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Adoption Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Little Miracles International | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | 0 Comments

Democratic Republic of the Congo

October 23, 2013

Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo Authorities Announce Changes to Suspension Exceptions and New Prohibition on Adoptions by Single Parents

Changes to limited exceptions to suspension on exit permit issuances: 
On October 22, the Congolese Ministry of Interior and Security, General Direction of Migration (DGM) clarified limited exceptions to the suspension of exit permit issuance referred to in the Department of State’s October 8 adoption notice. The DGM will issue exit permits to adopted Congolese children whose adoptions were approved by the Congolese Ministry of Gender and Family’s interministerial adoption committee beforeSeptember 25, 2013. The DGM provided the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa with a list of children whose adoptions meet this requirement. The U.S. Department of State will contact the families whose children are on the DGM’s list by October 28. Adoptive parents are advised that the possession of a U.S. immigrant visa may not, on its own, be sufficient for the DGM to issue an exit permit to an adopted Congolese child. 

Adoptive parents whose Congolese children’s cases fall under the exception must apply in person to the DGM’s Administrative Secretary for exit permits. Please note there is no fee for the service. The DGM usually takes a minimum of seven days to process exit permits for adopted children. The DGM Administrative Secretary may be reached at:
Mr. Albert Luyinu, Administrative Secretary
Direction Generale d’Immigration
65, Boulevard du 30 juin,
Commune de la Gombe
Ville de Kinshasa, R.D.Congo
The DGM further clarified that the Ministry of Gender and Family will not process any pending or new applications for approval of adoptions during the suspension on exit permit issuances.

New prohibition on adoptions by single parents: 
On October 22, the DGM informed the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa that it will no longer issue exit permits to Congolese children adopted by single parents, unless the adoption meets the above criteria for limited exceptions. The DGM contends that certain provisions of Congolese law prohibit single individuals from adopting Congolese children. This prohibition applies to single individuals from all countries and is intended to be permanent. The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa is seeking clarification on the prohibition’s impact on children whose adoptions by U.S. families were already completed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before the suspension.

Adoptions in progress: 
Prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers are reminded that adopted Congolese children cannot depart the Democratic Republic of the Congo without an exit permit. Therefore, while the courts may continue processing adoptions, the children adopted during the suspension will not be able to obtain exit permits to depart the country.

Please direct questions related to this alert or a specific adoption to the Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AskCI@state.gov. We will also post new information as it becomes available on www.adoption.state.gov.

Adoption Notice: Kenya

LMI Admin | Wednesday, October 16, 2013 | 0 Comments

Reminder of Kenyan prohibition against pre-selection of prospective adoptees

The Kenyan Adoption Committee has requested that the United States government remind adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents of Kenya’s strict prohibition against pre-selection of children by prospective adoptive parents. The Kenyan National Adoption Committee, Kenya’s Central Authority under the Hague Adoption Convention, is likely to reject dossiers and/or referrals for families that have pre-selected a child or have had prior contact of any kind with a specific child, the child’s guardian, or individuals with power to determine a child’s eligibility or placement for adoption. This could include, but would not be limited to, contact through mission trips, volunteering at orphanages, or other relationships with the prospective adoptee. The sole exception to this prohibition is when a prospective adoptive parent can prove a blood relationship with a prospective adoptee.

The U.S. Intercountry Adoption Act, which implements the Hague Adoption Convention in the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Interim Hague regulations require disclosure in the home study of any information relevant to the prospective adoptive parents’ eligibility to adopt under the specific requirements of the child’s country of origin (See 8 CFR 204.311(q)). Prior contact between prospective adoptive parents or any additional adult member of the household and a Kenyan child’s parents, custodian or other individuals or entity responsible for the child’s care may be grounds for denial of the Form I-800 (See 8 CFR 204.309(b)(2)).

Adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents who wish to know more about intercountry adoptions from Kenya can visit the Department of State’s page on adopting from Kenya and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi’s website for more information.
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Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo Immigration Authorities Announce Limited Exceptions to Exit Permit Suspension

This notice updates the Department of State's September 27 adoption alert regarding the suspension of issuance of exit permits to adopted Congolese children seeking to depart the country with their adoptive parents.

On October 3, the Congolese Ministry of Interior and Security, General Direction of Migration (Direction Generale d’Immigration, DGM) informed the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa that it will issue exit permits to adopted Congolese children who received immigrant visas for travel to the United States before the September 25, 2013, suspension effective date. Adoptive parents whose Congolese children received U.S. immigrant visas before September 25 must apply in person to the DGM’s Administrative Secretary for the exit permits. Please note there is no fee for the service, and the DGM usually takes a minimum of seven days to process each request for an exit permit for an adopted Congolese child to depart the country with his/her adoptive parents. The DGM Administrative Secretary may be reached at:

Mr. Albert Luyinu, Administrative Secretary
Direction Generale d’Immigration
65, Boulevard du 30 juin,
Commune de la Gombe
Ville de Kinshasa, R.D.Congo

The DGM further clarified that it will not issue exit permits for children adopted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who received, or will receive, immigrant visas on or after September 25 until the DGM lifts the suspension. The suspension of exit permit issuances for adopted Congolese children applies to all intercountry adoptions and is not limited to adoptions by U.S. citizens. These exit permits are required in addition to U.S. immigrant visas in order for adopted Congolese children to travel to the United States.

Please direct questions related to this alert or a specific adoption from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AskCI@state.gov. We will also post new information as it becomes available on www.adoption.state.gov.