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, …

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, …

DOS Adoption ALert: Russia Bilateral Agreement/Department of State and Russian Authorities issue joint statement on Adoption Agreement’s entry into force

Alert: Department of State and Russian Authorities issue joint statement on Adoption Agreement’s entry into force A joint Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services team traveled to Moscow September 26 – 28 to meet with Russian officials to discuss implementing procedures for the Agreement between the United States of America and the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation in …

Update to Haiti’s New Adoption Procedures

On September 14, we published the US DOS Office of Children’s Issues latest Adoption Notice concerning changes to Haiti’s adoption laws and processes. That Notice can be found here: http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2012/09/dos-adoption-notice-haiti-announces-new.html Today, we were informed that God’s Littlest Angels, a children’s home in Haiti that facilitates adoptions, has published the following IBESR timeline for adoption processing in Haiti. The timeline was …

DOS Adoption Notice: Haiti Announces New Adoption Procedures

Haiti September 14, 2012  Notice: Haiti Announces New Adoption Procedures   Haiti’s adoption authority, Institut du Bien-Être Sociale et de Recherches (IBESR), announced new administrative adoption procedures, which will take effect on October 1, 2012.  Although these new procedures are part of the Government of Haiti’s efforts to become a Hague Adoption Convention partner with the United States, at this …