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Center for Adoption Policy

March 4, 2011

John “Wally” BirdDeputy Chief, International Operations Division

Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate US Citizenship and Immigration Services

US Department of Homeland Security

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Vietnam Prior to the suspension of the bi-lateral agreement on Sept 1, 2008, there

were several factors that caused difficulty in the adjudication of Form I-600 petitions in Vietnam:

Inability of USG to Perform the Necessary Investigation

Irregularities Reported to GVN with No Action

Verification of Identify of Birth Parents (DNA)

Case Specific Problems:

Misleading birth parents Birth parent paid Falsified Disappearances Inability to Pay Hospital Bills Abandoned at Orphanage

Children Returned to Birth Parent(s)

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Guatemala

USCIS Role in Guatemalan adoptions

Current numbers from USCIS Guatemala City

Grandfathered cases

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Nepal

Background on August 2010 suspension and new filing procedures

Main concerns

USCIS role

Current numbers from USCIS New Delhi

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Ethiopia

USCIS participation in January 2011 site visit to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa

Site visit observations

Examples of irregularities found in the documentation of cases that generate serious concern

Increased USCIS role in Ethiopian adoptions

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Useful Resources

Department of State’s Adoption Website: www.adoption.state.gov

Country specific information

Role as the US Central Authority for the Hague Adoption Convention

Statistics

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Useful Resources

USCIS’ Adoption Website: www.uscis.gov

Adoption webpages include: Before You Start

Before Your Child Immigrates to the US

Immigration through Adoption (Orphan, Hague & Form I-130 processing)

Limited Country Information

Background Checks

Home Study Information

After Approval