[Janette Monteil]

HI,

I have been totally out of the loop for quite sometime because I am too busy chasing boys to keep up with adoption stuff. ANYHOOOOO, what exactly is the status of the HAGUE legislation right now? I am hearing 2007, and as long as 1600's are filed all will be ok. When approx in 2007? Is there a HAGUE stickie I should read?

any info
jan

[Emster]

What I've seen, it seems like what you say is true. There's an article in this months Adoptive Families magazine that gives the easy reader version of the whole thing that you might find helpful. There are many things still up in the air and agencies have yet to know what the criteria are in order to be accredited by COA to be able to get their own stuff in order.

[becky]

There was a hague sticky at the top of this forum that was very informative....but it is no longer there!

There is absolutely no confirmation that a filled I600A will be the cut off point...there has been some speculation. At this time there has been no firm announcement of when this is going to happen, or how far you will need to be into the process to be grandfathered in.

[Paparama]

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/64596.htm (link to Department of State on-line Q&A re: Hague implementation)

Welcome to "Ask the State Department" -- an online interactive forum where you can submit questions to State Department officials.

Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, recently discussed the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption and what the regulations for accreditation/approval of adoption service providers mean for U.S. adoption service providers.

April 20, 2006

Laurie from Maryland writes:
If I, as an adopting parent, file my I-600A now, will the Hague Convention have any effect on my adoption case?

Maura Harty:

Laurie, I can understand your concern, and Congress, in passing the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, took this situation into account. Section 505(b) of the Act states that neither the Convention nor the IAA (and its implementing regulations by implication) shall apply if the application for advance processing of an orphan petition (I-600A) or petition to classify an orphan as an immediate relative (I-600) is filed before the date the Convention enters into force for the United States. The date of the Convention’s entry into force will be posted on our web site well in advance.

http://www.jcics.org/Intercountry%20...0of%202000.pdf

Scroll down to page 22 and look at section 505(b)(1) (the Transition Rule).

All this means that it is federal law in the U.S. that the Hague regulations and statutes will not apply to adoptions between Convention countries (e.g., the U.S. and Guatemala) if the person seeking to adopt has filed their I-600 or I-600A before the U.S. ratifies the Hague (likely next summer).

But I wouldn't take that to mean that an adoption begun just before the U.S. ratifies the Hague will go smoothly. To the contrary, I would expect it to be a bumpy ride at best. Better to move quickly if one is sure one wants to adopt from Guatemala.

[Janette Monteil]

Thanks for the info.

Well it's not for me, but for my friend Vickie. The birthmother of her first child is pregnant and due first week of August so this applies to her. I believe she will be long done with the process before it goes into effect in 07. Someone said next summer maybe, I think she will be done before Christmas if not February. Her biggest deal now is, her 171 expires Sept 9th. Yikes! I TOLD her to do an update in june but nobody listens to me!!

thanks
jan

[becky]

she should have listened...so many of the CIS offices are running really behind, if that 171H runs out she may have a heck of a time getting a new one to bring her child home!!