I thought in order to attempt to dispel some concerns that Jo and Mo are anything other than genuine in their attempts to keep Rania in this country and formally adopt her, it may help to give you some more background facts. I have already cleared this with Jo and much of what I am about to say is taken as direct quotes from her.
Rania was born at 26 weeks gestation and was put outside, in the Algerian heat, on a table to die. 6 hours later, it was noticed that she was still making attempts to breathe. She was brought back inside the hospital, put on a ventilator in a crib with another baby.
When Rania was eventually discharged from hospital, her birth mother was given the advice to "keep her like a baby" by the doctors. Not knowing any different, she followed their advice. As Rania grew older, she gave her bits of bread to eat, but she was still surviving on just cows milk - 6 to 8 bottles per day, with 4 spoonfuls of sugar added to it (no teeth bruising in Algeria, until they are years old!). Rania slept a lot...
When Rania arrived in this country, she weighed 8kg and was wearing size 6-12 month baby clothes. She had pressure sores on her hips, bottom and her spine where her bones stuck out. She had a deformed rib cage, caused by being carried badly and scoliosis of the spine which was cast with the curve in plaster of paris.
Rania initially came over on a visitor visa for 6 months, this was after discussions with the Home Office on whether they wanted her on a medical or visitor visa. Even though the reason she was coming here was never for medical treatments.
Jo and Mo were conscious of the fact that they did not want to bring in a sick child to the country, or that they wanted to end up with large medical bills - which is exactly what has happened. So they obtained medical reports which stated that "Rania had a weak right arm and leg and a squint in one eye - otherwise healthy". She came for conductive education and was assessed by the doctors there for suitability.
For the first year that Rania was here, she was not eligible for free NHS treatment. Every test and treatment that had by now become apparent that she needed, was paid for by Jo and Moussa. They have never received DLA or Carer's Allowance for Rania.
The adoption process alone will cost them £10,000 - £20,000. The immigration process bills are similar, as are her medical bills.
Since Rania has been here, Jo and Mo were successful in their application to get her initial 6 month visa extended on compassionate grounds for medical assessments and treatments. The Home Office then refused their next attempt and they appealed the decision. The appeal was turned down by the judge who ruled that there was no case for appeal, as the Home Office decision was illegal. But here they are, fighting again....
As far as the adoption is concerned, the reason why Rania has not been adopted yet, is simply because she has to have lived her for 3 years to be eligible. You can apply to the court for permission to apply early however you cannot pursue adoption for a child already living in this country where there are clear immigration benefits. Its a catch 22 situation: You cannot adopt without a shift from the Home Office, but you cannot clear the Home Office without adoption. Jo and Moussa applied to the Local Authority to clear themselves as adopters in an attempt to speed things up. But the Local Authority will not get involved as there are no welfare concerns for Rania - she is well cared for and thriving. They will however support Jo and Moussa when the time comes.
I really hope that by posting this, it helps to clarify the situation and assures you all that Jo and Moussa are nothing other than genuine in their concerns and intentions for Rania. If you have any other queries or concerns, I'll try my best to answer them, but I hope you will now all lend your support to this lovely family. Thank you for reading.