DoS Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo Immigration Authorities Resume Limited Issuance of Exit Permits to Children Adopted in Tribunal pour Enfants

This alert updates the Department of State’s May 2 adoption alert regarding the suspension of issuance of exit permits to adopted Congolese children seeking to depart the country with their adoptive parents.

On June 17, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) General Directorate of Migration (Direction Generale de Migration, DGM) informed the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa that the DGM has partially lifted its temporary suspension of issuance of exit permits to adopted Congolese children seeking to depart the country with their adoptive parents.  At this time, DGM will only issue exit permits to children whose adoptions were completed in the local Tribunal pour Enfants, in accordance with the Congolese 2009 law regarding the protection of children. 

The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa is seeking further clarification on the DGM’s decision and how it may affect intercountry adoptions completed in Tribunal de Paix in provinces where a Tribunal pour Enfants does not yet exist or did not exist at the time an adoption was completed.  The Department of State will post new information as it becomes available on adoption.state.gov. 

Prospective adoptive parents seeking to adopt from the DRC and their adoption service providers are encouraged to review the information provided by the Department of State regarding the current Embassy procedures, the general process for adopting from the DRC, and the most recent travel warning.

If you have concerns or questions regarding the alert or a specific adoption from the DRC, please contact the Department of State, 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 AskCI@state.gov. 

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=democratic_republic_of_congo_2

---

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

DoS Alert on Post-Placement Reports in Russia Adoptions

Russia requires post-placement reports to provide information regarding the welfare of children adopted by U.S. families.  Reports should be prepared in accordance with the requirements established by the Russian government and as agreed to during the adoption process.  All reports should be translated into Russian.  Reports may be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation directly at the address included below or can be sent to the regional authorities where the adoption was completed.  More information regarding post-placement reports can be found on the Russia country information sheet.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
Department of State Policy for the Protection of Children’s Rights
51 Lysinovskaya St.
Moscow, 117997

We strongly urge you to comply with the requirements established by the Russia government and complete all post-adoption requirements in a timely manner.  Your adoption agency may be able to help you with this process.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=russia_11

---

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

DoS Notice: U.S. – Ireland Operating Arrangement for Outgoing Adoptions of U.S. Children by Irish Prospective Adoptive Parents

June 7, 2013

The Department of State and the Adoption Authority of Ireland have concluded discussions on an operating arrangement for Irish prospective adoptive parents to adopt children who are eligible for intercountry adoption in the United States and who will emigrate from the U.S. to Ireland under Hague Adoption Convention (Convention) procedures.   The operating arrangement includes eligibility standards for prospective adoptive parents and prospective adoptive children in accordance with Irish and U.S. Convention procedures.  In order to ensure that Ireland will be able to issue an Article 17 letter, adoption service providers should comply with the provisions listed here.

The Department of State will host a conference call with the Adoption Authority of Ireland and interested U.S. accredited adoption service providers who are accredited to provide outgoing adoptions service from the U.S. on June 20 2013 to address any questions and facilitate guidance on the arrangement.  The Department of State will provide further details on the conference call in the near future.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=ireland_2

---

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

DOS Notice re China: New Location for Consulate General Guangzhou

June 7, 2013

The U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou, which processes all U.S. immigrant visas in China, will be moving to the Zhujiang New Town area of Guangzhou.  This spacious and modern facility will house consular services for visa applicants and for U.S. citizens.  The Consulate General will suspend operations on or about July 15, and will resume adoption-related visa services by appointment on July 24. 

In order to complete timely processing of current cases and to ensure that services continue smoothly, the Consulate General’s Adopted Children’s Immigrant Visa Unit (ACIVU) will maintain the following schedule of services:

• July 5—Last day for Letter Seeking Confirmation submissions until resumption of services.  All LSCs submitted by this date will be returned on July 12.
• July 11—Last day for adopted children’s immigrant visa interviews until resumption of services.
• July 12—Last day to pick up issued visas, Article 5 packets, and other processed documents until resumption of services.
• July 24—Adoption-related visa services resume at new facility.

Families and Adoption Service Providers are advised to incorporate this schedule into their planning for submitting documents, scheduling visa interviews, and determining travel dates.

For updates, please check the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou web site oradoption.state.gov.  You may also contact the ACIVU staff atGuangzhouA@state.gov if you have any questions.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=china_3

---

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

DoS Alert on El Salvador: Adoption Delays and Complications

El Salvador and the United States are parties to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption ("Convention").  Therefore, all adoptions between El Salvador and the United States initiated after April 1, 2008, must meet the requirements of the Convention and the U.S. and Salvadoran laws implementing the Convention.

The U.S. Embassy in San Salvador continues to work with the Salvadoran Central Authority – the Public Defender’s Office (Procuradoria General de la Republica - PGR) – to ensure that intercountry adoptions comply with the requirements of the Convention and U.S. and Salvadoran law.  However, the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador continues to see both out-of-order and incorrectly processed intercountry adoption cases that are not in compliance with these requirements or valid for U.S. immigration purposes.  Adoptive families have encountered serious delays, additional expenses, uncertainty, and unexpected difficulties.  The Department of State therefore advises U.S. citizens to proceed with caution when deciding whether to adopt from El Salvador.

All U.S. citizens and Adoption Services Providers (ASPs) should consult with the U.S. Embassy prior to beginning the adoption process in El Salvador.  Those with adoption cases already underway should likewise consult with the U.S. Embassy.  The U.S. Embassy can provide background on the common problems that arise so that both ASPs and prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) can monitor their adoption case carefully to ensure that it is compliant with Convention requirements and valid for immigration purposes. 

Most adoptions in El Salvador take at least two years to finalize, and some have taken as long as eight years.  PAPs and ASPs should be prepared to work closely with the Public Defender’s Office for Adoptions (Oficina Para Adopciones – OPA) to ensure that their adoption case is following the correct path and meeting all legal requirements so that it will be valid for immigration purposes once the adoption process is finalized. 

To contact the Immigrant Visa Unit at the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador regarding a pending or future adoption case, please send an e-mail to adoptsansal@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=alerts&alert_notice_file=el_salvador_1

---

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