Survey on Intercountry Adoption USCIS

SURVEY ON INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION
The U.S. Citizenship and Nationalization Service (USCIS) today launched a survey to receive feedback on the experiences of adoptive families when interacting with U.S. government officials during the intercountry adoption process. This represents a great opportunity to help improve the current process. All questions should be answered based on a family's personal experience with U.S. government officials (not with adoption agency representatives) . Note that the responses will be consolidated and presented in a cumulative format. No personal identifying information will be divulged.

Results received by February 14 at 5:00pm will be made available to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for use in an upcoming roundtable on intercountry adoption. The survey will remain open until March 1.

If you are an adoptive parent or prospective adoptive parent, please use the following link:
http://ow.ly/ 8Xe3f

If you represent an adoption agency, please use the following link: http://ow.ly/ 8Xe4h

There is a great deal of confusion as to where this survey actually originates. They state above that this is from USCIS. However, it would seem that it is not directly from USCIS.  This survey is being conducted by a group called Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.   For more information about them here is the link. http://ccainstitute.org/who-we-are/aboutus.html
 
"The Senate Foreign Relations Committee opened this survey to gather information from adoptive families, potential adoptive families and adoption service providers about their experience with the U.S. government during the adoption process. It represents a unique opportunity for the adoption community to inform U.S. government policy makers about their experiences and express their opinions regarding the services provided by the U.S. government."

USCIS annual update on International Adoption

The USCIS has released it's annual report on inter-country adoption. Read it here.

USCIS update: Not clearly approvable defined

"Not Clearly Approvable" Defined
Consular officers at U.S. Embassies and Consulates have limited, delegated authority from the United States Citizen and Immigration Service to approve Form I-600 petitions that are found to be clearly approvable. Clearly approvable means that the petition and supporting documentation clearly establish that the child is an orphan as defined by U.S. immigration law; all criteria identified on the Form I-600A approval regarding the child and any state pre-adoption requirements are met; and there are no concerns of fraud, child buying or other inappropriate practices in the adoption process.
In cases where the evidence is insufficient to establish that the child is an orphan or that the I-600A criteria have been met, the consular officer will allow the petitioner to respond to issues and questions that can be quickly and easily resolved. If issues and questions can be quickly and easily resolved and the case is clearly approvable the consular officer will approve the petition.
All non-Hague cases require an I-604 investigation to determine orphan status. In many instances this is a simple review of the documents and facts in the case. However, in some cases, an investigation by consular staff may be necessary to clarify doubts related to documentation presented or concerns of inappropriate practices. Investigations may include, but are not limited to, visits to the child's town of origin; interviews with birth relatives, orphanage staff, or social workers; DNA testing; and/or a field investigation.
If additional clarification and evidence does not fully resolve the issue quickly, the consular officer must send the petition to USCIS for review and adjudication. USCIS is the only agency with the authority to adjudicate NCA cases. If a case is identified as "Not Clearly Approvable", the consular officer sends the petitioner notification of the transfer to USCIS and provides contact information so that further inquiries may be directed to USCIS.
See it here.

Ethiopia: USCIS Update on Processing of “Not Clearly Approvable” Cases Referred by Embassy Addis Ababa

Take a look at this report. It may give you some additional information and clarity on the issue of embassy approvals. I know this has been a frustrating facet for many parents. 

http://www.ethicanet.org/uscis-update-on-processing-of-not-clearly-approvable-cases-referred-by-embassy-addis-ababa#.TsVv7rUIC2k.email
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USCIS procedure for processing adoption cases

Ethiopia

November 16, 2011

Notice: Procedure for Processing Adoption Cases

This notice provides supplemental information to the adoption notice of October 7, 2011, adding additional details on the process applicable to orphan petitions filed with a U.S. Embassy Consular Section overseas.  While the description has been tailored to answer inquiries specific to Ethiopia, the steps described in this explanation apply to all non-Hague countries.  This notice only describes the process for Forms I-600 filed with U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa.  For processing information on cases filed domestically with USCIS through the National Benefits Center (NBC), please refer to the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.
Once adoptive parents are in possession of the final adoption decree from the Federal First Instance Court, approval letters from the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, the child’s birth certificate and Ethiopian passport, and all other required Form I-600 supporting documentation, they (or their authorized agent) may file Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, with the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa if they have met the physical presence requirements for filing a Form I-600 petition overseas. 
Upon receipt of the Form I-600 and accompanying documentation, the U.S. Embassy begins the Form I-604, Determination on Child for Adoption, orphan status investigation – the process to determine if the child meets the definition of an orphan under U.S. immigration law.  The time frame for completion of the Form I-604 determination depends on the circumstances of each case, but can take up to several weeks or months.  During this time, additional information or documentation may be requested by the U.S. Embassy for cases with insufficient or deficient supporting evidence to determine orphan status.
In certain cases it may be necessary to interview the child’s Ethiopian birth parent(s) or guardian, or the individual who found an abandoned child, to resolve errors or discrepancies discovered in the case file.  The U.S. Embassy conducts such interviews for cases in which the consular officer deems interview(s) necessary to make a determination on the child’s orphan status.  Birth relative and other interviews are often an integral part of the Form I-604 determination.
The U.S. Embassy must then determine whether the case is clearly approvable.  If a case is clearly approvable, the U.S. Embassy approves the Form I-600 petition and issues an immigrant visa.  If there are questions regarding the child’s orphan status or the information is insufficient to make a determination, federal regulation requires that the U.S. Embassy forwards the case as “not clearly approvable” to the USCIS Field Office in Nairobi, Kenya, for further processing.  When this occurs, the U.S. Embassy sends out a transfer notice to the petitioners when the case is physically forwarded to USCIS Nairobi, and provides contact information for further questions.
Upon receipt of a petition identified as “not clearly approvable,” the USCIS Nairobi Field Office notifies the parent(s) that the case has been received and issues requests for additional evidence and other notices, if necessary.  Upon review of all available evidence including any response to a Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny, USCIS issues a decision and notify the petitioners.  For details of the USCIS process, please visit USCIS’ Ethiopia Q&A page.  If the case is approved, USCIS Nairobi returns the case to the U.S. Embassy for visa processing.

USCIS post Bringing your adopted child into the US

Teleconference USCIS guide on Bringing your adopted child into the United States. This would be a good read for information. Anyone who is expecting to bring their children home in the next several months should read this.