Today we had an appointment with our social worker (SW) to update our home study certification for the last time before we travel. Our furbaby, Lucy, decided she would be a little stinker while the SW was here. Joe and I took the SW down the hall to see the nursery and we stood in there and chatted for a few minutes. When we came back through the kitchen to the table, Lucy was just polishing off the SW's last bite of coffee cake and standing up on Joe's chair to get the rest of his! 
September referrals are out already and the CCAA got through February 9th! This is SO much better than we expected for the first batch after the Olympics and earlier than expected too! 
to having 142 hangers in Lauren's closet. Yup, there are actually this many hangers with adorable little outfits hanging from them. Two-piece outfits even share one hanger, so I can't even say that the stuff is spread out a little.Hague Adoption Convention - Update on Implementation (December 18, 2007)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is pleased to provide this update concerning the implementation of the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (“Hague Adoption Convention”), signed at The Hague in May 1993.
On November 16, 2007, the President signed the instrument of ratification for the Hague Adoption Convention. The Department of State deposited the instrument of ratification on December 12, 2007, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On December 18, 2007, the Department of State published in the Federal Register at 72 FR 71730 a written notice that the Convention will enter into force for the United States on April 1, 2008.
On that same date, the interim rule that USCIS published in the Federal Register on October 4, 2007, at 72 FR 56832 will become operational. This means that for all cases filed on or after April 1, 2008, any U.S. citizen seeking to adopt and bring to the United States a child habitually resident in any country that has ratified the Hague Adoption Convention must follow the Hague process, as specified in the USCIS interim rule. Under United States law, prospective adoptive parents who filed Form I-600A or Form I-600 prior to the effective date may continue to process their adoptions under the current orphan regulations, provided that the laws of the country of the child's origin allows for continuation under the current orphan regulations. It is important to note that some countries may require processing under the rules of the Hague Convention no matter when the case was initiated. In such cases, the adoption will have to be processed under the Hague procedures despite when the adoption process was initiated.
As of December 18, 2007, 75 countries have become parties to the Hague Adoption Convention, including the United States. The Hague Adoption Convention is designed to protect children and their families against the risks of unregulated adoptions abroad and ensures that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interests of children. The Hague Adoption Convention also serves to prevent the abduction of, sale of, or traffic in children. The new process protects the rights of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents while promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical practices among adoption service providers.
Joint Council Update
Program International Relations Initiative
Date July 18, 2008
Regarding Renewal of I-600A for Hague Adoptions
In collaboration with Debbie Reynolds, Executive Director of Adoptive
Family Services and Co-Chair of the Joint Council China Caucus, Joint
Council continues to advocate for a positive resolution to the issue
of expiring I-600A approvals (for Hague adoptions).
As has been discussed on our Members Listserv, Joint Council has
confirmed with USCIS that due to regulatory requirements, prospective
adoptive families (PAPs) with an approved I-600A for an adoption in a
Hague country may file for a one-time renewal (extension). PAPs may
only request and receive a renewal (extension) one-time.
If the approval associated with the renewal expires, a PAP applying
for an adoption in a Hague country will then be required to file an I-800A
and proceed through the Hague IA process. The impact of this
requirement is very significant especially regarding China adoptions.
There will be additional filing fees, a new home study (meeting the
new USCIS Hague guidelines) and the impact on the PAPs standing with the
partner country (for example the CCAA) has yet to be determined. Some
have suggested that PAPs may be required to submit a new dossier to
the partner country with unknown impact on their registration/filing date.
As part of our ongoing advocacy Joint Council has been in contact with
USCIS, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCAI) and
Congressional offices. The requirements and limitations on the one-time extension of
the I-600A approval are regulatory and are not open to interpretation
by USCIS. As a result any 'fix' of this significant issue will require
changes to the regulations or the law itself.
Joint Council is advocating for a quick legislative and/or regulatory
fix with a goal of resolving this issue before Congress is out of
session this fall. Our goal is to allow those PAPs who filed an I-600A
application prior to April 1, 2008 to be permitted unlimited renewals
of their I-600A approval. Recognizing the significant impact the current
regulation may have on PAPs and children in need we remain fully
engaged on the issue and will keep you informed of our efforts and outcomes.
Sincerely,
Tom
TOM DIFILIPO President & CEO Joint Council
The burning questions of the week:
