While Immigrant Doctor Fights Covid-19 on the Frontline, US Denied Her a Green Card

• Dr Julia Iafrate, an immigrant doctor in The United States, has been denied her green card application despite working in the frontlines against coronavirus.
• Originally from Canada, the female doctor has since lived in the U.S. for 13 years and is currently working at the Columbia University Medical Center as an assistant professor.

If there’s one thing the coronavirus pandemic has taught us, it’s probably this: our healthcare workers are modern-day heroes. These brave medical professionals are working hard throughout the crisis, working long hours as they help patients suffering from the dreaded disease.

So it’s just sad when we see our frontliners getting far less than the treatment they deserve. Case in point, an immigrant doctor in New York – the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. – has been denied her green card application despite all her work treating Covid-19 patients.

In an interview with CNN, Dr. Julia Iafrate lamented:

“I’m putting my life on the line every day to do this, and it’s just blowing my mind right now that they are not appreciating it or they don’t see the value in what I’m offering to do. I’m honestly beside myself. It’s like a slap in the face.”

An immigrant from Canada, Dr Iafrate works as an assistant professor at the Columbia University Medical Center. When coronavirus cases began increasing rapidly in the city, she decided to lend a hand by volunteering in the frontlines.

According to Dr Iafrate, he has lived in the country for the past 13 years. So she was greatly disappointed when the US Citizenship and Immigration Services informed her about the result of her application.

Several days ago, Iafrate says she heard from US Citizenship and Immigration Services that her green card application had been denied.

The agency later said:

“USCIS evaluates each petition, application and request on a case-by-case basis to determine if they meet all standards required under applicable laws, regulations, and policies… It is incumbent upon the applicant — not the government — to show that the prospective beneficiary meets the requirements for eligibility under the law.”

Several netizens have since expressed outrage about the controversial decision.

One commenter wrote:

“She has done more than many American politicians themselves. (This is) injustice at its best!”

Another suggested:

“She should go back to Canada and offer her services there. Forget US if they have no respect for you.”

Watch Dr. Julia Iafarte’s interview with CNN here: