Dear Great Wall Family,
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding prospective adoptive parents to submit complete application and petition packages for international adoptions under the Hague Adoption Convention to ensure timely processing.
Since April 1, 2008, the NBC has received more than 1,300 Hague applications and petitions. The NBC provides end-to-end processing for Hague applications and petitions, and USCIS has found that a majority of cases are incomplete, requiring prospective adoptive parents to submit additional information after they filed their initial application or petition. In an effort to speed up this part of the process, the NBC is working with adoption agency representatives to identify the necessary requirements for an initial Hague application, including:
- Ensuring that your home study is no more than 6 months old at the time that it is filed with USCIS.
- Ensuring that you have a Hague accredited agency complete your home study, or have a Hague accredited agency review and approve it, prior to submitting it, along with your Form I-800A to USCIS.
- Submitting a Consent to Disclose Information supplement if you would like the NBC to communicate with your adoption service provider on issues related to your case as it moves through processing.
The Hague Adoption Convention, which became effective for the United States on April 1, 2008, is an agreement between signatory countries which are working together to ensure protections in intercountry adoptions. These protections include providing adoptees with permanent loving homes; looking after children’s best interests throughout the adoption process; and preventing the abduction, sale or illegal trafficking of children.
For more information from USCIS on the intercountry adoption process you may contact the USCIS National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283 or (800) 767-1833 (TTY), or visit the USCIS Web site at www.uscis.gov.
Sincerely,
Great Wall China Adoption |
