DOS released the FY 2013 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption:http://adoption.state.gov/content/pdf/fy2013_annual_report.pdf
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Showing posts with label Hague Countries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hague Countries. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2014
FY 2013 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption
DOS released the FY 2013 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption:http://adoption.state.gov/content/pdf/fy2013_annual_report.pdf
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
DoS Notice: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Swaziland
On July 1, 2013 the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for the Kingdom of Swaziland. However, the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland verbally notified the U.S. Embassy in Mbabane that the current suspension on intercountry adoptions will remain in effect until the country has fully implemented the Convention. The Embassy was not provided with a definitive timeframe for implementation.
We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that intercountry adoption procedures from Swaziland must comply with the Convention before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Swaziland resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in Swaziland until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of the Kingdom Swaziland has lifted its suspension on intercountry adoptions and that Swaziland’s procedures meet the requirements of the Convention.
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.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
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/
Friday, March 1, 2013
DOS Adoption Notice: Adoptions from Lesotho to Begin Under the Hague Adoption Convention
Lesotho
March 1, 2013
Notice: Adoptions from Lesotho to Begin Under the Hague Adoption Convention
The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for Lesotho on December 1, 2012. At that time, Lesotho did not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place and elected to suspend intercountry adoptions. The Government of Lesotho notified the U.S. Embassy in Maseru that the current suspension on intercountry adoptions will cease on February 28, 2013. The United States determined that it will be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions initiated from Lesotho on or after March 1, 2013. However, please note that minor delays may be encountered while the Ministry of Social Development finalizes its structure for in-country fees, which the Ministry expects to publish in April 2013.The Government of Lesotho also notified the U.S. Embassy in Maseru that accredited adoption service provider Small World, Inc. is now authorized to provide services in Convention adoptions from Lesotho. This is the only U.S. adoption service provider currently authorized to operate in Lesotho. Adoption service providers interested in seeking authorization should contact Lesotho's Ministry of Social Development.
The Department of State cautions U.S. prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers that the Ministry of Social Development does not expect to publish a fee structure for in-country fees until approximately April 1, 2013. The Department of State reminds adoption service providers that, in accordance with the accreditation and approval standards, prospective adoptive parents must receive a detailed fee schedule for the entire process, including foreign country program expenses, when deciding whether to contract with a specific adoption service provider.
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.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Thursday, January 24, 2013
FY 2012 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption
DOS released the FY 2012 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption on its website today: http://adoption.state.gov/Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice: Vietnam Update
Vietnam
December 2012
Notice: Special Advisor Jacobs Visits Vietnam Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs recently met with host government officials in Vietnam to discuss Vietnam’s current progress on adoption reform to meet obligations under the Hague Convention and improve child welfare. Vietnam became a party to the Hague Adoption Convention (the Convention) February 1, 2012, and is working on fully implementing a new adoption law, related decrees, and a public information strategy. On September 7, 2012 the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved the three-year National Project designed to implement the Convention. The United States continues to support Vietnam’s efforts to enhance its child welfare system and intercountry adoption process.
Based on the information gathered from the Government of Vietnam and other adoption stakeholders, the Department is currently assessing whether consular officers will be able to certify that individual adoptions will comply with the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, and U.S. implementing regulations.
We continue to caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that important steps must still take place to ensure that adoptions between Vietnam and the United States will comply with the Convention, U.S. law, and implementing regulations before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Vietnam may resume. Adoption service providers should not initiate, nor claim to initiate, adoption programs in Vietnam until they receive notification from the Department of State that it will resume processing Convention adoption visa applications in Vietnam.
Updated information will be provided on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
DOS Adoption Alert: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Lesotho
Lesotho
December 5, 2012
Alert: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Lesotho
On December 1, 2012 the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for Lesotho. However, the Government of Lesotho notified the U.S. Embassy in Maseru that the Government of Lesotho is suspending receipt of new adoption applications from all receiving states until March 1, 2013, to give the country time to put a fully functional Convention process in place.Adoptions initiated prior to December 1, 2012 may be considered transition cases, and therefore will be able to complete the pre-Convention adoption process. Transition cases are defined as those in which:
- Prior to December 1, 2012, a prospective adoptive parent filed a Form I-600A with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identifying Lesotho as the country of origin, filed a Form I-600, or completed the adoption; and
- The child was “officially matched” with prospective adoptive parents prior to December 1, 2012. The Ministry of Social Development defines an official match as one in which the match was made during a matching meeting chaired by a Ministry official, and involving representatives of Lesotho childcare facilities and adoption service providers.
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=alerts&alert_notice_file=lesotho_1
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Friday, November 30, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice: Update on Inter-country Adoptions in Cambodia
Cambodia
November 30, 2012
Notice: Update on Inter-country Adoptions in Cambodia
The Special Advisor for Children's Issues, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, met with host government officials in Cambodia on October 28 and 29 regarding Cambodia’s efforts to meet obligations under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (the Convention). The United States continues to support Cambodia's efforts to improve its child welfare system and intercountry adoption process.We welcome Cambodia's efforts to implement fully its new law on intercountry adoption.
The Cambodian government has indicated that it intends to begin accepting adoption petitions on January 1, 2013. Based on this information, the Department of State is currently assessing whether consular officers will be able to certify that individual adoptions will comply with the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, and U.S. implementing regulations. The Department has made no decision as to when intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia will resume.
We continue to caution adoption service providers (ASPs) and prospective adoptive parents that important steps must still take place to ensure that adoptions between Cambodia and the United States comply with the Convention, the U.S. law, and implementing regulations before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia may resume. ASPs should not initiate, nor claim to initiate, adoption programs in Cambodia until they receive notification from the Department of State that it will resume processing Convention adoption visa applications in Cambodia.
Updated information will be provided on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.
http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=cambodia_4
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Updates from Philippine Adoption Authority (ICAB)
The Australian Central Authority under the Hague has published the following information on its intercountry adoption web pages. Please note that despite the fact that the Australian government states this information was made available to all Central Authorities in September 2012, the US DOS has not published any updated information concerning the Philippine program since the winter of 2011. For US families and agencies considering a Philippine adoption program, PEAR recommends that you contact the US DOS Office of Children's Issues to confirm the information provided in the statement below. Phone: 1-888-407-4747; 202-501-4444 E-mail: AskCI@state.govKey points:
The Intercountry Adoption Board of the Philippines (ICAB) has:
- introduced a quota system
- lifted its moratorium on adoption applications for children below the age of 25 months, and
- revised their definition of an 'older child'.
Introduction of a quota system
ICAB has advised all of its partner organisations of the introduction of a new quota system.
ICAB has advised each organisation, including each of Australia's State and Territory Central Authorities, of the number of:
- applications they may send to ICAB over the remainder of 2012 and in 2013, and
- adoption placement proposals they may expect from ICAB in 2012 and 2013.
Through this quota system, ICAB aims to reduce waiting times to an average of 1.5 years by ensuring the number of applications received from a partner organisation does not exceed the average number of placement proposals made through that organisation.
NOTE: The quota system does not apply to applications to adopt a child with special needs, an older child or a sibling group. Please also note the information below regarding ICAB's revised definition of 'older child'.
For more information about the quota in your jurisdiction, or about adopting a child with special needs, please contact your State or Territory Central Authority.
Lifting of moratorium
ICAB have also advised that they have lifted the moratorium on adoption applications for children below the age of 25 months.
This means that, subject to the quota system outlined above, ICAB will now accept applications from Australian families approved to care for children aged 0-24 months.
The moratorium was introduced in 2009 in response to the large number of applications ICAB had received to adopt children aged under the age of 25 months, compared to the relatively small number of children in this age group in need of overseas families.
Definition of 'older child'
ICAB have revised their definition of an older child.
Previously, a child was considered to have special needs on the basis of age if they were over 8 years old.
ICAB have advised us that a child who is over the age of 6 will now be considered to have special needs on the basis of age.
Please contact your State or Territory Central Authority if you have any questions about the changes to the Philippines program.
http://www.ag.gov.au/Intercountryadoption/Whatsnew/Pages/default.aspx#PhilippinesSept12
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice: Colombia's revised procedures for determining children's eligibility for intercountry adoption
Colombia
October 22, 2012
Notice: Colombia's revised procedures for determining children's eligibility for intercountry adoption
To comply with the Constitutional Court decision, ICBF has been reviewing approximately 1,300 declarations of adoptability to ensure they meet the revised procedures. ICBF has identified a number of cases in which the adoption eligibility determination for a child does not meet the new standards. ICBF has placed an administrative hold on these cases until it is satisfied that the adoptability determination is evaluated as to whether there might be an extended family member who could care for the child. ICBF will notify prospective adoptive families that have been matched with children whose cases require evaluation. For privacy reasons, ICBF cannot inform the prospective adoptive families of the specific reasons for the review, and ICBF cannot offer any guarantee of the final outcome of the review.
As of September 2012, the U.S. Embassy in Bogota is aware of six instances involving U.S. families whose adoption proceedings required review; one adoption has since been finalized. These reviews represent a small percentage of the total number of intercountry adoptions between Colombia and the United States, and the Embassy continues to work with ICBF to encourage timely resolution. Families who learn that their adoption has been placed on hold should inform the U.S. Embassy in Bogota by contacting IVBogota@state.gov.
In addition to these formal reviews, both ICBF and the Colombian family court system appear to be scrutinizing proposed adoptions more carefully. Prospective adoptive families may experience delays while ICBF evaluates a family’s suitability before finalizing the match with an available child. The issuance of the adoption decree by a family court judge may also take longer than in the past. Families should anticipate spending six to eight weeks in Colombia to obtain the final adoption decree. Given these delays, the Embassy strongly advises all families with less than three months’ validity left on USCIS fingerprint results to make arrangements with USCIS (NBC.Hague@dhs.gov) to update these before traveling to Colombia to complete the adoption.
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. E-mail 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=colombia_1
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Friday, September 14, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice: Haiti Announces New Adoption Procedures
Haiti
September 14, 2012
Notice: Haiti Announces New Adoption Procedures
The Department of State’s understanding of the new adoption procedures is as follows: IBESR plans to regulate orphanages, crèches, and children’s homes in Haiti through an authorization process. In addition, IBESR plans to implement an authorization process for certified adoption service providers (ASPs) or their agents to facilitate adoptions and to begin requiring families to use the services of an authorized ASP. Children will be eligible for adoption only if they reside in an authorized facility. We continue to seek further clarification and will update this notice as information becomes available.
IBESR informed the U.S. government that beginning September 2012, they will accept applications from ASPs wishing to facilitate adoptions in Haiti under the new procedures.
New procedures may prohibit prospective adoptive parents from establishing contact with the child they are seeking to adopt before they are officially matched to that child by IBESR in coordination with the ASP and orphanage, crèche, or children’s home. Some exceptions, such as intra-family adoptions may be allowed, even with prior contact. IBESR may consider exceptions to this policy for new cases in which prospective adoptive parents have already had contact with the child on a case-by-case basis.
IBESR has informed the U.S. government that it will process adoption cases submitted prior to May 7, 2012 under pre-existing adoption procedures. IBESR has also informed the U.S. government that they will review new cases submitted up to and including September 15, 2012 to determine if they can be processed under the old procedures.
If you have questions about the status of your adoption case, please work closely with your adoption agency or facilitator. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince is continuing to seek clarification on the new procedures. Please continue to refer to our website at www.adoption.state.gov for updates on adoptions in Haiti.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Thursday, September 13, 2012
ISS Report: INVESTIGATING THE GREY ZONES OF INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION
INVESTIGATING THE GREY ZONES OF INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION illuminates thecontemporary paradoxes of intercountry adoption (ICA). While theoretically regulated by the 1993 Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (THC-93), in fact almost two-thirds of contemporary intercountry adoptions are not legally governed by the treaty. While purportedly addressed at least in broad terms by the fundamental 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a large proportion of intercountry adoptions in fact arise in circumstances where there have been severe violations of the rights of both children and adults, due to poverty and/or discrimination based on disability, gender, race, or ethnic group. Thus, where children’s rights and human rights are respected and successfully implemented, there are very few children legitimately in need of adoption. Further, while adoption is theoretically a means to ameliorate rights deprivations and to implement the best interests of the child, as actually practiced it easily becomes driven by the desire of adults for children, and by financial incentives. Thus, there is a severe temptation to create systems which use ICA to address problems such as poverty and discrimination, when from a child rights and human rights perspective it should be mandatory instead to remedy the underlying rights and equality violations. At the same time, vulnerable children clearly cannot wait for poverty, discrimination and underlying structural problems to be alleviated in their societies before receiving appropriate interventions, providing some ambiguity in practical terms as to the proper implementation of the subsidiarity principle. These paradoxes indeed create “grey zones.”
The Report goes beyond addressing “grey zones” to describe the zones of clearly illicit and illegal activity: children kidnapped and sold for ICA; fraud and money being used as inducements to obtain relinquishments; false documentation being supplied to cover up these means of illicitly obtaining children. Concern with such illegal conduct was a precipitating concern of the THC-93 as reflected by the text and work of preparation; that these abusive practices remain persistent and widespread is demonstrated by the fact that the HCCH Special Commission of 2010 devoted the first day to “the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children” in the context of intercountry adoption. Unfortunately the most powerful actors in ICA, including governments, adoption agencies, and adoptive parents, have powerful incentives to deny or minimize the extent of these illicit practices. Thus, it is extremely welcome that such an internationally significant organization as ISS has in this Report provided such a detailed documentation and analysis of these illicit practices. Hopefully, all involved in ICA will carefully consider the facts, analysis, and recommendations contained in this report.
David M. SMOLIN
Professor of Law Cumberland Law School
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama USA
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Philippines Program – New Requirements Reported by Australian Central Authority
According to an August 2012 statement by the Australian Central Authority, the Philippine Central Authority, ICAB, has announced the following changes in the adoption process effective August 1, 2012:Philippines Program – New Requirements – August 2012
Key Points:The Intercountry Adoption Board of the Philippines (ICAB) has introduced new requirements of interest to prospective adoptive parents (PAPs). The requirements are relevant to:
- PAPs who have an approved file in the Philippines, and
- intercountry relative adoptions
Until now, if experiencing a change of circumstances, PAPs could request that their approved file be placed ‘on-hold’ indefinitely (subject to their State or Territory guidelines). Relevant circumstances include medical reasons, birth of a biological child, or financial issues.
Due to an increasing number of requests from PAPs to put their approved files ‘on-hold’, ICAB have advised all partner countries of the following:
- PAPs who request to put their approved file ‘on-hold’ due to a change in circumstances may now do so for a maximum of six months at a time.
- Before the six month period ends, the relevant State or Territory Central Authority must submit an update about the PAPs to ICAB.
- If an update is not provided within those six months, ICAB will remove the PAPs from the list of approved files.
- An update about the PAPs from the relevant State or Territory Central Authority must be provided to ICAB within six months of the end of the nurturance period.
- If an update is not provided within those six months, ICAB will remove the PAPs from the list of approved files.
If you have any queries about your file, you should contact your State or Territory Central Authority.
Intercountry relative adoptions
From 1 August 2012, ICAB requires that all intercountry relative adoption applications will now include a duly notarised undertaking stating that:
- all information provided to ICAB as part of the proposed adoption is complete and accurate, and
- there has been no immigration application previously filed or pending on behalf of the relevant child.
This new requirement applies to all intercountry relative adoption applications from 1 August 2012, including pending applications.
Please contact your State or Territory Central Authority if you have any questions about the new requirements.
A copy of the Australian Government’s Intercountry Relative and Known Child Adoptions Policy is available on the Attorney-General Department’s website.
http://www.ag.gov.au/Intercountryadoption/Whatsnew/Pages/default.aspx#New
It is noted that the US DOS, Office of Children's Issues has not updated their Philippine adoption information page since January 2011. The page still reflects a temporary moratorium on new applications despite the fact that ICAB lifted the moratorium in June 2012.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Monday, July 23, 2012
Kyrgyzstan Investigating Allegations of Bribery in Agency Accreditation
According to news sources, Kyrgyzstan’s social development minister was arrested on Wednesday July 4, 2012 under
suspicion of seeking at least $15,000 in bribes from a United States adoption
agency. According to the media, the US agency had paid $10,000 in bribes to become accredited to participate in intercountry adoptions from Kyrgyzstan under the Hague, and the minister was seeking additional payments.Sources:
Kyrgyz minister arrested for seeking bribe in adoption scandal, July 6, 2012, Central Asia Business Newswire http://www.universalnewswires.com/centralasia/business/viewstory.aspx?id=12367
Kyrgyzstan: Minister for social development arrested on bribery charges July 24, 2012 Ferghana News
PEAR is requesting disclosure of the US adoption agency involved in the scandal. We will continue to follow the story and will provide updates as they become available.
Edited 4:20 pm EST 7/23/12:
List of US accredited agencies, partnering agencies and agencies seeking accreditation from Kyrgyzstan (this list is in progress and will be updated as we discover new information):
Christian World Adoption - Accredited source: http://www.cwa.org/kyrgyzstan-adoption.htm
Adoption Options - Seeking accreditation source: http://www.adoption-options.org/blog/2012/kyrgyzstan-adoption/
Heartsent - Seeking accreditation source: http://www.heartsent.org/international-adoption-programs/kyrgyzstan-program.html
International Child Foundation - Seeking accreditation. source: http://childfound.org/countries/kyrgyzstan/
Nightlight Christian Adoptions - Not accredited, but partnering with an accredited agency. source: http://www.nightlight.org/explore-adoption-choices/international-adoption/#Kyrgyzstan
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
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
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
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Monday, July 2, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Rwanda
Rwanda
July 2, 2012
Notice: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters into Force for Rwanda
On July 1, 2012 the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for Rwanda. However, the Government of Rwanda has notified the U.S. Embassy in Kigali that the current suspension on intercountry adoptions will remain in effect until the country has a fully functional Convention process in place. The Government of Rwanda believes implementation will take several months.We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that important steps to ensure intercountry adoptions from Rwanda comply with the Convention must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Rwanda resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in Rwanda until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of Rwanda has lifted its suspension on intercountry adoptions and that Rwanda’s procedures meet the requirements of the Convention.
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=rwanda_1
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice Romania: New Adoption Law in Effect
Romania April 10, 2012
Notice: Romania New Adoption Law in Effect
Notice: Romania New Adoption Law in Effect
The Romanian Office for Adoptions announced that its new adoption law went into effect on April 7, 2012. The new law allows for intercountry adoptions of Romanian children by relatives of the fourth degree of kinship, the spouse of the child’s natural parent, and Romanian citizens who are habitually resident abroad.
Please be aware that the U.S. law implementing the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Convention), the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA), requires prospective adoptive parents to be U.S. citizens in order to be eligible to apply for intercountry adoption using U.S. procedures. This means that Romanian citizens legally residing in the United States will be able to adopt from Romania only if they or their spouses are also U.S. citizens.
Moreover, the U.S. Hague Adoption Convention accreditation regulations (22 CFR 96) provide that in each Convention adoption case, an accredited agency, a temporarily accredited agency, or an approved person will be identified and act as the primary provider. More information on the role of U.S. accredited ASPs and the role of U.S. accrediting entities is available on the Department’s adoption website, adoption.state.gov.
The Department of State has provided information to the Romanian Office for Adoption about the U.S. requirement for a primary provider to serve in each Convention adoption, explaining the critical monitoring and oversight role of U.S. accrediting entities in ensuring that ASPs remain in substantial compliance with the IAA and the Convention. We look forward to the opportunity to expand our cooperation with Romania as Convention partner countries.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Monday, April 9, 2012
DOS Adoption Notice Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Approval of New Hague Convention Adoption Process
Kazakhstan April 5, 2012
Kazakhstan Approval of New Hague Convention Adoption Process
Kazakhstan Approval of New Hague Convention Adoption Process
The Ministry of Education and Science, the Central Authority of Kazakhstan, has confirmed that the governmental decree approving its new policies to process intercountry adoptions and accredit adoption agencies in Kazakhstan goes into effect on Thursday, April 5, 2012.
The Government of Kazakhstan will begin accepting applications for accreditation from potential adoption service providers on April 9, 2012, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Information on the new accreditation process and the new adoption procedures will be available on the Central Authority's website shortly.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Friday, May 20, 2011
DOS Adoption Notice: Mexico
May 19, 2011
Notice: Adoption Service Providers Authorized in Mexico
The Mexican Central Authority (MCA) has provided the U.S. Central Authority (USCA) with information clarifying its process to authorize U.S.-based Hague accredited adoption service providers (ASPs) to provide adoption services in Mexico.
All prospective adoptive parents seeking to complete an intercountry adoption in Mexico must work with an ASP that has been authorized by a competent Mexican authority on either the national or state level. The national office of the Desarollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) provides national authorization of ASPs. In addition, state DIF offices do not have to recognize national authorizations and have the discretion to provide state-level authorizations to ASPs.
The MCA has informed us that, to date, only one ASP, Carolina Adoptions, has been authorized at the national level by national DIF. Twenty-nine Mexican states, plus the Federal District, have confirmed that they will accept Carolina Adoptions’ national authorization (please see the MCA state-by-state list provided).
The state of Jalisco does not accept Carolina Adoptions’ national authorization, but has authorized Across the World Adoptions to operate there. The state of Nuevo Leon indicates that it does not process intercountry adoptions.
Please note that because state DIF offices may authorize additional ASPs on a case-by-case basis, prospective adoptive parents (or their ASPs) must contact the DIF office in the relevant state to confirm whether a specific ASP has authorization, as well as provide USCIS, National Benefits Center, with proof of that authorization from the state level at the time of filing their case.
Please note that Carolina Adoptions has informed the USCA that due to its full workload of pending cases it is not able to take on new Mexican cases at this time. The National DIF informed us that several additional U.S.-based Hague Accredited ASPs are in process and pending authorization by the National DIF. As soon as we receive updated information we will publish additional public announcements.
The USCA will continue to work with the MCA to clarify how best to confirm that prospective adoptive parents are working with an authorized provider as authorizations continue to be granted at both the national and state levels, and more information will be provided at a later date.
Note from the Office of Children's Issues: The below list of U.S. Hague accredited adoption service providers that are authorized to provide intercountry adoptions services in Mexico was provided to our office in April 2011 by the national office of the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF). The information is subject to change. Prospective adoptive parents should verify this information with the national DIF before proceeding with an intercountry adoption.
Agencias acreditadas por Estados Unidos, y autorizadas en México, con el objeto de realizar adopciones internacionales con este Sistema Nacional DIF, y los diversos Sistemas Estatales.
| ENTIDAD FEDERATIVA | ORGANISMO |
| AGUASCALIENTES | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| BAJA CALIFORNIA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| CAMPECHE | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| COAHUILA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| COLIMA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| CHIAPAS | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| CHIHUAHUA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| DURANGO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| DISTRITO FEDERAL | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| ESTADO DE MÉXICO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| GUANAJUATO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| GUERRERO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| HIDALGO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| JALISCO | ACROSS THE WORLD |
| MICHOACÁN | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| MORELOS | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| NAYARIT | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| NUEVO LEÓN | NO REALIZAN ADOPCIONES INTERNACIONALES |
| OAXACA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| PUEBLA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| QUERÉTARO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| QUINTANA ROO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| SAN LUIS POTOSÍ | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| SINALOA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| SONORA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| TABASCO | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| TAMAULIPAS | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| TLAXCALA | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| VERACRUZ | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| YUCATÁN | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
| ZACATECAS | CAROLINA ADOPTION SERVICES |
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Saturday, September 4, 2010
DOS Adoption Alert: Rwanda Update
Rwanda Adoption AlertU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues
September 3, 2010
Effective August 31, 2010, the Rwandan Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) temporarily suspended all new applications for intercountry adoptions to prepare for accession to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (the Convention). U.S. Embassy Kigali officials met with Rwandan adoption officials on September 1, 2010 to clarify which cases would be included in pipeline processing. The Government of Rwanda has stated that it will not accept dossiers for new adoption cases until Rwanda accedes to the Convention. Dossiers received by the MIGEPROF or Rwandan embassies prior to August 31, 2010 will continue to be processed by Rwandan authorities. Implementing the Convention can be a lengthy process and may take a year or more.
Questions concerning adoptions in Rwanda may be sent to either AskCI@state.gov or consularkigali@state.gov . Please check www.adoption.state.gov for updates as they become available.
http://adoption.state.gov/news/rwanda.html
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)