Adopted boy from Pakistan nearly on his way home to Saskatoon

SASKATOON – There is finally light at the end of a long tunnel in an ongoing international adoption that’s reached four years.

A Saskatoon couple has been struggling to bring their adopted son over from Pakistan.

Global News learned Tuesday that the boy ‘could’ be home in time for Christmas. The couple’s lawyer says the boy’s immigration is a 98 per cent done deal.

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They’re now waiting for an immigration officer to process the application and issue a visa.

Four-year-old Ajjab has been living with his adoptive mother Waheeda Afridi in Pakistan. She flew there in 2010 to get him and has been there ever since.

Her husband Ashfaq Afridi awaits their arrival in Saskatoon.

Their lawyer says complications with the provincial and federal governments resulted in the lengthy process.

“Now the immigration officer could ask for another new medical examination, which could take up to five to 10 days, then technically speaking they should be issuing the visa,” said immigration lawyer Haidah Amirzadeh.

Amirzadeh says it’s not easy to adopt from Islamic countries. This will be the only adoption from Pakistan in Canada in three years.