Afridi family back in Saskatoon after long adoption battle

“I took him as my child. He’s my child and he’s going to be my child and I’m not ever going to leave him … I was very resilient,” she said.

Waheeda said it was a difficult journey as Canada continually rejected their adoption application until the Saskatchewan government signed a letter of “no objection” last June. It still took until the beginning of this month before the federal government issued Ajjab a visa so he could come to Canada.

“I’m still very mad at the government. I mean, they did give a visa for our child, but they took a whole five good years from our lives,” she said.

Now, she said being in Saskatoon is a big adjustment as she and her son spent most of their years in Pakistan in a basement with little freedom in a dangerous area.

“It’s a huge culture shock for him and even for myself. I feel like I’m once again coming for the first time to Saskatchewan,” she said.

Waheeda said Ajjab is getting used to the small things in Saskatoon like seeing leaves on trees and feeling the wind. She hopes to get him Canadian citizenship and enroll him in school this fall.

For the family’s immigration lawyer, Haidah Amirzadeh, who took on their case pro bono, she said this family was forced to jump through unnecessary hoops.

“There are different applications which we submitted that the minister (of citizenship and immigration) could have permitted this little boy and his mother to come to Canada while the process goes through. They refused all those applications,” Amirzadeh said.

Amirzadeh said a normal process would have taken about a year, not the almost five years the Afridi family endured. She said because the process stretched on, the family has a difficult adjustment period ahead of them.

“(Ajjab’s) struggling right now to bond with his father. His father is struggling to bond with him,” Amirzadeh said.

Waheeda said despite what lies ahead, she is so grateful for everyone in Canada who never gave up on the fight to reunite her family.

“It was not easy for me, but I really greatly appreciate and say, ‘Thank you’ to all those people who really put their efforts together and supported us in this hardship,” Waheeda said.

Timeline:

Sept. 10, 2010 – Ajjab is born in Peshawar, Pakistan to Waheeda’s sister. The Afridi family signs paperwork to assume guardianship of Ajjab. A sponsorship application is initiated.

Sept. 6, 2012 – Ajjab is refused permanent residency.

Oct. 9, 2012 – Afridi family appeals permanent residency decision. Appeal is refused because immigration office wants letter of no objection from provincial government.

January 2013 – Afridi family applies for temporary resident visa for Ajjab, which is refused.

March 2013 – Afridi family re-applies for temporary resident visa, but is refused again.

June 2013 – Afridi family applies to the High Commission of Canada in Islamabad, Pakistan for temporary resident permit.

July 2013 – Ottawa puts a hold on accepting adoptions from Pakistan

July 23, 2013 – Officer refuses Ajjab’s application for a temporary resident permit.

June 5, 2014 – Saskatchewan signs letter of no objection.

July 2014 – Ottawa looks for clarification from the government of Saskatchewan on their stance regarding adoptions from Pakistan. The province responds to Ottawa’s request.

October 14, 2014 – Appeal hearing decision rules in Ajjab’s favour. The case is sent back to the visa post for further processing. The decision states he should be given a visa, pending admissibility issues.

December 2014 – Waheeda and Ajjab visit a hospital near the Taliban massacre at a school is Peshawar.

February 2015 – Waheeda and Ajjab are interviewed by Canadian Embassy in Islamabad. Ajjab undergoes a medical assessment.

May 1, 2015 – Ajjab is issued a visa by the Canadian government

May 17, 2015 – Waheed and Ajjab arrive in Saskatoon.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trelle_K

by Trelle Kolojay

Afridi family back in Saskatoon after long adoption battle

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