DOS and USCIS Notices on Adoption from Montenegro

The US Department of State, Office of Children's Issues and the USCIS released statements today concerning adoptions from Montenegro:



DOS Notice:
Montenegro

July 3, 2012 

Notice: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters Into Force for Montenegro

 

"On July 1, 2012, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption entered into force for Montenegro.  However, Montenegro does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place.  Therefore, the United States has determined that it will not be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions until the Government of Montenegro implements an effective Convention intercountry adoption process.

We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that, to ensure that adoptions from Montenegro will be compliant with the Convention, important steps must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Montenegro resume.  Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in Montenegro until the Department of State notifies them that it has resumed adoptions in Montenegro.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.  If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States.  Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov."

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=montenegro_1

USCIS Notice:

"On July 1, 2012, Montenegro became a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). However, the Department of State (DOS) has determined that Montenegro does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place. DOS consular officers are unable to certify that adoption decrees or custody orders obtained in Montenegro for a child habitually resident in Montenegro have been issued in compliance with the Hague Adoption Convention. Without this certification, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cannot approve a Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative."

Learn more at: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=8f41082b4cd48310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e7801c2c9be44210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

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