Notice – Operation Stork: January 30, 2010 update

January 30, 2010 — A flight carrying 62 Haitian children to their new Canadian parents will land in Ottawa this afternoon. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officials, a medical team, and Air Canada staff are accompanying the children.

The children range in age from 3 months to 17 years. Thirty-five of the children are destined for Quebec, and the rest are going to British Columbia (11), Alberta (10), Saskatchewan (2), Manitoba (2) and Ontario (2).

All of these children were already in the adoption process when the earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince.

The next flights are scheduled for Wednesday, February 3, and Saturday, February 6. We are working to put as many children as possible on the flights, given the logistical difficulties in Haiti. More information will be posted as it becomes available. Most flights will arrive in Ottawa, but there may be some exceptions.

All bona fide adoption cases will be processed and parents will be notified once the arrival of their child has been confirmed on a specific flight.

Adoption facts

• As of January 24, 2010, the Government of Haiti has given permission for up to 217 children to come to Canada. These children were at different steps in the adoption process when the earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince.
• Of those, 85 children have been united with their families in Canada.
  • 24 children arrived in Ottawa on Sunday, January 24.  The children range in age from 11 months to 14 years in age, and were accompanied by 15 Air Canada representatives, five CIC officials, and a medical team.
  • One child arrived on a Canadian Forces evacuation flight on January 26.
  • Eight children arrived through the United States having been evacuated on American evacuation flights.
  • 52 children arrived in Ottawa on Wednesday, January 27. The children range in age from six months to 18 years of age. Twenty-four of the children were destined for Quebec and the other children went to British Columbia (4), Alberta (11), Saskatchewan (8), Ontario (1), New Brunswick (2), and Nova Scotia (2). These children were accompanied by Air Transat staff, CIC officials, and a medical team.

A total of 237 children were adopted from Haiti by Canadians in 2008 and January-September of 2009.

Update on special immigration measures

Canada is expediting immigration applications from Haitians with family in this country. Haitians in Canada temporarily are also being allowed to extend their stay.

• CIC’s Call Centre received an average of 37,849 calls per day from January 18-25. This is a 50% increase over regular call volumes, although call volumes are returning to normal levels. The Call Centre has also received over 3,000 emails since January 18.
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is organizing a number of information sessions for groups in the Montréal Haitian community and Information sessionsin the Toronto Haitian community to provide information on the special immigration measures and on how to sponsor immediate family members who were directly and serious affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
  • About 1,810 people have attended the information sessions in Montréal.