[dhama]

Hi friends, we (my hubby& I) were born in Sri Lanka and we are hoping to adopt a child from there. Now , we are US citizens. we completed the home study & the INS paper work,etc,etc.we sent everything through the Sri Lankan consulate to the commissioner of child care &probation 3 months ago. But,our lawyer in Sri Lanka just informed us that the commissioner told him that there are NO children available for foreigners to adopt.We are both crushed by this cruel news. Both our families are against adoption so,we have no help from our relatives. Is there anyone who had adopted recently from Sri Lanka? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.thanks.

[tarynbrook]

I am so sorry to hear your news. I only hope that you get everything worked out... did Sri Lanka allow US citizens to adopt in the past? Is this a new law? I wish I had advice for you, just hang in there and contact other lawyers and orphanages in Sri Lanka, they might know differently than the lawyer whom you are working with. If the end the answer is still a "no" for you to adopt from there, will you consider another country where the children equally need parents like you? I am sorry that your family is not supportive in your journey, good luck with your quest!

[rj_keaton]

My wife and I were also just told that there are no kids available for foreign adoption. We understand, however, that the present Commissioner is an interim commissioner and that the "new" one will assume his duties the first part of October. We are hoping with the change in commissioners that there is also a change in views concerning foreign adoption. In April 2002 we visited Sri Lanka and there were children in the children's homes we visited. It would seem that there are kids available! We also have been told that Sri Lankans living abroad are given "priority" over non Sri Lankans. Don't give up. The Sri Lankan people captured our hearts during our brief visit last year. We know in our hearts that there are Sri Lankan children destined to become part of our family.

[dhama]

Hi, thanks for the reply. If you don`t mind could you tell me ,when did you guys send the home study package to Sri Lanka & how long you guys have been waiting for a child to be allocated??? We have been told that it would take about 2 yrs for them to allocate a child. And did you receive any letter from the commissioner saying that they received your application?? We haven`t received anything. thanks. I think we can help each other.

[rj_keaton]

Hi! It just feels good to know that we aren't the only ones working on a Sri Lankan adoption. You are ahead of us in the process. We have not yet sent our dossier. Our attorney is attempting to get a few questions answered for us before we complete the dossier. Our questions were sent to the Commissioner the end of May. We have not been told that an allocation could take 2 years-- hope that is not the case! We feel we are "pioneers" in Sri Lankan adoption. The lack of response from the Commissioner's office is frustrating. Our attorney is very responsive-- but he can't get answers, either. Keep us posted.

[fluidtlm]

Don't lose heart. I was adopted from sri lanka 15 years ago by my parents who were living in Canada (now I am 25). So, it can happen. I am not sure if laws have changed since my adoption, but my parents did have someone representing them at the courts.

[dhama]

Hi , thanks for your reply. you have renewed our hopes of adapting a kid from Sri Lanka.

[stephandmano]

Hi,
We were so happy when we read your e-mails and found other people out there trying to adopt from Sri Lanka. My husband is a Sri Lankan citizen and U.S. resident. I am a U.S. citizen. Last year we traveled to Sri Lanka and our hearts our now set on adopting a child from there.
We are sorry you got bad news about the govt. not letting foreingners adopt currently. We have just started our process but so far we have heard(from family in Sri Lanka) that they are allowing adoptions from Americans. We are currently trying to verify this information with the Dept. of Probation and Children Services in Sri Lanka. I will keep you posted.
Are you working with an agency here in the U.S. that also works with Sri Lanka?
Good Luck! Please stay in touch it is wonderful to know others who are in our same position.
Stephanie
P.S.
Good luck with your family!

[rj_keaton]

Hi

Welcome aboard the "SLOW train" to Sri Lankan adoption! We heard recently from our attorney in Colombo that rumors of change in the Commissioners office have surfaced again. Hope to hear something positive soon. The current political turmoil in Sri Lanka could be slowing most everything down. I'll let you know when I hear anything (good or otherwise). Let us hope that by working together we can all bring our Sri Lankan kids home!

Richard

[stephandmano]

Hi,
Thanks for your e-mail. Lately I have been feeling really alone in this process of trying to adopt from Sri Lanka. It is comforting to know that there are a few other people my husband and I can connect with as we continue on this journey.

Last night my husband called the Sri Lanka Dept. of Probation and Children's services. Although the secretary didn't want to answer most of our questions she did answer the most crucial one. She said that they are currently allowing foreigners to adopt Sri Lankan children. He then called the U.S. embassy in Sri Lanka and they confirmed this good news. Then this morining he called the Sri Lankan Embassy in the U.S. and they too said that foreingers are currently being permitted to adopt children in Sri Lanka. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope this stays true until we finish our paperwork.

Are either of you using an agecny to help you navigate the U.S. and S.L. systems? Are you using attorneys? We have been advised to get help but we are not clear who to use. Not many agencies are familiar with Sri Lankan adoptions. I don't want to be naive and try to do this independently but I really am unsure where to turn. Also who did your HomeStudy...did they know what specifice requirements the S.L. govt. wanted met etc.?

Any information you could share would be great as we truly are novices in all areas(adoption, Intl. adoption, and obviously Sri Lankan adoptions)
Thanks,
Stephanie

[rj_keaton]

Hi

Wow! Thanks for the info. Our hopes are being lifted. There are still the issues of how many kids per year are allowed to be adopted internationally (we understand very few) and how long it takes to receive an allocation (up to a year, maybe longer). There is a waiting list, we understand, of Sri Lankans wanting to adopt. The Colombo attorney we are in contact with is John Wilson. We are going the independent route and are not using an agency. Our homestudy is not yet done. We were advised to wait until we got some answers from the Department of Probation and Childrens Services (can we adopt, how long for an allocation, etc.) before spending the money on this. Don't let the uncertainties of international adoption scare you. Follow your heart.

Again, Thanks.

Richard

[stephandmano]

Thanks for the encouragemen and info. on how you are proceeding etc. I am glad we have connected I think we really will be able to help each other through this process. My husband and his relatives are working feverishly to find out what the specific requirements for the Homestudy are etc. I think we may soon find someone who can answer some of our questions. I will definitely pass on any helpful information we get.
By the way are you in the U.S. and if so did you fill out your own BCIS paperwork? I have the forms etc...I am thinking I can figure it out without an agency and I would love your thoughts on that.

Take Care,
Stephanie

[rj_keaton]

Hi,

We do our own BCIS stuff. We live on the Northern California coast. Our Social Worker has been here for our interview, we just have not yet had them do the report.-- Need some positive answers first.

Richard

[rj_keaton]

Just heard that a new Commissioner has been appointed but has not yet taken office.

[rj_keaton]

We finally got a reply to our May 2003 letter to the Commissioner of Probation and Child Care Services. It is not the reply we wanted, however. The letter stated that preference is given to childless couples or couples with only one child and since we have six kids our request to adopt from Sri Lanka would not be allowed.