Pursuant to Section 104 of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (IAA) (Public Law 106-279), the U.S. Department of State submits the FY 2012 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption. You may download and view the report here.

We are not shocked at these statistics, however it continues to worry and disturb us how many children have not received services we believe should be and could be provided to them by international adoption.

With Russia closing we are hearing from many, many families who are looking to switch their adoptions to one of our Hague programs (Hungary, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria or Colombia; click here for a full list of Hague countries).  Families with approval from USCIS for Russia, or any other non-Hague country, must revise their home studies and get a new approval in order to move forward.

Home Study 

For all country changes the first step is to revise your home study to reflect the new country.  Be sure you know the protocols in your new country for age range of children, gender requests, health expectations of children and any particular information the country requires in the home study and revise the home study accordingly.  A Hague home study varies slightly in format and content from a non-Hague home study so discuss the Hague home study requirements with your social worker.  Most home study agencies will charge a fee for revising your home study.  You will need a full, revised home study for the new program, as opposed to using your previous home study with a one-page update.

To go from a non-Hague country to a Hague country

An approval in a non-Hague country (for example Ethiopia, Russia, Congo, Uganda, South Korea, Ukraine and Taiwan) can not be transferred directly to a Hague country.  If you filled out the I-600A for your adoption then you are adopting from a non-Hague country. If you have I-600A approval, in addition to revising your home study you will need to file the I-800A form with USCIS and pay the fee of $720.  If your fingerprints from the I-600A have not expired CIS will transfer those to your new process at no charge.  You will send USCIS the completed I-800A form, a copy of your revised home study, the fees and copies of proof of citizenship.

To go from a Hague country to a different Hague country

If you already have an approved I-800A for a Hague Convention country you can use I-800A Supplement 3 (Request for Action on Approved Form I-800A) to change to another Hague country. You will check Part 2(d) and enter your new country in item 3: “Indicate Change of Country.” You might also need to check the box in item 3 indicating an update in the number of children, age of children, etc. if that information has changed in your home study.

You should send in your revised home study along with Supplement 3 to USCIS.  The first request for a change between Hague countries is free. If you have a change in any other parts of the document, other than country, the fee is $360.

To go from a non-Hague country to a different non-Hague country

If you already have an approved I-600A for a non-Hague country you can use the I-824 form to move to another non-Hague country.  Check Part 2(b) and write in the embassy or consulate location that should receive the approval of your application.  You should send in your revised home study along with the I-824 form to USCIS.  The first request for a change between non-Hague countries is free.

On January 2, 2012 the U.S. Dept of State, Office of Children’s Issues released the following alert regarding the status of intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia. The update can be found on their website here. Notice: Update on Status of Intercountry Adoptions between the United States and Cambodia The United States has determined that it will not be able to process intercountry adoptions in Cambodia at this time, under the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Convention). 

Despite Cambodia’s initiatives to strengthen its child welfare system and improve the integrity of its domestic and intercountry adoption processes, it does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place. We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that important steps, consistent with the requirements of the Convention, must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Cambodia may resume. 

Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption services in Cambodia for prospective adoptive parents in the United States until they receive notification from the Department of State.

US Senate Responds to Russian Law Banning Adoption of Russian Children by American Families

Late last night, the United State Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 628, a resolution expressing the body’s disappointment over the recent passage of a Russian law banning the adoption of Russian children by American citizens. This resolution, the most recent step in a long series of actions taken by Members of Congress, expresses the Senators’ deep concern with the law, which would deprive a significant number of Russia’s 740,000 institutionalized children their chance of finding a permanent, loving family.

“Given the immensity of the challenges facing the Russian government, one would think they would be taking every possible action to decrease the number of Russian children living without families,” said Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). “Sadly, it is the Russian children, many of whom have spent their entire childhood in institutions, who will suffer the most because of this law.”

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Senate Co-chairs, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), echoed Strottman’s sentiments.

"Whatever issues our two governments may be facing, there is no political reason to put vulnerable children in the middle of political posturing," Landrieu said. "Children should be raised by parents, not in orphanages, institutions or alone on the street."

"It is extremely unfortunate and disheartening that the Russian Duma and President Putin would choose to deprive the children, the very children that they are entrusted to care for, the ability to find a safe and caring family that every child deserves,” Inhofe said. “As a grandparent of an internationally adopted child, I know that this new law is against the interests of the Russian people, in particular Russian children. The law continues the disturbing anti-American trend that has been taking place in Russia for the past several years. It is nothing more than a political play against the United States that ultimately leads to greater hardships and more suffering for Russian children who will now be denied a loving family.

Since learning of the possible ban, CCAI has been deeply engaged in supporting this and other opposition efforts by Members of Congress. Earlier this month, CCA Members of Congress sent a bi-partisan letter to President Putin urging him to veto the legislation. “We fear that this overly broad law would have dire consequences for Russian children,” they wrote. “Nothing is more important to the future of our world than doing our best to give as many children the chance to grow up in a family as we possibly can.”

Now that the ban has been enacted, CCAI continues to work with the State Department and Members of Congress to urge the Russian government to grant clemency for cases already in progress. In situations like these, CCAI’s priority is to ensure that US government officials are not only aware of the personal circumstances of all American families directly impacted but also have the information necessary to effectively advocate on their behalf. CCAI strongly encourages families that are affected to accommodate the State Department Office of Children’s Issues request for information regarding where they are in the adoption process. The State Department has requested that families email Russiaadoptoin@state.gov with the subject line: “Intercountry adoption in Russia – family update.”

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (www.ccainstitute.org) is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization that strives to be an objective, educational resource for information critical to advancing the efforts of federal policymakers on behalf of children in need of homes.