An Ottawa mother is upset at the Canadian visa office in Islamabad, Pakistan for taking more than a month to process the application for the adoption of her new son.

The federal government will try to use video conferencing to interview and process the visa applications of hundreds of Iraqi refugees destined for Canada who are now stranded in Syria.

The number of bona fide applicants for a criminal pardon in Canada is expected to plunge by almost half under stricter new rules.