DOS Adoption Notice: Morocco Ministry of Justice Provides Prosecutors New Instructions on Kafala Guardianship Decrees

Morocco November 6, 2012    Notice: Ministry of Justice Provides Prosecutors New Instructions on Kafala Guardianship Decrees    On September 21, 2012, Justice Minister El Mostapha Ramid published a notice instructing Moroccan Prosecutors to formally oppose a petition filed with a juvenile judge seeking the granting of Kafala guardianship decrees to prospective adoptive foreign parents who are not resident in …

DOS Alert: Russia – Text of Agreement and FAQ

Russia November 1, 2012    Alert: Department of State and Russian Authorities issue joint statement on Adoption Agreement’s entry into force Text of the Agreement FAQ: Bilateral Adoption Agreement with Russia The Agreement between the United States of America and the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children (the Agreement) entered into force on November 1, 2012, following the …

Two DOS Adoption Notices for Lesotho Published Today

DOS has published two Adoption Notices concerning Lesotho today. One concerns adoption agencies wishing to assist with adoption from Lesotho and the other concerns information for families looking to adopt. Lesotho has become a Hague Partner Country and the Hague Convention will enter into force on December 1, 2012 for adoptions from Lesotho. Recent adoption statistics from Lesotho show a …

DOS Adoption Notice: Taiwan – PAIR Process

Taiwan October 25, 2012    Notice: United States and Taiwan to Discuss Implementation of a Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) Process   From September 17–24, 2012, a joint Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) technical team traveled to Taiwan to discuss the intercountry adoption process between Taiwan and the United States.  The team met with the Taiwan …

DOS Adoption Alert: Honduras

Honduras October 25, 2012  Alert: The Honduran Adoption Authority, Instituto Hondureño de la Niñez y la Familia (IHNFA), has Resumed Normal Operations This alert updates the alert published on October 17, 2012 regarding the temporary closure of the Instituto Hondureño de la Niñez y la Familia (IHNFA), due to a labor strike.  U.S. Embassy Tegucigalpa confirmed that as of Friday, …

Updates from Philippine Adoption Authority (ICAB)

The Australian Central Authority under the Hague has published the following information on its intercountry adoption web pages. Please note that despite the fact that the Australian government states this information was made available to all Central Authorities in September 2012, the US DOS has not published any updated information concerning the Philippine program since the winter of 2011.  For …

Special Advisor’s Trip to Cambodia to discuss Hgaue Convention Advances

Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC October 22, 2012 Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs will visit Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Cambodia, and Vietnam October 22-November 1. While in the region, Special Advisor Jacobs will meet with non-governmental organizations and government officials to discuss the Hague Abduction and Adoption Conventions and the need to …

DOS Adoption Notice: Colombia’s revised procedures for determining children’s eligibility for intercountry adoption

Colombia October 22, 2012  Notice: Colombia’s revised procedures for determining children’s eligibility for intercountry adoption   Colombia’s Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) recently announced revised procedures for determining a child’s eligibility for intercountry adoption, which may affect some adoptions involving U.S. families. This process is known in Colombia as the “re-establishment of rights.” ICBF implemented these new procedures as a …

DOS Adoption Alert: Haiti Update

October 17, 2012    Alert: Update On Haiti’s New Adoption Procedures   This alert updates the Department of State’s September 14, 2012 notice pertaining to Haiti’s new administrative adoption procedures. Haiti’s adoption authority, Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), has postponed the effective date of the new administrative adoption procedures from October 1 to November 5, 2012.  Although …

DOS Adoption Alert : Honduras – The Honduran Adoption Authority, Instituto Hondureño de la Niñez y la Familia (IHNFA), is Currently Closed due to a Strike

October 17, 2012    Alert: The Honduran Adoption Authority, Instituto Hondureño de la Niñez y la Familia (IHNFA), is Currently Closed due to a Strike   As of October 2, 2012, employees of the Instituto Hondureño de la Niñez y la Familia (IHNFA) are on strike and IHNFA is closed.  The IHNFA is Honduras’ Child Welfare Authority and as such, …