I-600A Issue-Your Help Needed

This is in the Hot News from our agency. My previous blog touched upon this subject but hopefully this will help make the importance of the matter more clear.

I-600A Issue - Your Help Needed

We are asking for your assistance/advocacy to address the serious concerns that families presently in the process of adopting from China - and other countries with long waits for referrals - will face if the current CIS policy of only one (free) extension of the I-600A is permissible. Right now, if the family does not complete their adoption before the one extension expires--which is not likely given the current wait for referrals in China--families will have to file an I-800A. There are many unknown implications of what filing an I-800A will mean to families but will undoubtedly cause additional expenses and delays for families and children.

You can follow the links below to see what FTIA in cooperation with JCICS is asking of families. Please read the letter from JCICS that lists 5 ways to help. The JCICS position paper provides a clear explanation of the issues & concerns.

As Step #3, JCICS is asking families to sign on to a petition that was initiated by some parents in process of adopting from China. Notwithstanding our concerns about the accuracy of some information in the petition (e.g. the number of agencies denied Hague accreditation, the implications of switching agencies, etc) we still support the fact that families in process of adopting from China who submitted their original I-600A prior to the effective date of the Hague Convention on April 1st 2008 should be able to complete their adoptions without having to file an I-800A. Therefore we are asking you to support this advocacy by signing on to the petition, along with the other 4 steps suggested by JCICS in their "5 Ways to Help Us."

Link to JCICS letter: http://www.jcics.org/I600A.htm

Link to JCICS position paper: http://www.jcics.org/I600APosition.htm

Link to what you can do: http://www.jcics.org/5WaystoHelp.htm


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