2 Canadian girls stuck in Egypt under a travel ban requested by father in Canada

2 canadian river girls stuck in united arab republic below a move around ban requested by father in Canada

Shannon Elgazzar can see planes taking off from Cairo International Airport from her balcony.

The Canadian mother wishes she could board one of those flights home to Ontario with her daughters Ava and Noor, 10 and eight.

But she can't. 

When Elgazzar tried to leave Egypt in January 2025, she discovered there was a court-ordered travel ban preventing her children from leaving the country without both her and their father's permission. 

"I was in shock — there are no other words," said Elgazzar. "Why can't our girls come home to Canada? That's where their father resides."

Elgazzar's Egyptian-Canadian ex-husband, Mahmoud Elgazzar, obtained the travel ban in September 2024 after telling an Egyptian court that he was living in Egypt and needed the order to prevent his ex-wife from taking the children to Canada without his consent, according to court records. The application argued the move would deprive him of access to the children and his parental rights.

However, other government records, Toronto police emails and social media posts show Mahmoud Elgazzar was living in Canada when the travel ban was imposed — and that he has continued to live in the Greater Toronto Area since — even as his daughters remain unable to leave Egypt. 

Emails with Toronto police show he was employed as a police officer with the service from at least February 2025 until he was dismissed in June 2025. His Mississauga address appears on a lien for a vehicle he is leasing, and he has posted several Google reviews for businesses in the GTA since the travel ban was obtained.

"The travel restrictions are court-ordered and do not prevent me from exercising my parental rights; rather, they ensure that decisions affecting the children occur within the established legal framework," he said in his statement.

"Any suggestion that I am independently preventing their return to Canada outside the court process is inaccurate."

However, in his statement, he said: "At all times, I have acted in accordance with my legal rights and the best interests of my children."

Ava and Noor Elgazzar were born in Kitchener, Ont. And raised in Ontario until after their parents separated in 2022.

In July 2022, Shannon Elgazzar and the children travelled to Egypt so her girls could meet and spend time with their paternal grandparents and she could get her bearings after the separation before returning to Canada, she said. While in Egypt, she decided to pursue a divorce there.

Mahmoud Elgazzar's mother also sought custody of the girls, but the application was denied in July 2025 and an appeal was dismissed in January, according to court records.

Meanwhile, Shannon Elgazzar says she has spent the last year trying to figure out how to return home to Canada.

"It's extremely frustrating when I'm trying to navigate the system with two little girls in tow, trying to keep it normal for them," she said. 

"In Egypt if you don't have a proper raft you're going to drown — I'm drowning."

Elgazzar said her attempt to lift the travel ban last year was dismissed because documents were filed improperly by her previous lawyer, and she could not afford to try again at the time. She has also contacted the Canadian embassy in Cairo, Global Affairs Canada and Canadian politicians for help. 

In an October 2025 letter, Canadian consular affairs told her that while officials were "terribly sorry to learn about the difficult situation" she's facing, Canada's ability to intervene is "extremely limited." 

"The Government of Canada cannot interfere in another country's judicial or legal processes, just as a foreign government cannot interfere in Canada's judicial process," the letter said.

"Our thoughts are with the family affected by this difficult situation," spokesperson Thida Ith said in the statement. "While consular officials cannot interfere in the legal process of another country, they are in close contact with the family and are providing consular assistance."

A spokesperson for the Egyptian embassy in Ottawa said it cannot comment on court rulings, but noted there are legal avenues to challenge the ban.

Toronto-based immigration lawyer Mario Bellissimo said cases like this aren't uncommon, and that Canadians should understand the laws of another country before travelling there. 

"Canada cannot overrule another court's jurisdiction in a different country. So especially when you have children involved, it's amazing how quickly options can shrink and timelines can stretch," said Bellissimo. 

"Schooling can be delayed and trying to reverse that initial ruling can take a lot of time."

Elgazzar recently retained another Egyptian lawyer who specializes in helping foreigners navigate family law in Egypt. Khaled Mohamed Ahmed said that, with the custody case resolved in Egypt, he believes the travel ban can be lifted. 

"It's not that difficult or that complicated — it's just that we need the father's permission to do so," said Ahmed. "If he is not willing to cooperate, then we have to get a judge to lift that ban for us."

If the case goes to court, Ahmed said he plans to argue that Mahmoud Elgazzar is not currently involved in his daughters' lives.

"When the court knows that, and they will have all the evidence before them … I'm very optimistic about the outcome," said Ahmed.

He said he is preparing the case now and, once it's ready, believes it could be before a judge within a week or so.

Shannon Elgazzar says she wants to get her daughters back to Canada as soon as possible so they can be enrolled in school — which they are not attending in Egypt — and so her older daughter can undergo autism testing.

"The girls' life is there," she said. 

"I'm asking my fellow Canadians … be their voice. Please be my girls' voice in Canada because right now they're drowning here."

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