A humanitarian visa is granted to the family of a 27-year-old Colombian mother with terminal cancer in California

They ask for a humanitarian visa so that the family can say goodbye to the terminally ill 2:03

(CNN Spanish) -- 

The parents of Paula Durán, a 27-year-old Colombian mother who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, received a humanitarian visa that will allow them to travel to the United States to accompany their daughter in what could be her last month of life.

Colombian congresswoman Saray Robayo Bechara posted a video on social media this Tuesday confirming the news.

"What great joy we feel for having achieved that Paula Durán's parents were granted the American visa for her reunion in California," Robayo wrote on Twitter.

What great joy we feel at having achieved that Paula Durán's parents were granted the American VISA for their reunion in California.

When we come together as a country we can achieve great things.

Our gratitude to the @USEmbassyBogota and the @CancilleriaCol.

🇨🇴🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4vdicqv7je

— Saray Robayo Bechara (@sarayrobayobech) January 17, 2023

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According to a statement from the Colombian Foreign Ministry, the government institution has been in permanent contact with Sergio Vega and was the one who submitted the humanitarian visa application for the relatives of Paula Andrea Durán.

The humanitarian visa, also known as 

or humanitarian permission, is an option for those who have an urgent humanitarian reason or public interest to remain temporarily in the United States. And although the Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS, for its acronym in does not provide a regulatory definition of the term "urgent humanitarian reasons," officials assess it on a case-by-case basis, considering factors such as the sensitivity of the applicant's circumstances and the degree of suffering may result if permission is not authorized.

In the case of this Colombian family, Durán's terminal diagnosis could have played a very important role in his parents' request.

"They gave us the tragic news that she had a 4-centimeter tumor," said Sergio Vega, Durán's husband.

In an interview, Vega recounted that on November 28 of last year, when she was in the 34th week of pregnancy, his wife had stomach aches and headaches, for which she was taken to a hospital in the San Francisco, California, area. seeking medical attention.

It was there that they were told the tragic diagnosis.

Vega said that his wife "has a month to live medically," but he does not lose hope of being able to share more time with her.

"We believe in a God who is above, who is the one of the will and is the God of the impossible," added Vega.

With information from Michael Roa.

Cancer