Tillsonburg, Ont. woman, adopted daughter in limbo in Nigeria as they await immigration approval

Andrea Eaton hopped on a plane one year ago to adopt her daughter, Maya, in Nigeria.

She’s been stuck there ever since.

The Tillsonburg, Ont. woman adopted Maya from a Nigerian orphanage where she suffered burns after another child there poured boiling water on her when she was only four months old.

Her ongoing medical issues from the incident make her case a priority in the eyes of the Canadian government.

"The agency that we work with tells us it's going to be 12 to 16 weeks to land in Nigeria, do your bonding, finish your adoption, get your child's passport...and it's almost been nine months since her application’s been put in, and we're still waiting,” Eaton told CTV News London.

Despite qualifying to be expedited, Eaton said multiple attempts to reach the right people in Canada have left her without answers, leaving the duo waiting in limbo.

Andrea Eaton and her adoptive daughter Maya are seen in this undated image. (Source: Andrea Eaton)

"Most adoptive families return the child to the orphanage and travel home to Canada and wait for their citizenship grant,” Eaton explained, and added that she decided to stay to care for her daughter.

The roadblock in Maya’s case comes down to getting a citizenship grant for by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

This story is more common than people might think — immigration lawyer Alicia Backman-Beharry said she's worked with four families with similar adoption cases and based on her experience, she said the onus on the delay pointed back to the IRCC.

"In these cases where the adoption has been properly and legally finalized. Every authority has all said 'these are approved,' For IRCC to not process on the back end, on the part two, is delaying the reunification of Canadian children back to Canada," Backman-Beharry said.

The immigration lawyer added that Canada has an obligation to children to act in their best interest and in this case that's where the IRCC is falling short, because within the next few months Eaton faces a gut-wrenching decision.

Andrea Eaton and her adoptive daughter Maya are seen in this undated image. (Source: Andrea Eaton)"The challenge that I’m running into is cost — and I have a job offer starting at the beginning of July that would frame a better life for Maya and I. My only option, if I have to return to Canada, is to return Maya to the orphanage,” she said.

“And there's a whole list of things that I believe come with returning your children to the orphanage. Abandonment issues and stuff like that," Eaton added.

The new mom feels like she's out of options if Immigration, Refugees, and Citizen Canada doesn't get back to her soon.

In an email to CTV News London, the IRCC said normally the intercountry adoption process takes roughly six to eight months, but Nigeria requires close examination by officers to ensure the safety of children, and to limit trafficking and abductions, which often requiring additional research and investigation with the courts, adoption and state agencies involved in the process.

This they said can take more than 12 months to process, and in some cases, longer.

"She's in better care with her mother than she would be returning to an orphanage because immigration is taking the better part of a year to grant citizenship for a legally adopted child to a Canadian parent,” said Eaton.