Canadian Immigration halts adoptions from Nepal

Canada has suspended adoptions from Nepal after fraud and child trafficking concerns were raised, officials said.

The Canadian Immigration Department highlighted a report by the Hague Conference on Private International Law that described "strong evidence" on the prevalence of fraudulent documents and false statements about children's origins, age and status. Other issues raised by the report included whether adoptees or potential adoptees were abandoned.

Based on this evidence, and the recommendations of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and with the support of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the provinces and territories have agreed to suspend adoptions from Nepal.

"We know how disheartening this must be for the parents concerned, but several authoritative sources, such as The Hague Conference and UNICEF, have raised serious concerns about the use of fraudulent documents and the prevalence of child trafficking in Nepal," said Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

"There are a number of Canadian parents seeking to adopt children from Nepal who are understandably anxious but our priorities remain the best interests of the child and the prevention of child trafficking."

The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people lodge their Canadian Visa applications with the Canadian Embassy.