‘You Will Be Discharged From The Ward But Cannot Leave’: Eight-Month Pregnant TCN Held In Hospital
Corazon* – a woman who is over eight months pregnant – has been held at the hospital, after being discharged by doctors, because she does not have enough funds to settle her almost €1,500 balance.
She was hospitalised after the stress caused by being issued a deportation notice – due to her former employer failing to register her with Jobsplus, and Identity Malta failing to share information with Jobsplus – caused her body to mimic symptoms of labour.
She has been put through a lot of stress already, as she has had to face the prospect of her family, after six years here, being deported.
She is not an “irregular immigrant”, she is a victim of the Maltese state.
Identity Malta (IM) reached out to Lovin Malta asking to reach out to Corazon, a third-country national who was over eight months pregnant when she found out that due to her employer’s negligence, and bureaucratic logjams, the Maltese state was calling for her deportation.
IM wanted to look into her case, urgently.
“I want to assure you that we truly understand your situation, and have made every effort to assist” began the response.
“However, upon careful review and consideration of your case, it is with regret that we must inform you that we cannot proceed with your application at this time due to your irregular immigration status.”
“At the time of application submission, it was noted that you have exceeded the permitted duration of stay by 245 days.”
Patricia Graham – a citizen working on behalf of dozens of Third Country Nationals, was understandably angered – but not surprised by this response. She works too closely with migration authorities for their shenanigans to shock her.
“ID Malta just doesn’t get it!” she told Lovin Malta.
“How can Corazon be illegal when they themselves issued a work permit for her previous employer, valid through to June 2023?”
When Lovin Malta informed Corazon that her case would be reviewed by IM, she was in the hospital.
“I thought my water broke. I went to the hospital as my blood level dropped too. They keep monitoring me and the baby’s pulse rate, my pulse rate is a bit high cause of stress and anxiety.”
Corazon was given false hope by IM, who seemingly reviewed her information, without coordinating with other agencies or checking to see the work permit they’d issued to her, and come right back around to the same conclusion.
She is going to struggle to pay her hospital bills – and has set up a fundraiser through which anybody interested in helping a pregnant woman in need can donate.
They’re trapped in a cage of their own bureaucracy. And hard-working, vulnerable people in Malta, who are often at the whim of exploitative and negligent employers, are paying the price.
“Identity Malta cannot proceed further as your migration position falls outside our purview of jurisdiction.”
If you are in a position to donate and help Corazon cover her hospital bills, please do so by getting in contact with Patricia Graham via Revolut transfer (99077473).
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