Haiti July 16, 2012 Alert: Haiti Approves Ratification of the Hague Adoption Convention Haiti’s adoption authority, l’Institut du Bien-Etre Sociale et de Recherches (IBESR), confirmed that the Haitian Parliament approved ratification of the Hague Adoption Convention on June 11, 2012, although it is our understanding that Haiti has not yet deposited its instrument of ratification to the Convention. The Convention …
Category: Haiti
DOS Adoption Alert – Haiti: Temporary Suspension of New Adoption Cases
Haiti May 4, 2012 Alert: Temporary Suspension of New Adoption Cases Haiti’s adoption authority, l’Institut du Bien Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), informed U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince that it will suspend processing of new adoption cases effective May 7, 2012. IBESR indicated that the suspension will enable it to expedite processing on its backlog of pending cases and begin internal …
DOS Adoption Alert: Haiti/Independent Adoptions
June 27, 2011 Alert: Pursuing Independent Adoptions without Licensed Agencies Increases Risks of Delays and Fraud The Department of State has seen a recent increase in U.S. citizens seeking to pursue adoptions in Haiti through independent agents instead of licensed adoption providers. While these “private” adoptions are currently permissible in Haiti, prospective adoptive parents should be aware of the risks …
Special Advisor for Children’s Issues to Visit Haiti this Week
DOS/OCI Press release June 21, 2011 Special Advisor for Children’s Issues, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, will visit Haiti June 22 – 24 to discuss how the United States can support Haiti in its efforts to join the Hague Adoption Convention. The visit to Haiti will mark the second round of meetings hosted by the Governments of France and Canada that began …
DOS Adoption Notice: Haiti
Adoption Notice U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEBureau of Consular AffairsOffice of Children’s Issues IBESR Accepting New Adoption Cases January 31, 2011 Haiti’s adoption authority, the Institut du Bien-être Social et de Recherches(IBESR), has informed the U.S. Government that they are accepting new adoption applications for Haitian children who are either documented as orphans or who have been relinquished by their birth …
Legislative Update: International Adoption SImplification Act and Help Haiti Act
Two pieces of legislation concerning International Adoption have recently made progress through the legislature: Nov 30, 2010 – S. 1376: International Adoption Simplification Act. This was signed by President Obama and bill has become law. The law restores immunization and sibling age exemptions for children adopted by United States citizens under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. This act allows …
ISS Report: Haiti: “Expediting” intercountry adoptions in the aftermath of a natural disaster … preventing future harm.
Haiti: “Expediting” intercountry adoptions in the aftermath of a natural disaster … preventing future harm. Press Release from ISS*: This report examines intercountry adoption practices in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Haiti has been a ‘popular’ country of origin, meaning that thousands of children were at some stage of the adoption process – albeit simply “identified” as potentially …
Legislative Updates: HR 5283 and S 3411 – Help for Haiti 2010 Act
On July 20, 2010, the US House of Representatives voted to pass HR 5283, the Help Haiti Act of 2010, after agreeing to fast track the legislation and debating the bill for 45 minutes . The bill now passes on to the Senate for consideration. Currently, the Senate is considering its own related bill, S. 3411, where it is sitting …
USCIS UPDATE: Haiti, Special Processes for Children Brought in Under Humanitarian Parole
The USCIS has created a special webpage for families who brought children to the US under the Special Humanitarian Parole Program. The webpage contains directions for obtaining US citizenship based on three catagories of DHS parole and is meant to help clarify the process for adopting/adoptive families. Please visit the USCIS website for further information: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=f8f42777302b8210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=f8f42777302b8210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD or use this Tiny …
LEGISLATIVE ALERT: Haiti/Citzenship
According to a pres release from Senator Landrieu’s office, new legislation has been introduced to streamline the pathway to citizenship for children adopted and/or brought home on Humanitatiran Parole from Haiti. http://landrieu.senate.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases/05-26-2010-1.cfm The Bill is not yet published on the Library of COngress website, but PEAR will post links and pertinent text as soon as it is available. FOR IMMEDIATE …