Indian couple living in the US have received shocker of their life on Wednesday when they were asked to leave the country within 24 hours by the immigration officials of the US. What’s more shocking is that the couple are reputed doctors who have been living legally in the US for over a decade while they were expecting a permanent authorization from the immigration. The immigration officials have denied to extend their temporary permission to stay and have told them that they had only 24 hours to leave.
Dr. Pankaj Satija and Dr. Monika Ummat were told on Wednesday afternoon that it was ‘new policy’ and said the extension wouldn’t be possible so the immigration officials have asked them to move out of the US. Both the doctors are highly specialized neurologists and Pankaj performs about 200 surgeries a month. 40-yr-old Pankaj helped in founding the Pain and Headache Centers of Texas and he had 90 patients scheduled before the end of the week and was clueless when he had got a call from immigration office asking him to leave within 24 hours. Monika is specialized in epilepsy at Texas Children’s Hospital. The couple have two young US-born children.
Apparently, the family has never even been issued a parking ticket and pay their taxes quarterly, rather than once a year.
With no other option left, the doctors had called their legislators on Thursday and they even took up the matter to the media along with their attorneys to plead their case. Meanwhile, the couple told to customs officials at Bush Intercontinental Airport that they were ready to leave the country as ordered by the immigration officials. But here’s the twist as they were told the agency had changed its mind and agreed to give extension.
“Somebody at a higher level has made that decision,” they were told by an agent. “I understand that you are physicians and a lot of lives are at stake,” an official in the know was quoted in the saying. Although this issue has had a happy ending, the fear is looming large among other Indo Americans, immigrants living in the US.
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