This is an email that I received from our adoption agency on the ruling of the
I-600A from USCIS:
Dear China families,
We are writing as a follow-up to an email you received last week from Keith Wallace announcing a Call To Action regarding the “grandfathering” of families that had applied for CIS approval prior to April 1, 2008. We are more than pleased to announce that the USCIS has heard our voices!!
Today the USCIS announced that families who had started the adoption process using an I-600A approval, and who had received the one time free extension, may now file one additional form I-600A as long as they file before the current approval expires. Families will have to pay for this additional approval. If a family does allow their approval to expire, they will need to reapply using the I-800A form with a home study that meets all of the Hague requirements.
For more information on this topic, please refer to the USCIS website at: uscis.gov and go to “What’s New.” There is also a list of Frequently Asked Questions that appears below the announcements.
Many thanks to the families who participated in this Call To Action!!
Sincerely,
Your China Team
Even though we have to pay for another extension it it still good news! Praise God!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
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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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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Thursday, October 9, 2008
Petition
We are currently facing some issues with our adoption and immigration. Since we started our adoption, new rules and regulations have come into effect. The Hague convention which I wrote about in a previous post could have some serious effects on some adoptions waiting to take place. The concern is that our paperwork for immigration will expire and we will have to file under the new laws. This may exclude some people. It may also add addition costs to the adoption and in the long run, it may slow down our adoption even more. Please go to this website and sign the petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/adoption-for-all.html
Thank you for supporting our adoption.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/adoption-for-all.html
Thank you for supporting our adoption.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Fireproof
Lt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct. In the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story.
After a decade of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare.
While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge. But can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that's no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?
This is a great movie and I would like to encourage everyone to see it. Make sure to take plenty of tissues!
Monday, September 29, 2008
China Referral Update
This is the hot news from our agency! It always seems that they have to put that last part in there about anticipating the wait time to get longer...guess they don't want to get our hopes up. But we serve an awesome God and if it is in his time table the wait time will speed up! Just keep praying for us!
We just received referrals for families with a log in date (LID) of February 14,
2006. The CCAA online system has not been updated so we don’t yet know if referrals went beyond this date. FTIA families who received their referrals today waited 31.5 months after their dossiers were officially logged in until the time they received referrals. Congratulations to all the families that are seeing their new child’s face today!!
FTIA’s next groups of LIDs: 2/24/2006 and 3/6/2006.
Please Note: While we will always be happy to provide information regarding the most recent group of referrals as far as the time between their LID and referral, we cannot and will not attempt to predict when future referrals might arrive. Although it is tempting to try and guess, we do not want to provide information that is not based on fact to our families. We must also remind you that this time frame changes. The continuing trend presently is that we anticipate the wait to become longer and encourage our families to be prepared for such.
We just received referrals for families with a log in date (LID) of February 14,
2006. The CCAA online system has not been updated so we don’t yet know if referrals went beyond this date. FTIA families who received their referrals today waited 31.5 months after their dossiers were officially logged in until the time they received referrals. Congratulations to all the families that are seeing their new child’s face today!!
FTIA’s next groups of LIDs: 2/24/2006 and 3/6/2006.
Please Note: While we will always be happy to provide information regarding the most recent group of referrals as far as the time between their LID and referral, we cannot and will not attempt to predict when future referrals might arrive. Although it is tempting to try and guess, we do not want to provide information that is not based on fact to our families. We must also remind you that this time frame changes. The continuing trend presently is that we anticipate the wait to become longer and encourage our families to be prepared for such.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Hague Treaty
Here is some information regarding international adoption that you might find interesting......
Question: What Is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption?
Answer:
The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption is an international agreement between participating countries on best adoption procedures. These procedures have basically two goals in mind:
The best interest of children are considered with each intercountry adoption.
The prevention of abduction, exploitation, sale, or trafficking of children.
The guidelines and procedures that are set forth in the Hague Convention are also for the protection of birth families, as well as adoptive families. Part of the Convention's guidelines ensures that one Central Authority is in place in each country so that adoptive parents get the most accurate information regarding adoption. The Department of State is the U.S. Central Authority for the Convention. According to the State Department's Web site, implementing the principles of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption is the State Department's top priority at this time. They hope that the U.S. will be a Hague Convention country by late 2007 or early 2008.
As of February 26, 2008, there are 75 countries that have joined the Convention.
History of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
The Hague Convention on Private International Law has been around since 1893, but the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption was completed for comments by member countries on May 29, 1993.
The United States signed the Convention on March 31, 1994.
In 1998, President Clinton sent the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions to the U.S. Senate for ratification.
In 2000, both Houses of Congress passed bills for implementation of the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (the IAA), Public Law 106-279.
President Clinton signed the IAA into law on October 6, 2000.
The United States ratified the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption on December 12, 2007 in the Netherlands.
The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption entered into force for the United States on April 1, 2008.
This means that private adoption service providers will need to be accredited, temporarily accredited, or approved, supervised by a provider that is accredited, temporarily accredited, or approved, in order to provide adoption services involving the U.S. and another Convention country. See an updated list on the Department of State Web site of these agencies.
Adoptions between Hague and non-Hague countries are not prohibited by the Hague Convention
Top 10 Convention Countries that U.S. Families Adopted from in 2005
China
Guatemala*
India
Colombia
Philippines
Mexico
Poland
Thailand
Brazil
Moldovia
*Guatemala is a party to the Convention, but is not following the standards of the Convention at this time.
New developments -
Guatemala plans on being compliant by January 1, 2008, but will not work with any country that is not compliant.
On April 1, 2008, the Department of State advised that prospective adoptive parents not initiate an adoption with Guatemala.
Top 10 non-Hague Countries / Territories that U.S. Families Adopted from in 2005
Russia
South Korea
Ukraine
Kazakhstan
Ethiopia
Haiti
Liberia
Taiwan
Nigeria
Jamaica
Question: What Is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption?
Answer:
The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption is an international agreement between participating countries on best adoption procedures. These procedures have basically two goals in mind:
The best interest of children are considered with each intercountry adoption.
The prevention of abduction, exploitation, sale, or trafficking of children.
The guidelines and procedures that are set forth in the Hague Convention are also for the protection of birth families, as well as adoptive families. Part of the Convention's guidelines ensures that one Central Authority is in place in each country so that adoptive parents get the most accurate information regarding adoption. The Department of State is the U.S. Central Authority for the Convention. According to the State Department's Web site, implementing the principles of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption is the State Department's top priority at this time. They hope that the U.S. will be a Hague Convention country by late 2007 or early 2008.
As of February 26, 2008, there are 75 countries that have joined the Convention.
History of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
The Hague Convention on Private International Law has been around since 1893, but the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption was completed for comments by member countries on May 29, 1993.
The United States signed the Convention on March 31, 1994.
In 1998, President Clinton sent the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions to the U.S. Senate for ratification.
In 2000, both Houses of Congress passed bills for implementation of the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (the IAA), Public Law 106-279.
President Clinton signed the IAA into law on October 6, 2000.
The United States ratified the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption on December 12, 2007 in the Netherlands.
The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption entered into force for the United States on April 1, 2008.
This means that private adoption service providers will need to be accredited, temporarily accredited, or approved, supervised by a provider that is accredited, temporarily accredited, or approved, in order to provide adoption services involving the U.S. and another Convention country. See an updated list on the Department of State Web site of these agencies.
Adoptions between Hague and non-Hague countries are not prohibited by the Hague Convention
Top 10 Convention Countries that U.S. Families Adopted from in 2005
China
Guatemala*
India
Colombia
Philippines
Mexico
Poland
Thailand
Brazil
Moldovia
*Guatemala is a party to the Convention, but is not following the standards of the Convention at this time.
New developments -
Guatemala plans on being compliant by January 1, 2008, but will not work with any country that is not compliant.
On April 1, 2008, the Department of State advised that prospective adoptive parents not initiate an adoption with Guatemala.
Top 10 non-Hague Countries / Territories that U.S. Families Adopted from in 2005
Russia
South Korea
Ukraine
Kazakhstan
Ethiopia
Haiti
Liberia
Taiwan
Nigeria
Jamaica
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Hot News
Hot news from our agency!
September 02, 2008
We just received referrals for families with a log in date (LID) of February 6, 2006 The CCAA online system shows that referrals went through February 9, 2006. FTIA families who received their referrals today waited 31 months after their dossiers were officially logged in until the time they received referrals. Congratulations to all the families that are seeing their new child’s face today!!
FTIA’s next groups of LIDs: 2/14/2006 and 2/24/2006.
This is an interesting month....the time between last months referrals and this months was only 22 days! Which is awesome! Hopefully this is a new trend for referrals!
September 02, 2008
We just received referrals for families with a log in date (LID) of February 6, 2006 The CCAA online system shows that referrals went through February 9, 2006. FTIA families who received their referrals today waited 31 months after their dossiers were officially logged in until the time they received referrals. Congratulations to all the families that are seeing their new child’s face today!!
FTIA’s next groups of LIDs: 2/14/2006 and 2/24/2006.
This is an interesting month....the time between last months referrals and this months was only 22 days! Which is awesome! Hopefully this is a new trend for referrals!
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