Bringing father of conditional LPR to US for medical care

[tanyakaraman 0]

My husband is currently a conditional permanent resident (he came here last year on K1 and currently holds 2-year GC). His father was diagnosed with prostate cancer this past summer and it has apparently now metastasized to his colon. He is having a hard time getting to the hospital in Turkey for radiation treatments due to the fact that neither he nor his wife drive and he is unable to sit for extended periods of time. Taxis are expensive and they are currently having to catch 3 different minibuses just to get to the hospital, where he needs to go every day for radiation treatments. Also, the doctors there are not giving him a very good prognosis.

I am sure that if he were here in the States, something could be done for him. Also, my husband and I would be able to care for him and drive him to appointments, etc. I am just not sure where to start...and if it is even possible to get medical insurance for him here. He has insurance in Turkey, but I have no idea if it will pay for care in the US.

As far as getting a visa, I've heard/read that he needs to apply for a tourist visa and we need to send an invitation, etc.. for him to come. My husband, however, has been talking to some other Turkish immigrants in our community and they've told him that churches commonly sponsor ppl to come for medical care, and if we can get a church to sponsor his father and pay for the medical care, etc., it can expedite the visa. I've never heard of this and I'm not sure if its true or how to go about it.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any advice on who I should contact or where to start looking?

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I am sorry to hear about your husbands father, it is very unlikely he would get a tourist visa unless he has very strong ties to his home country. The cost of Cancer treatment in the USA is very very high and he would not be able to get medical insurance here in the US as he has a pre-existing condition. Would it be possible for you to help his parents with money to pay for the taxi's and other needs he may have.

I do not know of any churches that will sponsor people to come for medical treatment and pay all the costs. Maybe you could contact some of the Hospitals in your area to see if they know of any help that you might be able to get. You could also talk to an immigration lawyer to see if there is anyway you can get him here, but I fear that USCIS will think he will become a public charge, unless you can show you have enough to fully cover all his medical and living costs in full.

[Mononoke28 134]

Even though your heart is in the right place, I'm pretty sure that a tourist visa would not help based on his condition. My father passed away from cancer and each hospital stay was over $60k, not to mention chemo and radiation treatments, so he would definitely need insurance which will be impossible to get.

I would also try to contact the churches your husband's friends are telling him about or even immigration lawyers to see if they have other options as Kez/JWolf recommended.

Diana

[tanyakaraman 0]

Thanks for your replies. I did some calling around and, as you say, it seems to be pretty much a futile case. I was hoping that his Turkish medical insurance (which is basically their version of Medicare) would be accepted somewhere here, but its doubtful they'd pay for anything outside Turkey.

The social worker at one hospital I called asked if either my husband or I were physicians or residents at that hospital. I guess that would have made a difference somehow...

Anyways, we are definitely planning to send money to help them with the taxi fare and my husband will go visit for as much time as he can. We just wish we could have him with us so we could help take care of him. My husband is very close to his father and its frustrating for him to know his father is sick, probably dying, and there's so little we can do to help.

[camistanbul 0]

Tanya, so sorry to hear about your husband's father. Where is he in Turkey? There are some excellent hospitals in Istanbul that have very high levels of care. If he's not in Istanbul, would it be possible for him to go there and stay with family or friends? I'm so sorry you and your husband can't bring him here, but perhaps he can find somewhere good for treatment in Turkey.

[tanyakaraman 0]

Tanya, so sorry to hear about your husband's father. Where is he in Turkey? There are some excellent hospitals in Istanbul that have very high levels of care. If he's not in Istanbul, would it be possible for him to go there and stay with family or friends? I'm so sorry you and your husband can't bring him here, but perhaps he can find somewhere good for treatment in Turkey.

Thank you so much for your thoughts! They live in Izmit...not too far from Istanbul. They do have family in Istanbul, but they'd be in the same situation with needing a taxi, as the family he has are on the Asian side and apparently the hospital he would go to is on the European side. My husband is going there next week to be with them and hopefully help them figure out what to do, where to go, and how to get them there. I too thought they should go to Istanbul if for no other reason, because there would be more family around them to help care for him instead of just his wife...and there'd be people there to support her through this as well.

He's really such a wonderful person (my FIL)...I love him as if he were my own father & I wish there were more I could do for him.

[wendya 0]

Tanya, so sorry to hear about your husband's father. Where is he in Turkey? There are some excellent hospitals in Istanbul that have very high levels of care. If he's not in Istanbul, would it be possible for him to go there and stay with family or friends? I'm so sorry you and your husband can't bring him here, but perhaps he can find somewhere good for treatment in Turkey.

Thank you so much for your thoughts! They live in Izmit...not too far from Istanbul. They do have family in Istanbul, but they'd be in the same situation with needing a taxi, as the family he has are on the Asian side and apparently the hospital he would go to is on the European side. My husband is going there next week to be with them and hopefully help them figure out what to do, where to go, and how to get them there. I too thought they should go to Istanbul if for no other reason, because there would be more family around them to help care for him instead of just his wife...and there'd be people there to support her through this as well.

He's really such a wonderful person (my FIL)...I love him as if he were my own father & I wish there were more I could do for him.

Hi Tanya and Ozzy. I am so sorry to hear about Ozzy's father!! Yilmaz lives in Gebze probably about an hour drive from Izmit (if I remember correctly). I know that when we were there, we took his niece to a beautiful hospital affiliated with John Hopkins. It wasn't that far from Gebze and maybe if you contact John Hopkins here, they could work something out there. Worth a try. I know that it would still be a distance for him to travel, but he would probably get good care.

My prayers are with you, Ozzy and his parents!!!

Love,

Wendy

[tanyakaraman 0]

Wow, thanks for the info Wendy! I'll definitely look into that! Thanks for your prayers too.

Tanya

Tanya, so sorry to hear about your husband's father. Where is he in Turkey? There are some excellent hospitals in Istanbul that have very high levels of care. If he's not in Istanbul, would it be possible for him to go there and stay with family or friends? I'm so sorry you and your husband can't bring him here, but perhaps he can find somewhere good for treatment in Turkey.

Thank you so much for your thoughts! They live in Izmit...not too far from Istanbul. They do have family in Istanbul, but they'd be in the same situation with needing a taxi, as the family he has are on the Asian side and apparently the hospital he would go to is on the European side. My husband is going there next week to be with them and hopefully help them figure out what to do, where to go, and how to get them there. I too thought they should go to Istanbul if for no other reason, because there would be more family around them to help care for him instead of just his wife...and there'd be people there to support her through this as well.

He's really such a wonderful person (my FIL)...I love him as if he were my own father & I wish there were more I could do for him.

Hi Tanya and Ozzy. I am so sorry to hear about Ozzy's father!! Yilmaz lives in Gebze probably about an hour drive from Izmit (if I remember correctly). I know that when we were there, we took his niece to a beautiful hospital affiliated with John Hopkins. It wasn't that far from Gebze and maybe if you contact John Hopkins here, they could work something out there. Worth a try. I know that it would still be a distance for him to travel, but he would probably get good care.

My prayers are with you, Ozzy and his parents!!!

Love,

Wendy

[ErikaAndHamit 73]

Wow, thanks for the info Wendy! I'll definitely look into that! Thanks for your prayers too.

Tanya

Tanya, so sorry to hear about your husband's father. Where is he in Turkey? There are some excellent hospitals in Istanbul that have very high levels of care. If he's not in Istanbul, would it be possible for him to go there and stay with family or friends? I'm so sorry you and your husband can't bring him here, but perhaps he can find somewhere good for treatment in Turkey.

Thank you so much for your thoughts! They live in Izmit...not too far from Istanbul. They do have family in Istanbul, but they'd be in the same situation with needing a taxi, as the family he has are on the Asian side and apparently the hospital he would go to is on the European side. My husband is going there next week to be with them and hopefully help them figure out what to do, where to go, and how to get them there. I too thought they should go to Istanbul if for no other reason, because there would be more family around them to help care for him instead of just his wife...and there'd be people there to support her through this as well.

He's really such a wonderful person (my FIL)...I love him as if he were my own father & I wish there were more I could do for him.

Hi Tanya and Ozzy. I am so sorry to hear about Ozzy's father!! Yilmaz lives in Gebze probably about an hour drive from Izmit (if I remember correctly). I know that when we were there, we took his niece to a beautiful hospital affiliated with John Hopkins. It wasn't that far from Gebze and maybe if you contact John Hopkins here, they could work something out there. Worth a try. I know that it would still be a distance for him to travel, but he would probably get good care.

My prayers are with you, Ozzy and his parents!!!

Love,

Wendy

Awww Tanya...I can only offer prayers.

When Hamit's mother had cancer she went from Batman to Istanbul for like 6 weeks until she could start going for weekly chemo treatments at a closer hospital near Batman. She has since finished her chemo, but I don't know if it is gone. I had the same problem with lasers and translating and all that like you said before. It seems they do things a little differently there. Anyhow, I will pray for you all. I am sorry.