Friday, April 26, 2013

DOS Adoption Notice: Bolivia/Procedural Barriers to Hague Adoptions


Bolivia April 26, 2013

Notice: Procedural Barriers to Hague Adoptions

The Office of Children’s Issues and the U.S. Embassy in La Paz have received numerous inquiries from prospective adoptive parents interested in adopting children from Bolivia.

Bolivia is a Party to the Hague Adoption Convention.  Therefore, in order to adopt a Bolivian child, prospective adoptive parents are required to work with a Hague- accredited U.S. adoption service provider (ASP) who is also authorized by the Ministry of Justice, which is the Bolivian Central Authority, to facilitate adoptions of Bolivian children.  However, Bolivia has not authorized any U.S. Hague-accredited ASPs to process adoptions of Bolivian children.  As a result, the intercountry adoption of children from Bolivia to the United States is not possible at this time.  Although the U.S. Embassy will continue to engage with the Bolivian government on this issue, we cannot estimate when the Bolivian government will authorize a U.S. ASP to facilitate Bolivian adoptions.

The foregoing does not affect the ability of an adoptive parent who is habitually resident outside of the United States to file a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, for an adopted child from Bolivia with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  To be considered habitually resident outside of the United States, the adoptive parent must complete two years of legal custody and shared residency in Bolivia with the child.

USCIS determines whether a child meets the definition of an “adopted child”, and qualifies for immigration on a case-by-case basis.  For more information about Form I-130, please visit the USCIS Form I-130 processing page.

If you have further questions, please contact us by phone at 1-888-407-4747 or e-mail us at adoptionUSCA@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=bolivia_1

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

DOS Adoption Alert: Haiti authorizes U.S. adoption service providers


Haiti April 24, 2013

Alert: Haiti authorizes U.S. adoption service providers

Haiti’s adoption authority, Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), has authorized a limited number of U.S. adoption service providers (ASPs) to provide adoption services in Haiti pursuant to its new administrative adoption procedures, which became effective on November 5, 2012.  Although these new procedures are part of the Government of Haiti’s efforts to become a Hague Adoption Convention partner with the United States, at this time Haiti is not party to the Convention.  The U.S. government will continue to process adoptions under the non-Hague system until the Convention enters into force for Haiti.

In order to complete an intercountry adoption from Haiti, the adoption must comply with all of Haiti’s laws and regulations.  These include the eligibility of the prospective adoptive parents to adopt, the eligibility of the child for intercountry adoption, and the matching of prospective adoptive parents with a specific child.  The child must also meet the definition of an orphan under U.S. immigration law.  All adoptions filed with the Haitian government on or after November 5, 2012 must comply with the new procedures.

The Department strongly urges all U.S. prospective adoptive parents interested in pursuing an adoption in Haiti to work with an ASP authorized by IBESR.  The Department emphasizes that Haiti’s new procedures prohibit adoptions in which arrangements are made directly between the biological parents or custodians and the prospective adoptive parents (i.e. private adoptions).  The new procedures also prohibit adoptions in which prospective adoptive parents seek a match with a child without the assistance of IBESR or an ASP authorized by the Haitian government (i.e. independent/individual adoptions).  Similarly, Haiti will not approve adoptions where the child’s biological parents or legal representatives expressly decide who will adopt their child, unless the adoption is of a spouse’s child, is an intra-family adoption, is by a child’s foster family, or the child is the sibling of a child who has already been adopted.
 
The procedures (paras. 37-40) also specifically require ASPs authorized by IBESR to conduct post-adoption reporting on the child every six months for the first two years and annually for three additional years after the child is placed with the adoptive family.  These reports must include a medical evaluation of the child, a school report, a psychological evaluation, and a social evaluation.  The director of the authorized ASP must author the first four reports and forward them directly and solely to IBESR, whereas an independent expert may author the final three reports and the parents can submit them to IBESR.

According to IBESR, the following 20 U.S. ASPs have been authorized to provide adoption services in Haiti.  The Department will publish the names of any additional authorized ASPs upon receipt of official notification.  Publication of this list of ASPs does not constitute the Department’s endorsement of them:
  • A Love Beyond Borders
  • Adoption-LinkAll Blessings International/Kentucky Adoption Services
  • All God’s Children International
  • America World Adoption
  • Bethany Christian Services
  • Building Arizona Families
  • Carolina Adoption Services, Inc.
  • Children of All Nations
  • Children’s House International
  • Chinese Children Adoption International
  • Dillon International, Inc.
  • European Adoption Consultants, Inc.
  • Holt International Children’s Services, Inc.
  • Lifeline Children’s Services
  • Love Basket
  • MLJ Adoptions, Inc.
  • Nightlight Christian Adoptions
  • Sunny Ridge Family Center, Inc.
  • Wasatch International Adoptions
The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince will continue to clarify the new procedures as they are updated by IBESR, and the information in this update is subject to change.  Please refer to our website adoption.state.gov for updates on adoptions in Haiti.

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Monday, April 8, 2013

USCIS Adoption Information on Universal Accreditation act

USCIS has released the following information with regards to the Universal Accrditation Act to help clear up questions by prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers:


http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=ac818aea586bd310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=8d5e901bf9873210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD


The Universal Accreditation Act of 2012

The Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (UAA) goes into effect on July 14, 2014. As of that date, all agencies or persons that provide adoption services in support of the two forms listed below must be accredited or approved, or be a supervised or exempted provider, in compliance with the Intercountry Adoption Act and accreditation regulations.
 The affected forms are:
  • Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition; and
  • Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.
The UAA requires that adoption service providers (ASPs) handling non-Hague Convention adoption cases that fall under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 101(b)(1)(F) follow the same accreditation or approval process required of ASPs that handle Hague Convention cases under INA section 101(b)(1)(G).

The UAA assures families pursuing an intercountry adoption that regardless of the country from which they intend to adopt, the ASP they choose will need to comply with the same ethical standards of practice and conduct.  

When to Use an Accredited ASP

The UAA allows for transition cases (grandfathering) in certain situations. ASPs that provide adoption services in these grandfathered cases do not need to be accredited.

However, ASPs must be accredited for any adoption services they provide on or after July 14, 2014, even if prospective adoptive parents filed Forms I-600A or I-600 before that date, and accreditation was not required for ASPs at the time of filing.

The following tables explain when you will be required to use an accredited ASP.
Action Taken
Is Accreditation Required?
USCIS makes a decision on Form I-600A or Form I-600 before July 14, 2014.
No. Accreditation is not required for adoption services provided before July 14, 2014.

You file Form I-600A or Form I-600 before July 13, 2013, but USCIS makes a decision on or after July 14, 2014.

No. The case is grandfathered, and accreditation is not required.
You have initiated the adoption process in a foreign country with the filing of an appropriate foreign application as determined by the Secretary of State before July 13, 2013.

No. The case is grandfathered, and accreditation is not required.
You file Form I-600A or Form I-600 on or after July 13, 2013, and USCIS makes a decision on or after July 14, 2014.
Accreditation is not required for adoption services provided before July 14, 2014.
But accreditation is required for adoption services provided on or after July 14, 2014.

You file Form I-600A or Form I-600 on or after July 14, 2014.
Yes. Accreditation is required.
Examples:
If you file Form I-600A or Form I-600
Then your application will

Before July 13, 2013, with a home study prepared by an unaccredited ASP
Be grandfathered under the UAA transition rule.
An unaccredited or unapproved ASP can provide any adoption services, even after the UAA goes into effect on July 14, 2014.


On or after July 13, 2013, with a home study prepared by an unaccredited or unapproved ASP
Not be grandfathered under the UAA transition rule.
In this situation, USCIS may rely on a home study prepared by an unaccredited provider if it was completed before the new accreditation requirements go into effect on July 14, 2014. After this date, if you need an amended home study or other adoption services, you will need to work with an accredited or approved ASP, an exempted provider, or an ASP that provides services under a supervisory agreement with an accredited ASP.


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Friday, April 5, 2013

Announcing New Officers and Directors of PEAR





Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform, PEAR, welcomes a new President and four new members to its volunteer Board of Directors. Barbara McArtney, a founding member of PEAR and current Interim President, will become our new President. Joining PEAR as general directors are: Thaddeus Batt,  CTO and Managing Partner, SpireMedia, Inc.; Elizabeth Dahl, attorney; Holly Mulford, pediatric nurse practitioner and blogger on alternative care and intercountry adoption from the DRC; Brian Stuy, owner and founder of Research-China.


We are very pleased at the commitment these individuals are investing in PEAR. We all share a common goal of advancing PEAR’s mission into the future.

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Thursday, April 4, 2013

DOS Adoption Notice: Health Concerns in Ethiopia


Ethiopia April 2, 2013

Notice: Health Concerns in Ethiopia

On March 14, 2013, U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa released an important message for U.S. citizens via email to U.S. adoption service providers and a notice on the U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa website about a recent increase in suspected meningitis cases in Ethiopia.  The suspected cases are primarily in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR), but the area of concern extends north to include tourist areas around Hawassa and Lake Langano.  The Department of State shares the full text below in order to ensure wide distribution among the adoption community.  As always, we recommend that adoptive parents and other U.S. travelers check Travel.State.gov prior to traveling to Ethiopia or any other country for the latest travel information from the Department of State.

Many adopted children come from SNNPR, and adoptive parents are encouraged to work with their adoption service providers (ASPs) to ensure that children who come from affected areas are properly evaluated by a medical professional, and that treatment or vaccination be given if required.  Given that children from all over Ethiopia live together in care centers in Addis Ababa, all adoptive parents should be aware that the risk of contracting meningitis is not necessarily limited to children who come from the affected region.  The Embassy’s Consular Section can provide a list of pediatricians working in Addis Ababa, but most ASPs have an existing network of health care providers, and general inquiries about your child’s health situation are best directed to your ASP.

On a related note, many adopted children face significant health challenges in Ethiopia that require continuing treatment after immigration to the United States.  While the Embassy’s panel physician evaluates children for their fitness to travel and the likelihood of them transmitting a communicable disease, such as tuberculosis, it is primarily the responsibility of the ASP and the orphanage to ensure proper medical treatment from the time a child enters institutional care until the day he/she travels to the United States.  Adoptive parents should expect that a child’s medical file will travel with him/her from a rural clinic in the village where they were born, to the pediatrician’s office in Addis Ababa, and then to be made available for use by the child’s new physician in the United States.  If such information is not made available as a matter of course, adoptive parents are encouraged to request it from their ASPs.

Embassy Addis Ababa Notice:

Meningitis

According to the World Health Organization, Ethiopia is currently at the peak of the meningitis transmission season, which extends through March and April up to the beginning of May.  Suspected cases of meningitis were reported in Southern Nation, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) and Oromia Region.  So far this year cases were recorded in close to 60 woredas (local municipalities) across 14 zones of SNNPR and Oromia, with upsurges of cases in 16 woredas of SNNPR and Oromia.  Woredas reporting increased cases of meningitis include Arbaminch Zuria, Halaba, Hawassa town, Dale, Shebedino, Gorche, and Wonsho in SNNPR, and Arsi Negele, Shalla, Shashemene Town, Shashemene Rural, Dodolla, Siraro, Wondo, and Gedeb Assassa in Oromia Region.

In light of these findings, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa recommends that U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Ethiopia avoid travel to these areas unless they have been vaccinated against meningitis within the past three years.  If you were vaccinated recently, do not travel to these affected areas for at least 14 days after receiving the vaccination.  (Meningitis vaccinations do not take effect for 14 days.)

You can find detailed information on vaccinations and other health precautions on the CDC website.  For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization (WHO) website.  The WHO website also contains additional health information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information.

If you are going to live in or travel to Ethiopia, please take the time to tell us about your trip by enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  If you enroll, we can keep you up to date with important safety and security announcements.  It will also help your friends and family get in touch with you in an emergency.  You should remember to keep all of your information in STEP up to date. It is important during enrollment or updating of information to include your current phone number and current email address where you can be reached in case of an emergency.

Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/

Monday, April 1, 2013

DOS Adoption Alert: Serbia Adoption

March 29, 2013

Alert: Serbia Adoption

U.S. Embassy Belgrade has received reports that one or more U.S. adoption agencies may be giving prospective adoptive parents misleading information about the process of adoption in Serbia.  
Serbia places a priority on domestic adoption.  The only children who are generally available for intercountry adoption are children with special needs.  There are no adoption agencies authorized to offer adoption services in Serbia, and families should not seek to work with an intermediary.  You are strongly encouraged to read the Serbia adoption country information, which outlines the only way to adopt children from Serbia.

There is no legal alternative to the Serbian adoption process outlined in this adoption country information page on Serbia.  If you have received contradictory or misleading information from a U.S. accredited or approved adoption service provider, you can register a complaint with the Hague Complaint Registry (HCR), which is administered by the Council on Accreditation (COA).

To report such activity by a non-accredited or approved agency, you may contact the licensing authority of the state where the agency is located.  You can also contact the Office of Children’s Issues via email to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov  and have your complaint recorded.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=serbia_1



Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/