SA woman unable to return to her job in the U.S. - ‘I gave up my apartment to live abroad’

A W24 reader shares how she was affected by the grounding of flights and closure of borders as the coronavirus continues to threaten livelihoods.

Last year I was blessed with a job in the USA, and I fell in love with the country. It is totally different from South Africa. This year I have the same contract on the same farm where I worked. 

I had to courier my passport to the U.S. Consulate in Joburg in preparation for my trip back to the U.S., and the consulate received it on 17 March. 

But then lockdown happened.

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My world fell apart when we watched the president announce the lockdown measures. I know it had to happen and that it's in the best interest of every single person's life more than anything. 

However, since then, I haven't been able to find any news or help regarding visa issues.I know that all the appointments were cancelled, but nobody says anything about passports that had to be sent via courier, or whether they will be granted when the lockdown ends. 

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I would have been in the U.S. for most of this year, so it was best to give up my apartment - it wouldn't be worth it to pay rent when I wasn't going to be there for the year. 

I had to avoid what happened last year when I had an agreement with my landlord to rent out my flat with my furniture - people don't respect what is not theirs, so my furniture got damaged. And I paid storage every month for all my personal stuff, so it was not cost-effective. 

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