The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services posted this notice last week:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced it cannot approve a Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative, filed on behalf of a child to be adopted from Vietnam. The Department of State (DOS) has determined that Vietnam has not proven capable of meeting its obligations under The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). As a result, DOS consular officers cannot issue the required Hague Adoption Certificate or Hague Custody Declaration.
It advised that:
USCIS will promptly advise the public when DOS determines Vietnam can meet its obligations to the Hague Adoption Convention, which will allow USCIS to process Forms I-800 for adoptions from Vietnam.
To read the whole notice, click here.
2 Responses
How often is the adoption status evaluated? How soon can we expect Vietnam to achieve the criteria for intercountry adoption?
Tram –
There is no regular schedule to evaluate the status of Vietnam adoptions, so no one really knows when (or if) adoptions might resume. We have heard that some agencies have told prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) that Vietnam will open and have placed them on waiting lists. We caution everyone about working with these agaencies. There has been no indication that adoptions will resume soon, and PAPs should refrain from submitting applications or paying fees to agencies until they receive official word from the US government that the program will reopen.
We monitor US government announcements and will publish any notifications here immediately when they are received.
Tracy