Word is trickling out about the meeting at the Hanoi Embassy this past Thursday. Some agencies are sharing a summary of the meeting with their clients and Tad at Adoption Buzz has a good comprehensive summary posted. If you have any information from your agency, please feel free to share in our comments section. (Also see the comments on the previous post about the meeting, some information is posted there, as well as a list of some of the attendees.) It sounds like the discussion primarily focused on the new I600 procedures and the upcoming expiration/renewal of the VN-US Agreement. We hope that the Embassy will post their own summary for families as well. As a side note, I’ve heard of a few agencies bewildered at the “hype” and amount of attention given this meeting by PAPs – I would suggest that while it may be a routine quarterly meeting, this is a very important time in Vietnam adoptions and there are many questions that PAPs hope agencies will be able to knowledgably answer. Hopefully this meeting will help them do that. In addition, it would seem that any agency with a real commitment to their work in Vietnam would want to have a presence at these types of meetings – to foster a good working relationship with the Embassy, to maintain current knowledge of the processes and procedures, and to provide input to help improve the system.
The other news today is that there was a DOS conference call with all US agencies licensed in Vietnam. Children’s Hope International has a brief summary of the call on their blog.
One piece of “news” that has come from the meeting and the conference call is that it appears the State Department is preparing to issue an official statement regarding the expiration of the Agreement and what that might mean for people in the process of adopting from Vietnam. We will post a link to that statement when it is posted.
5 Responses
Thanks for this news. I was very concerned when I first heard about the conference call. The information relayed by Tad and CHI syncs up with what my agency told its families todays.
I think it’s a good idea for the DOS to issue this kind of statement. There’s such uncertainty in the Vietnam adoption community, and new families should be made aware of it before making a commitment to the program. Although, honestly, I don’t know of any agency that is still accepting applications for Vietnam. I know many stopped several months ago.
Dear Christina,
Thank you for this very easy to read summary. It is so helpful. I am sure you have been reading about some families whom have come home from Vietnam recently and are posting on their blog sites, what their actual experiences were with their I-600 final approval at both levels : the USCIS, then onto DoS. They were able to call and speak to case workers, and finally , speak face to face with someone at DoS. When they inquired about their case, they were told by office personnel, that there would not be ANY cases processed that week. I don’t know about you, but I find this very disturbing, and it will most definantly create a wide spread panic once again for PAPs encouraged not to call or inquire within the 60 days, as it will slow things down for these case workers. It seems USCIS, pass along their approval, and then the “sitting” on the someones desk begins. It became apparent to this family that they were obviously only processing a certain number per week,, and that week, there were none. Why, why why, especially in light of a “backlog?” Can you please use your website and whatever connections you have to provide us with some ‘real’ answers to the real questions being asked. The more families come home and offer us conflicting evidence to what we are being told to swallow, will most definantly create panic, and will only encourage waiting families not to “heed” the embassies warning of traveling before approval, simply because it seems as if it is the only way of getting real information on what is actually happening, as opposed to what we are being told. Waiting for a statement from DoS does nothing, as there is no “real” information in any of these “statements”. The questions are so simple. Why the delay at DoS level, to even begin the investigations. All of us PAPs,, support any investigation, but how is it “pre-determined that “X” amount of cases will be processed per week, if it is in fact a security issue, or case specific timelines? And why were the first nine approvals issued so quickly. without the delay, if in fact there is no “lack of manpower”. Please bear with me Christina. Is there any way of getting some answers directly from DoS, without tempting families to go against embassy advice, to get to the truth, and travel to get our answers? This is another horrible scenario that will only slow things further if families travel over, like this family just did, and booked appointments to meet with office personel, taking their valuable time, when they could be processing other cases. I am only warning of another panic wave that cannot end well. If DoS is ultimately responsible for extra weeks into months of children languishing in an orphanage, they should provide an explanation of how they are processing cases, if in fact they are doing this “for the children”, ultimately. This does not have to include specifics, for “security” reasons, as they have already stated they cannot do. But why do I need to get on a plane, to get someone to give me the real answers? Again, the questions are so simple. Why the apparant slow down, once USCIS pass along their approval? What are the goals of DoS, with regards to “capping” out the number of “cases” per week they are releasing, especially since a worker in that office knew of , IN ADVANCE, that none would be processed or released that week, even though he had THEIR CASE IN FRONT OF HIM ON HIS DESK. Please help the panic wave Christina. I know this site said it has asked questions about the relationship with DoS and USCIS, and what happens at this final level, so thank you for this. But, PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT SETTLE FOR A SIMPLE STATEMENT RELEASED ON THEIR WEBSITE THAT YET AGAIN, ACTUALLY GIVES NO INFORMATION. We paps are growing weary and tired of statements issued by these agencies that still continue to tell us nothing, especially when families are returning, full of factual information based on their own face to face experiences. I do understand that we might never know their “agenda.” But we have to try at least, right? We have to press, and ask the hard questions, and actually insist on an answer, instead of a general statement, just as this family did. We have to send the message that the lack of information is unacceptable, even if the MOU hangs in the balance.
Many, Many, Many Thanks for passing this wish along!
S
Does anyone have a clear definition of what “in process” means to the DoS? Is it if your dossier is at the DIA or if you have a referral or if you just have a 171-H and are signed with agency? I am really unclear on what this means. My agency holds dossiers until referral and I am confused about whether we would be considered “in process” or not. My agency has not issued any statement or responded to my emails so if anyone knows what “in process” means exactly, I’d love to hear it.
It seems as if some people think if you are DTV by March you’ll be fine but has there been an official statement to that effect? And if the MOU is not re-signed, I would assume that no adoptions will take place after it expires, whether you are “in process” or not – isn’t that what happened the last time?
I just hope that along with this warning the US and DIA can work together to issue a statement regarding in-process cases. Seems the US just says it will be up to the VN gov’t BUT I think they can and should do better than that. I for one do not want to wait around in panic mode until Sept! If it is true that both counties are dedicated to getting a new agreement in place they should both be able to come together and issue a statement on what will happen to in-process cases if the agreement is not done by Sept.
Just my 2 cents!
e. and Michelle, it doesn’t appear that there is any answer to the “in process” question. My agency doesn’t have any; they have predictions but I don’t think anyone knows for sure what is going to happen. I share your concerns, my dossier went over in September and now I just pray that my adoption will be completed before any possible shutdown.