[kne2004]

Hello all and bless you for your love of adoption! I am brand new to this website and it proves to be useful and helpful already. I am a divorced Mom with a 5 year old girl at home with me. I started the adoption process one year ago and chose to go with Kazakhstan for an infinite number of reasons. Maybe I chose the wrong agency. Maybe I was lead in the wrong direction. I completed my dossier as well as my home study in fall 2004. In February of 2005 I was referred a beautiful baby girl (24 days old at that time). We have been sent two sets of photos (10 photos in all), updated medicals 4 times, etc. Just six days ago I got updated medical reports. I am writing to you heartbroken because I was told today the embassy in DC sent all dossiers back to all agencies until further notice with little reasons except to reference "policy changes"! I reside in MI but chose an agency called Florida Home Studies and Adoption. It recently surfaced that FHAA partners with (?) an agency called Amrex International. I am writing with a plea to just find out if this information is in fact correct regarding the dossiers being sent back. I was told travel was going to be in early August and everyone in my life, especially my 5 year old, is on pins and needles about this adoption. Before I tell the world that this particular little baby will not be part of our family, 1. can ANYONE make any clarification on the legitimacy of the news I received? 2. Is the country now temporarily closed? I have clearly felt for the past few months that my agency is ill informed and cannot offer a detailed response only that my money may not be transferable or refundable toward another program! 3. Is that typical? 4. Can anyone help me in any way to better understand this situation? My agency calmly says that it still may work out!?!? 5. Do I keep waiting to see what happens? Anyone with any kind of similar experience in the past or presently going through this return of their dossier!?!?!?!

Again, I appreciate your time and any information you can share!

Best regards and God bless,
Ginny

[2Bulgarianbeauties]

OK, here are all the issue I see with what you have posted:

1. In February of 2005 I was referred a beautiful baby girl (24 days old at that time). Children are not allowed to be available for international adoption until they are 6 months old. How your agency sent you pictures of a 24 day old child is beyond me. Smells real bad though!

2. I was told today the embassy in DC sent all dossiers back to all agencies until further notice with little reasons except to reference "policy changes"! I have not heard this. My agency is recieving LOIs and moving forward.

3. I was told travel was going to be in early August Where was your dossier? It only takes 3 - 4 months from submission to the Consulate until you travel. Did you ever find out how far your dossier actually made it in the process?

4. my money may not be transferable or refundable toward another program! You agency should make arrangements for the money spent with them to transfer to another program. Mine did when I swiched from Bulgaria to Kaz. Any money you sent to Kaz is probably gone.

[stella1]

Hi,
Our daughter was referred at just 4 months. But we could not offically accept the referral until she was 6 months. Part of it was that the HIV test results were pending when she was 4 months old and we never heard of them being okay until she was 6 months. Now I don't know if they just would not let us accept until she was 6 months and coming off the registry or not.

But I have never heard of a referral at 24 days. How would they even to begin to know if someone is going to come visit this baby? Seems like too long a time and too many chances of this referral being lost.

Our agency let us change from one program to another with no problem. We changed from Guatemala to Kaz right before we were going to submitt our dossier. So we had a little more work to do and then submitted as Kaz.

I would think there are some red flags with your agency. I know my agency is still getting LOI as of now.

The agency I used I believe does the most adoptons each year for Kaz and recently got an award from the US Embassy in Kaz for the paperwork of the adoptive parents being correct or something like that.

This agency really keeps it's adoptive parents in the loop of all rumors and changes. They even have an email loop for their adoptive parents and have a yearly reunion. I think a good agency is key in adoption from any country, so please follow up with your agency and get answers.

[cchristensen]

We also are using an agency in Florida that is part of an umbrella of Amrex. I did not know they were part of this umbrella until a year and a half into the program. We have had the dossier returned twice so far. Once because it needed to be signature changesand than again for a registered interpretation(sp). This in addition to original paperwork being outdated since it was over a year and needing to be redone such as physicals, income verification etc. It has been very frustrating. If I was to give advice it would be use an agency geographically close. Being so far away we get no information, that we don't seek ourselves and do not get returned calls. We have a friend that just adopted from Kaz it was a great experience , they only took a year (we are going on 2) and the cost so far is $10K less than us, and we haven't even been there.

We were just sent a picture of a 7 month old. But they could not tell us when we could travel. So, I am trying not to get too attached to a picture, but it is very difficult. With all the set backs and disappointments in the process with this geographically dislocated agency it is very difficult.

[2Bulgarianbeauties]

It sounds like you both have a very bad agency in Florida. I live in Michigan, and my agency is in Oregon. They have a very strong Kaz program, and I have had no problem with their distance. Also, you really should not be spending much for Kaz until you travel.

I do not know what to tell you. I feel real bad for you both. To have spent money and wasted so much time should not have occurred. If there is any way to get back some of your money and switch agencies, that would be my recommendation.

Good luck,
Kay

[maevyn]

You are correct, though, that Kaz did send back dossiers. They are putting in new regulations of documents required. The changes are supposed to be completed this week. We're just in the process of switching to Kaz while Ukraine is closed, and here is what my agency was able to find out:

Kaz Embassy did stop acceptance of documents for a while until new regulations come.

And here they are:
1. State Police Clearance Letter instead of local police offoce letter
2. No mention about taking medications if any (which we already went through with Ukr. med letter!)
3. in Letter of Obligation we shoud confirm we are ready to submit post-placement reports until child is 18.

[JPDakota]

Wow. I feel your pain. We were referred a newborn, and told he would not be officially ready until he was 6 months old. We had pictures, medical report and a nice video. We had a dossier that followed all the rules, and it went to Kaz. Had to send in money as we got closer to the time we could adopt him. Long story short, lost the referral, lost money (although not all of it) and did not get to adopt.
Take care in getting attached to pics and videos. Of course, I am not saying that the same thing is going to happen to you. I pray that it will not. Get on that agency, though, and stay on them until you're satisfied with the ansers you get.
We have since adopted dosmestically and could not be happier.
God bless you and yours.

[cchristensen]

JPDakota,

Was your agency part of this Amrex?
We have spent over 30K so far, no invitation yet
and almost two years. It seems the agency we are dealing with is not so familar with Kaz. We get more information from this site and have to ask. I don't think its the region, more the agency or organization helping you. Our friends had great luck in Kaz , with a great organization. However, we can't change now since they have over 30K of our money and almost two years into the process.

[JPDakota]

I'm going to PM you, so we don't get busted by naming organizations.

[kne2004]

PM me too if you don't mind. I am 1 year into this. I have a strange feeling I am using the same agency as cchristiansen! I pray that this all blows over but I am les and less optimistic. Please advise as well!

[kne2004]

Hello all and thank you for the information, questions, and concern. I had to completely step away for a few days to spend some time reflecting. I am truly scared/sad that I may have lost the opportunity, plus all the invested money of over 30K. I wrote my agency a detailed letter based on questions I received from some of you, and specifics on my situation. I have not been given ANY response to my specific questions. I did speak with my coordinator who informed me that Kazakhstan embassy in Washington was waiting for some paper from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming a small list of new changes. The new changes are based on extending the post placement timeframe. ??? Again, I am not fully buying that the dossiers were sent back from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kazakhstan all the way back to the agency for this reason. Someone has to be leaving some facts out of the equation. Any thoughts???
Please keep sharing your stories. And THANK YOU for sharing these stories. It has been a blessing to find this sight and ALL OF YOU!

[babypayne111]

Have any of you that has posted on this thread finished your adoptions.


Thanks,

[tam1234]

If you are using an AMREX agency please PM me

[palmtreedreamin]

This fall our dossier was returned because it had not made it to the ministry of affairs prior to the implementation of the new documents. We updated the new documents and resent end of Jan. Our dossier is on its way to the Ministry of Affairs....so things are moving slowly, but they are moving.



I can't imagine the heartbreak that some of these women and their families have endured. My heart breaks for them and I wish them well and hope they find the answers they are searching for.



The following information maybe a little too late, but it might help others searching for advice about the legitimacy of an agency.



Like any business, even non-profits have a better business bureau. It's called the Better Business Bureau of Wise Giving Alliance. It keeps track of non-profit organizations. The Better Business Bureau is also a great resource. The JCICS (Joint Council on International Children's Services) (www.jcics.org) is a governing agency that works coordinates with countries & licensed agencies as well documenting changes within adoption laws. They are a non-profit agency that works with LICENSED agencies. If your agency is recommended through them, it is not a guarantee your agency is without flaw, however, it more likely to be a licensed and agency with a good reputation. Another website to check is: http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm, this is the national adoption information clearing house, click on National Adoption Information Search.

[nogoodkid]

Hello.
Were you aware some agencies posted photos of children in violation of Kazakhstani law? One agency which did that is being prosecuted now in California for fraud. That same agency broke international law by posting photos of children in Kazakhstan and Ukraine on the Web. This is very serious.

The US is now trying to close loopholes in law through which such agencies operate. And the former Soviet republics are working the issue from their end.

If Kazakhstan's DC Embassy is returning dossiers, it could be due to the above. It appears there will be a delay - how long, nobody can tell. Several years ago, the CHinese shut down their program for several months in order to make systemic changes. ANd there were delays for many people. Your agency may be right that tour situation will be resolved.

Keep calm and your fingers crossed.

nogoodkid