Nancy Cooper's legal status in the United States would have been tied to her husband, immigration lawyers said Thursday. The couple had not yet received green cards or permanent resident status; Cisco Systems, Bradley Cooper's employer, had applied for a set for the couple, friend Brett Adam said.
If Nancy Cooper had left her husband, she might have jeopardized her standing in the U.S.
"Whatever status she had is dependent on his status and his willingness to include her," said Jack Pinnix, a Raleigh lawyer who specializes in immigration law but is not involved with the Coopers.
Nancy Cooper came to the United States on the coattails of her husband. He'd worked for Cisco in Calgary and accepted a transfer to their division at Research Triangle Park. The company secured Bradley Cooper a temporary work visa; Nancy Cooper's was attached to his.
To move to the U.S., Nancy Cooper shelved a budding career in the tech world and left a clothing boutique she ran in Calgary, her friends have said. Here, friends said, Nancy Cooper's visa didn't allow her to work, so she raised her daughters full-time.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2864/story/1145768.html
Thanks for the link.
I get soooo angry over these "guidelines" of immigrants to a country tied to work visas and financial support of one spouse for the other. Nearly impossible to get out of unless you break the laws and make a run for it. It was 8 years they lived in the US!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So many people are trapped in situations like this--and not just in third world countries. I understand the need for controls and for protection so a parent does not 'kidnap' a child across borders.
BUT.....here is another example of a tragic outcome.
There has to be a better solution.

Thank goodness the kids are safe and surrounded by love.