An Asian mother in Canada has been dreaming about her daughters for years, and they are still very young, as if time has stood still in the Philippines decades ago.
After a long period of hard work and waiting, the mother was finally reunited with her two daughters in Canada.
The story stems from the tragedy of a family separation. Thompson left the Philippines, leaving her children behind. She has been working to bring them to Canada for years, and now she has finally got her wish.
"In order to save money and send them tuition, I worked more than 10 hours a week, seven days a week. She recalled.
Thompson's sacrifice eventually paid off, and her children all became registered nurses. But she was always focused on one goal: to bring children to Canada.
It's been a long, expensive, and painful journey for Thompson and her daughters to get to this point.
Hope: Send money home for your child to go to school, and the child will eventually become a big man
When her children were still young, Thompson escaped an abusive relationship. To help support them, she worked as a housekeeper, first in Hong Kong, China, before moving to Canada in 2004.
Over the years, she has occasionally been able to see her children, but she longs to live in the same country as them.
She saved money to send back to the Philippines, where the children were raised by their grandmother and went to school.
"I work... She worked from eight in the morning to ten in the evening," she recalls. "I work like this all the time, Monday to Sunday, just to save money and send it to them. ”
Her sacrifice paid off as her remittances helped her four children become registered nurses.
Her only son works at Yellowknife, and her third daughter plans to pursue a nursing career in the United States.
The family cut back on food, frugality, and even borrowed money to make the Canadian dream come true.
Change: Sudden and hopeless loss of money and job
A year ago, the CBC investigation uncovered a complicated case that began in 2018 when Thompson's former employer introduced her to Ross and Burt Smith, owners of an employment agency in Toronto called Apex Connection.
At the time, Aubrey and April were working as nurses in the United Arab Emirates, and Thompson jumped at the chance of meeting Rose Smith and asked him to help them immigrate to Canada and find a job.
Smith charged them $24,000 to prepare their immigration applications and said she could help them take up a position as a personal care assistant at a nursing home in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Although the positions were far below their qualifications and were minimum wage jobs, Aubrey and April agreed to accept the positions just to live in the same country as their mother.
But when their relationship with Ross Smith suddenly deteriorated, leading to an unresolved dispute, the jobs and their money were gone.
When Thompson asked Apex Connection for a refund, Smith said she had done the work that matched the value of the money they had paid and had never claimed to be an immigration consultant.
She told CBC News that she had offered to meet with Thompson and her daughter to discuss a compromise, but they refused.
Thompson said they were hopefully abandoned and had nowhere to turn to.
Turnaround: A good Samaritan helps
After the CBC's investigation, Thompson and her daughter's situation finally took a positive turn.
Luckily, a good Samaritan saw the story and reached out, a partner at the international recruitment agency St. John's. Wada Kraft-Young contacted the provincial immigration office and successfully offered the sisters a job as a nurse.
"They speak good English and have a lot of experience. They will bring great value to our province. Yang said.
Joy Thompson's 36-year-old daughter, Aubrey, and her husband arrived at St. John's International Airport on the evening of April 21, and her second daughter, April, arrived in Canada the following day.
When they met, the mother and daughter couldn't help but hug each other. Aubrey kissed his mother's forehead several times, and his mother excitedly stroked her hair.
"I'm excited and sad to go through so much, but the most important thing is that they're finally here. Thompson sobbed.
After a long wait, the family was finally reunited in Canada for a new life. For Thompson, her dream has finally come true.
"I'm emotional, we're all happy. "Finally, we're here. ”
By this time, Thompson had become a grandmother. For April, she is delighted that her daughter was able to meet her grandmother.
"I missed out on their growth. Many birthdays, many graduations. "They're lucky to be here with their kids, and they should cherish every moment because there's no more time." ”