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Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On March 20, 2007 the Parliament of Ukraine passed bill #2562 On Legislative Amendments to Ukraine's Laws (regarding adoptions). The bill will come into effect after the President's approval and its publication in the official newspaper of Ukraine's Parliament. This process can take at least one week. This bill introduces the following major changes to current Ukrainian legislation:
- The minimum age of prospective adoptive parent must be at least 21 years old;
- The maximum age difference between adoptive parents and adopted children cannot exceed 45 years;
- Unmarried foreign citizens cannot adopt Ukrainian children.
The final text of this bill will be available after its official publication.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions.
Adoption Unit/Immigrant Visa Section
Consular Section
American Embassy
Kyiv, Ukraine
Tel: 38-044-4904422
Fax: 38-044-490-4570
kyivadoptions@state.gov
http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html.
Important Notice to the Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine - March 05, 2007
Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On February 25, 2007 the Decree #313, issued by Minister for Family, Youth and Sports Victor Korzh, became effective. This Decree approves the Regulations on Acceptance of Adoption Documents from Foreign Citizens, an official document that describes current intercountry adoption procedures and requirements of the central adoption authority of Ukraine - the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC).
REGULATIONS
On the order and conditions of acceptance of the documents from foreign citizens applying for adoption
1. These Regulations have been developed in accordance with the Family Code of Ukraine (with amendments), Order on Registration of Children Eligible for Adoption and Prospective Adoptive Parents and Post-Adoption Control (approved by the Resolution #1377, dated August 28, 2003, by Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers, further referred to as The Order), Regulations on the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child , approved by the Resolution #1377, dated August 28, 2003, by Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers, for the purpose of organizing the work of the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child.
2. These Regulations define the order and requirements for acceptance and processing the documents from foreign citizens applying for adoption.
3. Foreign citizens, applying for adoption of a child (further referred to as Applicants), submit a written application about their intention to adopt a child to the SDAPRC.
Applicant's full address must be indicated in the application. Email addresses, if available, and phone numbers should also be included.
The following documents must be part of the adoption application (dossier) submitted to the SDAPRC (this list with more details is available on our website at: http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html ):
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Application for the SDAPRC with the request to be registered as prospective adopting parents.
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Proof of income: a statement from the adopting parents' employer indicating salary or a copy of W-2 forms or tax returns. To avoid confusion, please do NOT copy blank pages of tax returns.
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Copy of the marriage certificate (if applicable).
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Medical form.
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Notarized consent for adoption from a second adopting parent, if only one of the parents will be adopting the child.
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"No criminal record" statement supplied by a competent authority at the state level for each adopting parent, attesting that he or she has no criminal record. Statements from the city or county level are not accepted by the Ukrainian authorities. If the criminal background check statement is issued by the local sheriff/police office (not state authorities), it should clearly indicate that each prospective adopting parent has no criminal record in the state of his or her residence.
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Home Study, issued by a competent authority in the adopting parents' country, attesting to their eligibility, specifying their housing and living conditions, containing their curriculum vitae, presence of biological children and other information. If a home study is issued by a non-governmental entity (a private agency or social worker), a copy of the license authorizing this entity to conduct pre-adoption reviews must be attached.
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Entrance and permanent residence permit for the adopted child, issued by the competent authority in the adopting parents? country. For American citizens, the Form I-171H, Notice of Approval of Advance Processing, issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) serves as this document.
Copies of the passports or other identification papers of prospective adopting parents. Commitment to register their adopted child with the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate in their new home country within one month of the completion of the adoption. Adopting parents also agree to supply information about the adopted child's living conditions and educational progress to the Ukrainian consular office at least annually during the first 3 years following the adoption. Under Ukrainian law, an adopted child remains a Ukrainian citizen until age 18, at which time the child can decide whether or not to remain a Ukrainian citizen.
All documents must be legalized (in the case of U.S. documents, those submitted to the Ukrainian government/court must bear the seal of the issuing office and an apostille affixed by the state's Secretary of State (an apostille is a special seal applied to a document to certify that a document is a true copy of an original). All documents should also be accompanied by English translations.
In addition to these documents, according to the requirements of Article 252 of the Civil Procedural Code of Ukraine, prospective adoptive parents may submit the documents to confirm that they own a residence, or have a rental agreement.
4. The application for adoption and enclosed documents (adoption dossier) should be submitted in person either by a foreign citizen or by the person authorized by a foreign citizen to act on their behalf.
Foreign adoptive parents can be represented by: physical entities, central adoption authorities of the foreign countries and diplomatic missions of certain foreign countries, accredited in Ukraine and having the appropriate authorization from foreign citizens.
5. The SDAPRC accepts new adoption dossiers four times a week: on Monday and Thursday from 2 to 4 pm, on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 am to 12 pm. The SDAPRC plans to dedicate one of these days to acceptance of the U.S. dossiers only. The Embassy will provide further information on this as it becomes available.
Each Applicant's representative (adoption facilitator) can submit only one dossier at a time.
6. The total number of adoption dossiers accepted by SDAPRC should be defined every year by November 20, based on the average numbers of adoptions to each country during the most recent five years, and taking into account the compliance rate with post adoption reporting requirements. The total number of the dossiers, which can be accepted by the SDAPRC by the end of 2007, will be defined by the SDAPRC within a ten-day period after this Decree's official registration, based on the adoption numbers for each foreign country for the years 2001-2005.
7. The Applicant must present a passport or other identification document while submitting the dossier. The Applicant's representative (adoption facilitator) must present a passport or another identification document and the Power of Attorney to perform adoption-related actions; other representatives should present a special letter
8. During submission of the documents, the SDAPRC checks the dossiers for completeness, without checking each document for correctness at this stage.
9. Each dossier must be submitted in a separate folder. On the outer side of the folder please indicate the country of residence, full names of prospective adoptive parents. Please indicate the list of documents being submitted on the inner side of the folder.
Each document should have the consecutive number, written in pencil on the top right corner.
A copy of the Power of Attorney and passport of the local facilitator named on the Power of Attorney should be added to the dossier.
10. The dossiers from U.S. adoptive parents should be submitted in red folders.
11. If a dossier does not comply with any of the requirements indicated in sections 9 and 10 above, it will not be registered and will be returned to the local representative without being checked. New dossiers arriving by mail will not be accepted by the SDAPRC, neither will they be returned to the senders.
12. Upon accepting the dossier it is registered in the log book for dossiers of foreign citizens. The date stamp and registration number are stamped on the application. The same can be indicated on the application's copy, if requested by a representative of adoptive parents.
13. The SDAPRC will check the dossier within 20 working days. If the dossier conforms to all paperwork requirements, the SDAPRC registers the Applicants as prospective adoptive parents, recording their data. If a dossier is not registered, the Applicants will be sent a detailed response along with the dossier. Documents submitted to the SDAPRC by a representative of the Applicants (facilitator) are returned without a copy of a Power of Attorney, facilitator's passport or the special letter. The response and documents can be picked up at the SDAPRC by a local facilitator by presenting valid identification and Power of Attorney.
14. The Applicants (adoptive parents) submit their dossier to the SDAPRC taking into account that all documents are considered valid for one year, unless there is another term of validity established by the law of the foreign country, where the document is issued (the only exception for the U.S. documents is I-171H or I-797C Approval Notices, considered valid for 18 months from the I-600A approval date). All documents submitted in the adoption dossier must remain valid for at least another six months from the date they are submitted to the SDAPRC.
The SDAPRC sends written invitations for appointments to the registered adoptive parents according to the schedule approved by the SDAPRC.
15. The SDAPRC sends written invitations for appointments to the registered adoptive parents according to the schedule approved by the SDAPRC. A written invitation is mailed provided the documents in the dossier will remain valid for at least another month from the date of the prospective adoptive parent's appointment at the SDAPRC. In that case, the written invitation is not mailed and, upon expiration of the documents, the dossier is de-registered according to the current procedure.
16. Adoptive parents who fail to appear for their appointment with the SDAPRC without a good reason can receive another appointment no sooner than in four months, provided the documents remain valid.
The SDAPRC provides the prospective adoptive parents with information on the children eligible for intercountry adoption. If adoptive parents wish to adopt more than one child, they will be shown applications of sibling groups. Upon receipt of the information regarding a specific child (children), the adoptive parents can meet and establish contact with the child (children). There is a special referral, issued by the SDAPRC, which gives permission for the adoptive parents to meet the child (children) in the presence of a representative from the local Children's Services Office. The referral is valid for ten days from the issuance date.
If the adoptive parents do not bond with the first child, they can request a second referral. If, however, the second referral is turned down by the prospective adoptive parents, the SDAPRC and the prospective adoptive parents can request a third appointment which cannot be scheduled until after six months, provided the documents remain valid. When prospective adoptive parents decide not to adopt any children, they must return their original dossier back to the SDAPRC.
17. After establishing a personal contact with the child and receiving the concurrence letter from the local Children's Services Office, the foreign citizens apply to the SDAPRC to request consent for the court. The SDAPRC has five working days to consider the application and issue consent for the court. In case of refusal, the SDAPRC will provide a written detailed explanation.
Ludmyla Volynets
Director
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child
Notice to American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine - September 27, 2006
Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
This information is addressed to the US prospective adoptive parents who have the registered dossiers at the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC) and have confirmed their intention to adopt from Ukraine. The SDAPRC is obligated by the Ukrainian legislation not to keep any adoption dossiers with expired documents. This is why the SDAPRC requests all registered families to submit their updated adoption documents to the SDAPRC before October 15, 2006. The documents must be mailed; they cannot be hand-delivered by the local facilitators. If the updated documents are with your adoption facilitator in Ukraine, they can be mailed to the SDAPRC from a Ukrainian address. According to the SDAPRC, failure to submit the updated documents before October 15, 2006 will result in cancellation of your registration.
The schedule of adoption appointments for October 2006 is completed and posted in the public area of the SDAPRC. It contains the registration numbers from 14511 to 14884 series. The invitation letters have already been mailed to the prospective adoptive parents. If you have registration numbers in the specified range and have not received an invitation, please contact the Adoption Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, which will confirm with the SDAPRC whether your number is indeed scheduled for October. The SDAPRC is going to post the monthly schedules of adoption appointments on its own webpage. We will send a link to this webpage once it is up and running.
The SDAPRC has confirmed to the Embassy that priority in assigning appointments is being given to the married adoptive parents. The registered single adoptive parents will be scheduled after all married couples are processed. This decision is based on the requirements of the current Family Code of Ukraine.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Adoption Unit/Immigrant Visa Section
Consular Section
American Embassy
Kyiv, Ukraine
Tel: 38-044-490-4422
Fax: 38-044-490-4570
adoptionskiev@state.gov
http://kiev.usembassy.gov/amcit_adoptions_eng.html.
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Opening of New Adoption Authority in Ukraine - July 3, 2006
Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On July 3, 2006 the Minister for Family, Youth and Sports, Yuriy Pavlenko, held a press conference to announce the official opening of the new adoption authority, to be known as the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC), and to outline his ministry's policies related to the protection of children's rights.
Minister Pavlenko reported that the previous central adoption authority (the National Adoption Center under the Ministry of Education) had been dissolved, and stressed that the SDAPRC is completely separate from the previous system. He underscored that Ukraine has no intent to impose any restrictions or moratorium on intercountry adoptions; nonetheless, he made clear that promoting domestic adoptions will be the first priority and the main focus of the new adoption authority.
On the basis of Minister Pavlenko's statements, the Embassy has assembled the following information for Americans who wish to adopt in Ukraine. Americans with more detailed questions should contact us directly at: adoptionskiev@state.gov.
Q: When will the new adoption authority start accepting new adoption dossiers?
A: Pavlenko made clear that the SDAPRC will accept NO new adoption dossiers from non-Ukrainian adoptive parents before January 1, 2007. This applies to ALL intercountry adoptions, including applications for biological siblings of previously adopted children. According to Pavlenko, this is not a moratorium but a temporary suspension to allow complete reform of Ukraine's child welfare and adoptions system.
If a prospective adopted child is about to "age-out" (i.e., the child will turn 16 years old in 2006), please contact our office at: adoptionskiev@state.gov.
Q: What happens to the families whose dossiers were registered with the NAC? Will the registration numbers remain the same?
A: According to Pavlenko, the SDAPRC inherited from the National Adoption Center 1,200 registered adoption dossiers from foreign citizens. Of these, 390 are from American families wishing to adopt in Ukraine. These 390 registered families will keep the registration numbers assigned by the previous National Adoption Center; cases will be considered in the order of their registration numbers.
Q: We have one of these NAC registration numbers. What should we do now?
A: All registered families are asked to submit new applications to affirm their intention to adopt in Ukraine. This application should be done in the same way as the one previously submitted to the NAC with their original dossiers, but should now be addressed to the new adoption authority and sent via regular or courier mail service directly to the following address:
Ms. Ludmyla Volynets
Director
State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child
Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports
14 Desiatinna Street
Kyiv 01025
Ukraine
Only original, notarized and apostilled applications, accompanied by a Ukrainian translation, will be accepted. An English-language sample application can be downloaded here.
Q: We have a NAC registration number, but some of our documents have expired, or will expire soon. Do we need to update them? Should we bring the updated documents for the appointment or submit them prior to our trip to Ukraine?
A: If any of the adoption documents in a previously registered dossier have expired or will soon expire, the adopting parents should send the updated documents directly to the SDAPRC as soon as possible. These documents should be sent via regular or courier mail service to the address specified above.
Q: When will the families who registered with the old adoption authority have their appointments?
A: During July and August of 2006 the new adoption authority will complete the scheduling of adoption appointments for registered families that have confirmed their intention to adopt from Ukraine. The appointments for registered families will begin after September 1, 2006.
Q: How can families communicate with the new authority? Will my facilitator be allowed to communicate with it on my behalf?
A: The SDAPRC is now fully staffed, with its own English interpreters (as well as Spanish, French, German and Italian) available on staff. Since the current Ukrainian law does not allow adoption intermediaries, no private interpreters/facilitators will be allowed to interpret during meetings of prospective adopting parents with the SDAPRC. You can still use the private interpreters/facilitators for other stages of the adoption process.
Minister Pavlenko stressed that all employees of the SDAPRC are civil servants and are subject to administrative and criminal penalties for any malfeasance.
Q: Is there any new information about the availability of children for intercountry adoption?
A: According to the Ministry, only 16% of all adoptable Ukrainian children are under five years old and relatively healthy. At the same time, 50% of all the U.S. prospective adopting families have indicated specific interest in this category of children.
Q: What changes will be introduced to the actual adoption process, particularly regarding paperwork requirements?
A: Generally, it appears that much of the actual procedures and paperwork (medical forms, etc.) for intercountry adoption in Ukraine will remain much the same. The Embassy is working to obtain complete information from the SDAPRC, and will announce specific changes as soon as the Ukrainian authorities make this information available.
Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On January 31, 2006 President Yushchenko signed the law giving interim authority over adoptions to the Ministry of Education's National Adoption Center (NAC) until the new adoption authority is legally established under the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports.
This law will go into effect upon its publication in Parliament"s official newspaper "Holos Ukrainy," which should occur in a matter of days. According to this law, the NAC will have full authority to process adoptions in Ukraine until May 1, 2006 - the final date by which the new adoption central authority must be established under the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports. The NAC has stated that they will now resume normal processing - not only of the suspended cases, but also of the cases that had been previously scheduled through the end of January.
The NAC has not yet released a notice to the international adoption community explaining details regarding processing of adoptions during the transition period. Absent NAC written guidance, we cannot confirm processing plans or details. The information below, keyed to frequently asked questions on the part of adoptive parents, reflects our understanding of likely procedures, based on preliminary discussions with the NAC administration. For case-specific information or clarification, contact the NAC or your adoption service provider directly.
Q: We are currently in Ukraine, waiting for the NAC to issue the consent letter required by the court (or waiting for the referral letter/second appointment/etc). When can we expect to have our document issued/case processed?
A: The NAC requests that all American adopting families currently in Ukraine contact the Center directly or through their representatives to obtain case-specific information, such as new appointment date or the official consents required by Ukrainian courts. The NAC has stated that the consents for the courts will be issued immediately on the day the law becomes effective.
Q: Due to the suspension, we missed our scheduled appointment with the NAC in January. When can we travel to Ukraine for a new appointment?
A: According to the NAC, adopting families who had been scheduled for appointments in January will now be rescheduled in February on the same (or closest working day) to their original date (for example, January 24 would be shifted to February 24). Contact the NAC directly or through your local representative to confirm your appointment date prior to traveling to Ukraine.
Q: We are registered at the NAC and were supposed to receive an appointment this year. When can we expect our appointment?
A: The NAC has advised that after the center reschedules all January appointments, the NAC will focus on priority cases such as those involving children with severe medical problems, older children and sibling groups. The NAC will contact families directly.
Q: Will the NAC accept all new adoption dossiers after it re-opens?
A: The NAC has advised that previous restrictions on acceptance of new dossiers will remain in effect. (See our earlier notices regarding the Government of Ukraine's concern about the non- compliance rate by American adoptive parents with regard to post- adoption reporting, which is required under Ukrainian law.) The NAC will only accept dossiers filed by U.S. citizens on behalf of certain categories of orphans: siblings of previously adopted children; older children; and children with serious health problems.
Q: We have our adoption dossier ready for submission. Should we send it to the NAC or wait till the new adoption authority is open?
A: If your case falls under one of the special categories listed above, you may submit your dossier to the existing NAC. However, officials of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports have recommended that prospective adopting parents wait to submit new applications until the new adoption authority is open and operational after May 1, 2006.
Q: How does the new law affect those families whose dossiers were accepted and registered by the NAC months ago, but whose adoptions were neither suspended in mid-December nor already scheduled through the end of January?
A: The NAC advised that there are over 1,000 registered adoption dossiers from foreign citizens, including over 600 from Americans, waiting to be scheduled. According to the NAC, these families will be scheduled for appointments per regular NAC procedures. Any dossier that is not scheduled for an appointment with the existing NAC during the transition period will be transferred to the new adoption authority. |
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| 2006-01-31 |
| Adoption tax credit rises in 2005 |
| Once again, the maximum amount of the adoption expense tax credit has been increased. Parents who finalized an adoption during 2005 can claim up to $10,630 on their federal income tax returns. The credit begins to phase out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes (AGI) greater than $159,450, and is unavailable to taxpayers with AGIs above $199,450. See IRS Publication 968 for details: www.irs.gov/publications/p968/index.html |
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| 2006-01-31 |
| International Adoption Update |
At the time this issue went to press, Vietnam was still expected to grant its first licenses to U.S. adoption agencies by the end of 2005. Officials had not indicated a time frame for the process, nor the total number of agencies to be licensed.
Andrei Fursenko, the official in charge of Russian adoptions, recently came out strongly in favor of international adoption. In a parliamentary address, he emphasized that imposing a moratorium on international adoptions would be illegal and unwise. He also reaffirmed that the Ministry doesn't see the need to increase the number of U.S. adoption agencies accredited to work in Russia.
The informal moratorium that halted all international adoptions from Kazakhstan for almost a year appears to have been lifted. New requirements to adopt from Kazakhstan have been posted at www.kazakhembus.com/GenInf.html |
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| 2006-01-03 |
| Ukraine Adoption News |
| Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:
On December 20, 2005, President Yushchenko signed the law transferring authority over adoptions from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports. This law came into effect on December 22, 2005, upon its publication in Parliament's official newspaper "Holos Ukrainy".
According to the new law, the Family Code of Ukraine will be amended to give authority over domestic and international adoptions to the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports. The new central authority will be called the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Children, under the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports.
According to information from the National Adoption Center (NAC), although the NAC under the Ministry of Education has not yet been dissolved, the Ukrainian Supreme Court has determined that the NAC no longer has legal authority to process adoptions. This decision effectively creates a processing gap, with no Ukrainian ministries' having the authority to handle adoptions at this time.
The Embassy has raised the U.S. Government's concern about the sudden stoppage of adoption processing and has asked the Government of Ukraine to take steps so that families already in Ukraine can conclude their adoptions and return home. Although officials at the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports have indicated that they wish to find an interim solution for the families caught in the balance, any such resolution will likely not be approved until mid-January of 2006, after the Ukrainian holidays. (All Ukrainian governmental organizations will be closed from January 1 to January 10, 2006, for the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays.)
The Embassy also has asked for clarification on the status of the referral appointments that the NAC had scheduled for January 2006. As soon as the Ukrainian authorities respond, the Embassy will issue a follow-up notice with that updated information.
American prospective adoptive families who have January appointments to travel to Ukraine should not do so until such time as the Embassy has confirmed to the extent possible whether you will be able to complete the adoption process and return to the U.S. with your children in a timely manner.
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| 2005-11-21 |
| Azerbaijan Adoption News |
| Adoptions have resumed following a moratorium issued in April 2004. Read the State Department notice at http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/notices/notices_2488.html . |
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| 2005-11-21 |
| Guatemala Adoption News |
| A new adoption law under consideration would set up a government department to oversee adoptions and care of orphans. The controversial law has no funding plan for care of the 25,000 children currently in privately funded children's homes. Most experts expect adoptions from Guatemala to remain unchanged, as the law is stalled in the congress. Even if the law passes, child advocates expect a successful challenge in the supreme court. |
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| 2005-11-21 |
| Employee Adoption Benefits on the rise |
Adoption assistance programs for employees have become more common and more generous in recent years, according to Hewett Associates. Roughly 39% of big companies surveyed this year offered adoption assistance programs, up from 36% last year and 31% in 2000. The average expense reimbursement rose 25% since 2000, reaching $3,879 in the most recent survey.
For free materials you can use to convince your company to offer or expand adoption benefits, log on to www.adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org . |
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| 2005-11-17 |
| Russian Adoption News |
| Kommersant , 2005-11-17
Adoption of Russia's children by foreigners was in the limelight of the government's hour held in the State Duma yesterday, November 16, 2005. As a result, it was decided to ban independent adoption and to hold inspection aimed at revealing bribing of officials in Russia's guardianship bodies, when it comes to giving the go-ahead for foreign adoption. |
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| 2005-11-15 |
| Hague Convention on International Adoption |
| In August, the U.S. Department of State submitted regulations on accreditation and approval of international adoption services to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB review is the last step before the regulations become final. Accreditation of agencies to conduct adoptions under the Hague Convention must be complete before the U.S. can officially ratify the treaty. As this is expected to take another two years, the Hague Convention is unlikely to impact the U.S. before 2008. Sixty-seven countries have now adopted the Hague Convention. Learn about this important international treaty at www.hcch.net. |
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| 2005-11-15 |
| China Adoption |
| The Hague Convention on International Adoption will come into force for China on January 1, 2006. Chinese authorities have assured the U.S. Department of State that adoptions between the two countries will not be affected, even though the U.S. has not yet come under the treaty. In a 2004 survey of Chinese citizens, 94 percent of respondents agreed with the practice of international adoption. |
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| 2005-11-14 |
| Russian Adoption News |
| A proposed moratorium on adoptions by U.S. families was voted down in September. However, processing requirements are becoming increasingly complex, delaying the placement of children. Russian adoption officials have requested that agencies immediately implement psychological testing of prospective parents, stringent criteria for selection of adoptive parents, thorough pre-adoption preparation, and closer post-placement supervision of families. |
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| 2005-11-10 |
| Romania Adoption News |
| In January 2004, new laws effectively ended international adoption, leaving in limbo 200 U.S. families who had already been matched with children. Romania's ambassador to the U.S. asserted that these cases were being reviewed. The Helsinki Commission, a U.S. government agency that monitors human rights, called on Romania to reform its policies to allow international adoption, in order to uphold the basic right of Romanian children to a family. Romania's current rate of domestic adoption is too low to ensure placement of the 9,000 children abandoned each year. A State Department official described as "baffling" the European Union's requirement that Romania ban international adoption in order to join the EU, given the fact that other EU countries allow the practice. Go to www.csce.gov and click on "Hearings" to read the testimony. |
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| 2005-07-03 |
| Automatic Citizenship Certificates |
| The program, administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), applies to children entering the U.S. on IR-3 visas, with finalized adoptions, and under the age of 15 (older children must take an oath of allegiance to receive certificates). In the first 15 months of operation (January 2004-March 2005), 18,620 citizenship certificates were automatically mailed to newly adopted children. If you think your child is eligible for an automatic citizenship certificate, and if 45 days have passed since his/her entry to the U.S., call the USCIS at 800-375-5283. For more information please visit USCIS website |
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| 2005-07-01 |
| Vietnam |
In mid-June, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi announced the initialing of an agreement to reinstate adoptions from Viet Nam to the U.S. The international adoption agreement was officially signed by representatives from both countries on June 21, 2005 at the U.S. State Department. At the signing, both nations also signaled their support of the Hague Convention. Read the full remarks from the signing at http://travel.state.gov/law/legal/testimony/testimony_2546.html.
The announcement came after three years of work to increase the transparency of the adoption process between the two countries. Adoptions from Viet Nam to the U.S. should resume later in 2005. Read the State Department's notice at http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/notices/notices_2542.html. |
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| 2005-05-04 |
| Anti-Gay Adoption Laws Rejected |
| In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to overturn Florida's law banning adoption by gays and lesbians, several states have introduced legislation to replicate the Florida law. Anti-gay adoption bills were introduced but rejected in Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas; a similar bill in Alabama currently remains active. |
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| 2005-05-03 |
| Number |
| U.S. parents adopted over 7,000 children from China in 2004, making it the leading country of origin for a fifth year in a row. Russia was again in second place, with nearly 5,900 children adopted by Americans. Intercountry adoptions in 2004 totaled 22,884, up 6 percent from 2003 and triple the number from 10 years ago. See the numbers for the top 20 countries of origin at http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/stats/stats_451.html. |
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| 2005-05-01 |
| Military Adoption Benefits Law Introduced |
| Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), himself an adoptive parent, introduced the Military Adoption Act of 2005. The bill would make adoption leave a permanent part of the military's benefit package, granting the primary caregiver in military families 21 days of leave to be used after completing an adoption. Currently, adoption leave is granted at the discretion of the individual's commander. |
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