Filipino family gets 2nd chance at a life in Canada after paying $24K to unregistered immigration consultant

Even after they had grown up, every time Joy Thompson dreamed of her daughters, Aubrey and April Nuval, they were frozen in time as the nine- and 10-year-old children she'd left behind in the Philippines decades ago.

Her entire life has been devoted to bringing them to Canada to be near her.

"I'm so nervous," said Thompson, pacing and fidgeting as she waited on the night of April 21 for the first of her daughters, Aubrey, now 36, and her husband to land at St. John's International Airport from Dubai. Her second daughter, April, arrived the next day.

The long wait over, they ran into each other's arms, holding in a long embrace. Thompson kissed Aubrey repeatedly on the forehead and stroked her hair.

"Thank you for being strong for us. I love you, ma," said Aubrey.

"It's mixed emotions after what happened," said a teary-eyed, emotional Thompson. "The important thing is that they are here."

Reaching this point has been a long, costly and painful journey for Thompson and her daughters.

When her children were small, Thompson fled an abusive relationship. To help support them, she took jobs as a domestic worker, first in Hong Kong and later in Canada in 2004.

She did see her children occasionally over the years, but longed to live in the same country as them.

She saved up and sent money back home to the Philippines, where the children were being raised by their grandmother, to put them through school.

"I worked … seven days from eight to 10," she recalled. "I worked that hours, Mondays through Sunday, just to save money and send it to them."

Her sacrifice paid off, because her remittances helped all four of her children become registered nurses. 

Her only son works in Yellowknife, and her third daughter is planning to practise in the United States.

Thompson, who now works in the hotel industry in Niagara Falls, Ont., has remained focused on one single goal: Bringing her children to Canada.