Inter-Country Adoptive Families Association of British Columbia

Please help Gary and Mariette by e-mailing your MP about their situation. Find your MP here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en... --Email Template-- Dear , I am writing as a constituent to ask you to petition Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to re-open their Sydney, Nova Scotia, mailroom so that new permanent resident and other citizenship applications can be processed. It is my understanding that the office was closed in March due to COVID-19 concerns and has yet to reopen. There are many families, vulnerable persons and children being negatively affected by IRCC’s apparent inability to operate safely during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our friends Gary Lam and Mariette Baynton of Vancouver, British Columbia, have had their adoption from South Korea put on hold because of these delays. They have been matched with a child by the Korean agency, but cannot bring him home as they are unable to get a letter of no objection from the BC Ministry without permanent resident part one approval and a UCI number from IRCC Sydney. This is the final piece of the puzzle they need for the Korean court submission. Their son is currently in the care of a foster family in the Seoul area. The longer the child remains in foster care, and the older he is, the more trauma he will experience when he comes home to Canada. Their greatest fear is that if they are unable to complete their submission in a reasonable amount of time, Korea will move on to another country and another placement, and Gary and Mariette will lose their child. We fully understand there are extenuating circumstances due to the current pandemic. However, we feel that the child's best interests are not being put first with these delays, and families are being put at considerable risk. Many other Canadian government agencies and businesses have returned to work safely and securely, and we hope that IRCC Sydney will too. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Regards, c.c. The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship [email protected]

Even in these unprecedented times, the government must prioritize immigration for adoptive families. Please write to immigration minister Marco Mendicino ([email protected]) to help Gary and Mariette bring their child home.

An insightful podcast from an adoptees standpoint

"Where are all the babies?" This is one of the most common questions our Family Support Workers get from prospective adoptive parents. We asked Heather Ratzlaff..., former Family Support Worker and current Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, to help us solve the mystery. Find out what has shifted in Canada that has resulted in fewer available infants for adoption! https://www.bcadoption.com/re/articles/where-are-all-babies

A wonderful story!

Crimson Door Healing is hosting a private Zoom session for interracial adoptive parents on Tuesday June 16, 2020 at 7.00pm. Dana Pemberton and Colleen Robinson ...of Crimson Door Healing will be sharing strategies and tips on how to raise happy and confident children through these challenging times. This is a free event. To register, please send an email to: [email protected]. See more

AFABC is offering a free 6-week online parenting program for parents of kids aged 0-5yrs called NOBODY’S Perfect. It will be offered free of charge to adoptive (includes any type of permanency) parents starting in June. If you're interested, please provide your feedback and contact details by Wednesday, May 27th. Please email Lucy at [email protected] if you have questions after completing the intake questionnaire. ... https://survey.bcadoption.com/index.php/879882?lang=en