she returned for regular visits, but never for more than six months at a time.

Immigration lawyer Lee Cohen says the short time line is unreasonable.

"I think they're doing it because they can, not because they need to,” he said.

Since border services admitted DuRuz each time she applied for entry, and since she never stayed more than six months, she's done nothing wrong, the lawyer argues.

"So from my perspective as a lawyer, each time that she was readmitted to Canada by the Canadian Border Services Agency, she was being readmitted as a visitor."

Canada Border Services Agency wouldn’t comment on the specific case, but issued a generic statement that admissibility is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Unless the CBSA reverses its decision, DuRuz will have to get on a U.S.-bound plane Wednesday morning.