Click here to download the Ethiopian Adoptions Presentation.

Announcement from the China Center of Adoption Affairs Concerning Single Women Adopting from the Special Focus List

Government departments and adoption agencies in receiving countries, In order to promote special needs child adoption and guarantee the basic interests of the orphaned and disabled children, CCAA decides to accept the adoption applications from female single applicants to adopt according to the requirements listed in this notice, starting from March 15, 2011:

• Female single applicants are allowed to adopt special focus children listed on the special Needs System of CCAA.
• One applicant can only adopt one special focus child at a time, with an interval of at least one year between two adoptions.
• The applicant shall have reached the age of 30 years and are under 50. For applicants over 50, the age difference between the child to be adopted and the applicant shall be no more than 45 years.
• The applicant shall provide her civil status certificate. Unmarried applicants shall provide certification for being single and non-homosexual; divorced applicants shall provide the divorce certificate of the last marriage; and widowed applicants shall provide the death certificate of their ex-spouse.
• The reason of being single and attitude towards marriage. Applicants shall have clear indication of willingness to appoint male figures as role models for the adopted child, and welcome male friends to join family gatherings.
• Applicants shall have received inter-country adoption training and training specifically for special needs child adoption so as to understand fully the physical and psychological needs of special needs children.
• Detailed nurturing and rehabilitation plan. Applicants shall be qualified personally and socially for caring special needs children and have wide social and family supporting network which can provide assistance any time.
• Guardians appointed by the applicants shall provide written statement as consent to act as the guardian of the adopted child. X. If the applicant has a stable relationship and lives with a male partner, t he requirements of couple applicants shall be applied.
• Applicants shall be healthy both physically and mentally according to the requirements by CCAA for prospective adoptive couples.
• Applicants shall be law abiding with no criminal records, and have good moral quality and conduct
• The family annual income shall reach $10,000 per family member, including the prospective adoptee and the family net assets value should reach $100,000.
• The applicant shall have good medical insurance which can cover the medical expense of the adopted child.
• Applicants shall be experienced in child caring or be occupied in child-related fields, such as doctor, nurse, teacher, child psychological counselor, etc. It's best that the applicants have already had successful experience in caring for special needs children.
• The number of children in the applicant's family under the age of 18 years shall be no more than two, and the youngest one should have reached the age of 6 years old.
• Applicants shall be fully prepared for adopting a special focus child.
• Social workers shall provide the following information fully and timely in the home study reports besides family visit interviews: Adoption motive. The decision to adopt a special focus child shall be well-considered. Applicants shall be capable of caring for a special need child and be responsible for the well-being of the child.

Supporting the Help Haiti Act of 2010 (HR 5283; S 3411)

Here is a list of email addresses of Congressional Offices to whom letters urging passage of the Help Haiti Act of 2010 should be sent. (The name in the address is the staffers' names; the name in parentheses is the names of the Representatives or Senators for whom the staffer works.)

David.Shahoulian@mail.house.gov (Lofgren)

George.Fishman@mail.house.gov (King)

Sean.McLaughlin@mail.house.gov (Smith)

Elana_Broitman@gillibrand.senate.gov (Gillibrand)

Robert.Zarate@mail.house.gov (Fortenberry)

Nathan_Reese@Inhofe.Senate.gov (Inhofe)

Jetaine_Hart@landrieu.senate.gov (Landrieu)

Chip.gardiner@mail.house.gov (Oberstar)

perry.aplebaum@mail.house.gov (Conyers)

John.Lawrence1@mail.house.gov (Pelosi)

terry.lierman@mail.house.gov (Hoyer)

marian_grove@klobuchar.senate.gov ((Klobuchar)

9/21/10

Government Updates, week ending September 2, 2010.

1. Alert on Nepal: procedures for pipeline cases. (http://adoption.state.gov/news/nepalalerts.html).

2. Alert on Rwanda: Rwanda closed to new international adoption. (http://adoption.state.gov/news/rwanda.html).

3. Notice on Ethiopian adoption procedures: as of May 2010, both parents must generally attend the federal court proceeding (http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html).

4. Notice on Liberia Exit Fees. (http://adoption.state.gov/news/liberia.html).

Instructions for filing I-600/A Forms, taken from USCIS announcement dated April 1, 2010.

Prospective adoptive parents residing in the United States must continue to submit Forms I 600, I 600A, and all supporting documents to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility for initial processing, using one of the following addresses:

USCIS
P.O. Box 660088
Dallas, TX 75266

Courier and Express Mail Deliveries:

USCIS
ATTN: Adoption
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

After Forms I-600 and I-600A are received at the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility, they will be routed to and adjudicated at the USCIS National Benefits Center, in Lee's Summit, Missouri.

Prospective adoptive parents residing abroad can also file the Form I-600A or Form I-600 through the Dallas Lockbox facility.

Prospective adoptive parents residing abroad can also file the Form I-600A and Form I-600 as follows:

Form I-600A can still be filed at the overseas USCIS office having jurisdiction over the overseas place of residence.

Form I-600 can still be filed at the overseas U.S. Embassy, consulate or USCIS office having jurisdiction to accept the petition. However, in order to file a Form I-600 petition abroad, the petitioner must have an approved and valid Form I-600A and must be physically present at the time of filing in the adoptive child's country.

Please contact the USCIS National Benefit Center at (877) 424-8374 or visit www.uscis.gov for more information on USCIS and its programs.

Ref: Click here

State Department Bulletin on Russian Adoption, issued April 20, 2010.

We have received no official notification that adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans have been suspended, but it is clear the recent controversy has slowed down adoptions in some parts of the country.

Volcanic ash prevented the U.S. delegation from traveling to Moscow over the April 17th weekend.The talks in Moscow between U.S. and Russian officials are now rescheduled for April 29 and 30. The United States plans to emphasize the importance of this issue, and will discuss our mutual concerns about how to better protect the welfare and rights of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. Many thousands of Russian children have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through intercountry adoption. Families in the United States have adopted more than 50,000 children from Russia.

If you have completed an adoption in Russia and have an immigrant visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow:

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is continuing to schedule and issue immigrant visas for adopted children using normal processing procedures. Contact the Embassy at MoscowConsularR@state.gov to schedule an appointment. Please also stay in close touch with your adoption service provider.

If you have a court appointment to finalize your child's adoption in Russia:

Many adoption cases are continuing to move forward in the courts. We have heard of cases in which a court appointment has been postponed. If your court appointment is postponed by the court, please provide this information to us by email at RussiaAdoption@state.gov and MoscowConsularR@state.gov. We will work with the Russian authorities to try to resolve any problems.

If you do not yet have a court date to finalize an adoption in Russia, but are in the process of adopting from Russia:

Please stay in close contact with your adoption service provider, and check the adoption.state.gov website regularly for current information about intercountry adoption from Russia.

The Department of State's Office of Children's Issues has established a special e-mail box for inquiries or comments about adoptions from Russia. Prospective adoptive parents and others with concerns about adoptions from Russia may send their questions to RussiaAdoption@state.gov. Prospective adoptive parents may also provide complete contact information for themselves, including full address, phone number, and e-mail information, the name of their adoption service provider (if available) and details about the child they are planning to adopt.

USCIS Fact Sheet on the Conclusion of that Humanitarian Parole Program for Haitian Orphans

Click here to download the Special Humanitarian Parole Program for Haitian Orphan fact sheet put out by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

State Department Notice on Ethiopia: March 5, 2010.

The Department of State shares families' concerns about recent media reports alleging direct recruitment of children from birth parents by adoption service providers or their employees. In response to these reports, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa has implemented some changes to adoption visa processing. Adoptive parents should be aware that an I-604 (Determination on Child for Adoption, sometimes referred to as "orphan investigation") must be completed in connection with every I-600 application. Depending on the circumstances of the case, this investigation may take up to several weeks or even months to complete. Therefore, adoptive parents should not plan to travel to Ethiopia until they have confirmed with their adoption agency that their visa interview appointment has been confirmed.

Adoption agencies submit case paperwork to the U.S. Embassy for review before the Embassy schedules the immigrant visa appointment. In some cases the I-604 determination could take several weeks or more from the time a case is submitted to the U.S. Embassy to the scheduling of a visa interview appointment. We understand that in such cases this will result in a longer period before parents are able to bring their adopted children to the U.S. However, this additional scrutiny is required to ensure that the adoption is legal under both U.S. and Ethiopian law. The U.S. Embassy will work with adoptive parents and their adoption agency to ensure that each case is processed in the most expeditious manner possible in accordance laws and regulations. Families should continue to work through their agency to schedule immigrant visa appointments and answer questions regarding pending cases.

If families have concerns about their adoption, we ask that they share this information with the Embassy, particularly if it involves possible fraud or misconduct specific to your child's case. The Embassy takes all allegations of fraud or misconduct seriously.

The best way to contact the Embassy is by email at ConsAdoptionAddis@state.gov. Please include your name, your child's name, your adoption agency, the date of the adoption (month and year), and, if possible, the immigrant visa case number for your child's case (this number begins with the letters ADD followed several numbers and can be found on any document sent to you by the National Visa Center). Please let us know if we have your permission to share concerns about your specific case with Ethiopian government officials.

We strongly encourage you to register any complaint that you may have about an adoption agency in the following ways:

• You may file a complaint with the state licensing authority where your adoption agency is licensed and conducts business. The Child Welfare Information Gateway, which is maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services, provides such a list at the link below: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp.cfm?rs_id=15&rate_chno=AZ-0008E

• You may also file a report with the state's Better Business Bureau. Following is the link to the Better Business Bureau's website where you may file a complaint on-line: https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx

• If your agency is a Hague-accredited adoption service provider, you are encouraged to file a complaint on the Hague Complaint Registry located at the link below. This information will be used by the accrediting entities to evaluate the agency in connection with the renewal of its accreditation status. http://adoption.state.gov/hague/overview/complaints.html

• The U.S. Embassy continues to work with the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that appropriate safeguards exist to protect prospective adoptive children, their birth parents, and prospective adoptive parents. Please continue to monitor adoption.state.gov

Resources for Adoptive Parents (a very partial guide)

1. Your own adoption agency and home study agency, each of which should have a guide to local resources.

2. Your local school district which can direct you to early intervention (for under 3s) and individualized educational plans for older children.

3. Post Placement Mental Health Resources: http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=10058&cn=11

4. Adoptive Family magazine: Resource guide: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/

5. Layers of Trauma for Haiti's Orphans: A Webinar featuring Dr. Bruce Perry: http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/media/20100128_webinar_haiti.php.

6. Post-adoption learning: http://www.adoptionarticlesdirectory.com/

7. Holt International Adoption Services: http://www.holtinternational.org/adoptees/.

8. Spence-Chapin Adoption Services: http://www.spence-chapin.org/post-adoption-services/c0_post_adoption_services.php

9. Parents For Ethical Adoption Reform: http://www.pear-now.org/

10. Yahoo groups: there is a Yahoo group for adoptive families from every country. Many adoption agencies have specific Yahoo groups. There are also Yahoo groups for parents of children with special needs.

Haitian Update: February 1, 2010. Haitian Adoption FAQs. Please click on the link below for a very good FAQs compilation on the current status of adoption from Haiti. http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/02/01/2190724.aspx

Haiti Update: 1-20-10. The U.S. embassy in Port au Prince has been issuing visas and humanitarian parole documents to a limited number of children. Ground transportation and traffic conditions are very difficult. Efforts are being made to try to expedite the handover of children who arrive in the United States to their U.S. families.

Humanitarian Parole Requirements for Haitian Children: 1-19-10

DHS and DOS are working together toissue travel documents (either immigrant visas or humanitarian parole authorizations) for children whofall intothe twocategories described below. Once these children are cleared totravel, the U.S. Embassy in Port au Prince will facilitate their evacuation tothe United States sothey may be united with their American adoptive parents.

Under applicable laws, unaccompanied minors entering the country without a parent or legal guardian are subject tospecial procedures regarding their custody and care. DHS coordinates with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement on the cases of these unaccompanied minors.

All cases will be evaluated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Depending on their circumstances, and information available some children will receive immigrant visas with permanent immigration status and will require nofurther processing. Those whoenter under humanitarian parole status will need tohave their immigration status resolved after arrival.

Eligibility for Humanitarian Parole-Category 1

Children whohave been legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the Government of Haiti, were in the process of being adopted by Americans prior toJan. 12, 2010 and meet the below criteria.

Required Criteria

• Evidence of availability for adoption, which MUST include at least one of the following:
  • Full and final Haitian adoption decree
  • Government of Haiti Custody grant toprospective adoptive parents for emigration and adoption
  • Secondary evidence in lieu of the above.
• Evidence of suitability for adoption, which MUST include at least one of the following:
  • Notice of Approval of Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition
  • Current FBI Fingerprints and background security check clearances
  • Physical custody in Haiti plus a security background check

Category 2

Children whohave been identified by an adoption service provider or facilitator as eligible for intercountry adoption, were matched toprospective American adoptive parents prior toJan. 12, 2010 and meet the below criteria.

Required Criteria

• Significant evidence of a relationship between the prospective adoptive parents and the child AND of the parents' intention tocomplete the adoption, which could include the following:
  • Proof of travel by the prospective adoptive parents toHaiti tovisit the child
  • Photos of the child and prospective adoptive parents together
  • An Adoption Service Provider "Acceptance of Referral" letter signed by the prospective adoptive parents
  • Documentary evidence that the prospective adoptive parents initiated the adoption process prior toJan. 12, 2010 with intent toadopt the child (filed Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition, and/or Form I-600, Petition toClassify an Orphan as an Immediate Relative, completed a home study, located an ASP towork with in Haiti, etc.)
• Evidence of the child's availability for adoption, which could the following:
  • IBESR (Haitian Adoption Authority) approval
  • Documentation of legal relinquishment or award of custody tothe Haitian orphanage
  • Secondary evidence in lieu of the above
• Evidence of suitability for adoption, which MUST include at least one of the following:
  • Notice of Approval of Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition; OR
  • Current FBI Fingerprints and background security check clearances

Other Orphaned or Separated Children

Given the severity of the disaster in Haiti, we understand that there are additional children that have been orphaned and/or separated from relatives and may alsobe in varying stages of the adoption process. DHS and the U.S. Department of State continue toevaluate additional eligibility criteria and will provide additional information as soon as it is available.

USCIS encourages U.S. citizens with pending adoption cases in Haiti tosend us detailed information about their cases toHaitianAdoptions@dhs.gov.

Please visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov and the U.S. Department of State website at www.adoption.state.gov for more information and updates.