Quebec family fights immigration barrier in Lebanese adoption case: 'My child is growing every day'

For more than a decade, Johnny Abou Ghannam and Roula Bou Chahla dreamed of becoming parents. After 12 years waiting to adopt a child in Quebec, they turned to Lebanon, where a judge approved their adoption of baby Liana in December 2025.

Quebec does not recognize the adoption. Canadian immigration authorities cannot issue documents for Liana to enter Canada. Bou Chahla has remained in Lebanon with Liana since December; Abou Ghannam lives alone in Laval.

Before proceeding, the couple sought approval from Quebec's Secretariat for International Adoption (SASIE). The province refused, citing Lebanon's lack of an accredited organization through which Quebec could process adoptions. When the couple asked for clarification, officials could not provide a clear explanation.

"We ask them, 'OK, but you sent us the form for a country that doesn't have an accredited organization. We don't understand your refusal,'" Abou Ghannam said. "They cannot answer us."

The separation has devastated Abou Ghannam. "I'm missing important moments in my daughter's life. She's taking first steps. She starts to speak. And now I cannot be with her to live every tiny moment of this," he said. "Those moments cannot go back in time. So I'm losing these moments. I cannot go back to them."

Abou Ghannam is also worried about safety. "My child is living in a war zone. The country can escalate to war. Any time the drones are above their head, the risk is imminent."

The couple is seeking a humanitarian solution that would allow them to reunite as a family.