That's Gabriela among some of her friends at an after-school sports program in Cite Soleil. She's the really smiley one in the middle!All is well here in Haiti, we'll try to send another update soon, along with more pictures. We're looking forward to the next set of grandparents coming to visit - Ted and Marge arrive on April 1.
Children adopted overseas now eligible for immediate citizenship
Last Updated: Thursday, March 27, 2008
www.cbc.ca
A 13-month-old Toronto girl has become the first adopted child born abroad to enter Canada as a citizen.
Citizenship Minister Diane Finley presented a teddy bear to the infant when she arrived at Toronto's Pearson Airport on Wednesday, recognizing her as the first child to be allowed into the country under the new rules.
In the past, adopted foreign-born children had to go through two steps to become a citizen: first they'd be processed as permanent residents, then they'd wait three years to become a citizen.
Changes introduced in December mean the children now become citizens as soon as their adoption is complete.
Rory-Adele Chan-Rushton is the first child to apply and become a citizen under the new regulations.
Her parents, Mark Rushton and Angela Chan, say it was important for them to bring home a Canadian child.
"It makes the process so much easier and so much less stressful. The journey, especially for international adoption, is so long, it can take so much time … and to have this at the end of it makes it so much easier for a lot of families," said Chan.
The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada says about 2,000 foreign-born children are adopted by Canadians every year.
All of those children now have the option of becoming citizens right away.
