Glentoran head coach Mick McDermott admits he has been overwhelmed by the support shown to his wife Karla over her residency nightmare.
Karla, 43, had to fly nearly 4,000 miles to Dubai on Wednesday in order to trigger her visa application to the Home Office for a chance to return to her family who are now living in Newtownabbey.
The mum-of-four, who was born in California and holds a US passport, lived in Dubai for 12 years while her husband Mick was working there.
Glens boss McDermott will fly to Dubai on Sunday to meet up with Karla in a bid to resolve the ongoing issue.
Speaking after Saturday's game against Crusaders at Seaview, McDermott thanked everyone who had shown their support over the past week, including a man called John Miller, who set up a petition on change.org in support of his wife.
Reflecting on the past week, McDermott said: "You deal with these things. Everyone has their problems in life. Mine aren't as bad as some other people.
"You go up to the Mater Hospital or the Royal (Hospital) and you see people with real problems.
"I fly out tomorrow morning for 48 hours to try and fix a few things and I will be back on Wednesday.
"I appreciate all the people asking, it has been really good. Even a few Linfield men have shown a bit of support on social media, so it shows you what the community is like here.
"It has been really good."
Over 2300 names have signed the petition set up by Mr Miller five days ago.
McDermott said: "The petition is still going. It was set up by a fella called John Miller. I don't know him, but he set it up on that change.org site and it has been signed by something like 2500 people, from all over the world.
"People have signed the petition, and change.org have been onto us about trying to help other people who are in the same boat.
"If one person can raise the profile of it, to help the others, then I will do it every time."
Karla - who had to attend a visa application centre in Dubai on Thursday - told Belfast Live last week: “My main concern is our kids. I’m usually the one who is calm and can find a positive in any situation.
"But there’ve been tears. I’ve been suffering heart palpitations and cold sweats as panic sets in. The thought of leaving my children, of leaving Mick and the possibility of not being able to get back to them is awful.
“We’ve referred to Northern Ireland as home for almost 20 years because we’ve come here every summer to holiday with Mick’s mum and dad, Sandy and Maureen."
Karla added: “We’ve done everything in our power to do the right thing, get the right paperwork, play by the rules but we’re still faced with no guarantees and a six week nightmare until we hear if the nightmare will end or continue, if I can return to my family, or be stranded in Dubai.
“I’m really struggling to understand how this process takes six weeks. I’m just hoping that there’s a will to help my children, to ensure that I’m 4,000 miles and a 10 hour flight away from them for a minimal amount of time."
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have not received a visa application from Ms McDermott. All immigration applications are considered on their individual merits and on the basis of the evidence available, in line with the immigration rules.”
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