OTTAWA — Canada is fast-tracking the adoption of Haitian children by Canadian families, however the quake devastation in Haiti may yet hinder the fostering process, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Wednesday.
"We are working to reunite families affected by this crisis," Kenney told a press conference. Canada has one of the largest Haitian diasporas in the world, topping 100,000.
"I have directed my official to issue temporary permits, which is an extraordinary measure, to allow these children to enter Canada as quickly as possible," Kenney said.
Regular processing fees will be waived and the federal government will cover any immediate health costs.
Additional immigration staff were also en route to Port-au-Prince to help with immigration applications and a new Canadian consular office had been set up in Santo Domingo, capital of the neighboring Dominican Republic, he said.
"We cannot take Haitian children away without approval from local authorities and these local authorities have indicated to us that they have created an expedited system — a committee in essence that will consider and approve adoption requests for Haitian children," Kenney said.
"But I need to remind (all) that it is international policy and practice to try to first find homes for children who have been orphaned in their own country before placing them in a foreign country," he said.
Kenney said his government was also concerned that some Haitian-Canadians may have been misled by paid immigration consults claiming to be able to speed up the immigration process for their loved ones.
"No paid immigration consultant can speed up the process," he said sternly.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.
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