It was an emotional morning at the Vancouver International Airport Monday as B.C. families arrived home from Japan with their newly adopted children following weeks of bureaucratic delays.
The families had been stuck in limbo when the Canadian government refused to grant visas for their Japanese-born children.
"Overwhelming," was how adoptive mother Marcie Nestman described her feelings at the airport. "We just, like, counted down the hours until we got here. Landing was just amazing."
About a dozen friends and family members showed up with Canadian balloons and even a maple leaf onesie to welcome Nestman, her husband Lee Fodi and their adopted baby.
"[We have] so much gratitude and [we're] so happy to be back after this really long journey," Fodi said. "We're so thankful that everyone came through in the end."
One of the gifts for the child was a car seat, but the infant insert needed to be removed because the baby had grown so much during the delays.
The family was one of five that had been stuck in Japan while they were following through on their planned adoption. They were left stranded because the Canadian government wouldn't issue visas to their new children.
A notice posted on the U.S. Consular affairs website is apparently what made Canadian authorities balk.
The notice cautions families that Japanese courts must approve prospective international adoptions.
“Prospective adoptive parents will need to finalize the adoption in a Japanese court pursuant to Japan’s special adoption process, including completion of a minimum six-month trial nurturing period in Japan,” the notice reads.
On Saturday, a spokesperson for Canada’s immigration minister told CTV News that the Japanese government had not raised any objections to adoptions by Canadian parents.
“But we are aware there are questions around the process of adoption that have been raised with other countries, and these questions warrant clarification,” Mathieu Genest said.
The fear that these adoptions had not been approved by Japanese courts was apparently what made Canadian authorities deny visas to the B.C. families. The U.S. notice also prompted B.C. to temporarily suspend adoptions from Japan.
But after mounting pressure from friends, news stories and letters written by an elementary school class, the Canadian government relented.
Genest also said it's too soon to know what will happen to families hoping to adopt from Japan in the future.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Jon Woodward
