The United States regrets that the Russian government has decided to ban the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and to terminate the Agreement under Article 17(5). The Agreement entered into force on November 1, 2012, to promote stronger safeguards for children and all parties involved in the intercountry adoption process. Under the termination clause of the Agreement, it will remain in force for one year, until January 1, 2014. Despite the adoption ban, the U.S. government remains committed to implementation and fulfillment of its obligations under the Agreement. The United States continues to urge the Russian government, in the spirit of the Agreement, to allow U.S. families already in the process of adopting a child from Russia to complete their adoptions so that these children may join permanent, loving families.

At this time the Russian government has provided no details on how Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6 will be implemented. The Department of State has no information on whether the Russian government intends to permit the completion of any pending adoptions.

In observance of national holidays, most Russian government offices will be closed through January 8, 2013.

U.S. families in the process of adopting a child from Russia may continue to reach out to the Office of Children’s Issues at Russiaadoption@state.gov. The Office of Children’s Issues will reach out directly to families as additional information becomes available. Further information regarding intercountry adoption from Russia will also be posted on www.adoption.state.gov.

In keeping with the spirit of the current U.S.-Russia adoption agreement, which went into effect on November 1, 2012, the U.S. government continues to urge the Russian government to allow U.S. families in the process of adopting a child from Russia to complete their adoptions so that these children may join permanent, loving families.

At this time the Russian government has provided no details on how the law will be implemented. The Department of State has no information on whether the Russian government intends to permit the completion of any pending adoptions.

In observance of national holidays, most Russian government offices will be closed through January 8, 2013.

Prior to traveling to Russia, we strongly encourage families, in cooperation with their adoption service providers, to confirm that Russian authorities will process their adoptions to conclusion and provide all required documents. It remains unclear whether Russian immigration authorities will allow adoptees to depart the country and whether families in this situation will encounter legal complications with local authorities starting on January 1, 2013.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow will continue to process Forms I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, and immigrant visa applications for children whose families have obtained all required documents as part of the adoption process. U.S. citizen adoptive parents who have completed an adoption, received a Russian passport for their child, and have filed or are ready to file Form I-600 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and then apply for the immigrant visa at the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow should call +7-495-728-5000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +7-495-728-5000 or email the USCIS office at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow at Moscow.dhs@dhs.gov to request assistance.

 U.S. families currently in the process of adopting a child from Russia are encouraged to reach out to the Department of State at AskCI@state.gov to provide information regarding where they are in the adoption process.  We encourage families to use the subject line “Intercountry adoption in Russia – family update.”  We will seek to provide information directly to families that contact our office through email as it becomes available.  Information regarding the passage of any legislation that affects U.S. citizens who are in the process of adopting a child from Russia will also be posted on adoption.state.gov.

A few places you can look for more information: https://www.adoptioncouncil.org/for-media/press-room.html

http://www.jointcouncil.org/

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/alerts_notices.php

Please also contact your State Representatives, Congressmen/Congresswomen, and Senators (visit http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ to find your representatives) and ask them to stop this from happening. You can also contact The White House and President Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments.

NCFA has a sample for you to use (please contact me at info@adoption-options.org for the full text of the sample letter). Please personalize it. Congressional offices value hearing the unique voices of their constituents. You may cut and past the following text (be sure to personalize the letter at the bold and italicized points):

Dear President/ Senator/Representative ____________ ________:

I am writing to alert you to an urgent concern regarding adoption.
Congress recently passed the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act and President Obama signing into law on December 14, 2012.

In response, Russia’s legislature, is considering legislation this week that is being referred to as the Dima Yakovlev Law, named after a Russian-born child who died in the care of his adoptive parents. Many thousands of Russian born children have been adopted and thrived in the love and care of their American families. If intercountry adoption between Russia and the United States were to close, many thousands of children would likely languish in orphanages instead of finding their way to safe, loving, permanent families in the United States.

Now, let me tell you our story, [tell them how adoption has impacted your family, what outcomes may have been if your child could not have been adopted]. If intercountry adoption between Russia and the United States closes, other children like [your child's name] will not be able to find their way to the many U.S. families willing and waiting to call them their own.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

Also if you’re planning on attending to the Family Picnic please RSVP ASAP

Federation Council approves the Agreement between the United States of

America and the Russian Federation Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children

July 20, 2012

On July 18, 2012, the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, approved the bilateral adop­tion agreement signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 13, 2011. This followed the Russian Duma’s approval of the Agreement on July 10, 2012. Both of these actions mark a significant milestone toward the entry into force of the Agreement, which will provide additional safe­guards to better protect the welfare and interests of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. To find out more about the agreement, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s FAQs and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) FAQs on the agreement and its implementation.

The Agreement will now be sent to President Putin. Following President Putin’s signature, the parties will need to establish procedures to implement the Agreement, which we are committed to doing as expeditiously as possible.
Following the establishment of these procedures, the Agreement will enter into force upon the exchange of notes between the U.S. and Russian governments. The Department of State and USCIS will provide guidance on their websites related to the Agreement. Please monitor adoption.state.gov and uscis.gov for more information.

The two U.S. ASPs are Bethany Christian Services and Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children. Both ASPs may now accept applications for adoptions.

SACA also clarified the options available for dual citizens. U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents residing in the United States must follow the Convention intercountry adoption process if they wish to adopt from South Africa, regardless of whether one or both
prospective adoptive parents hold South African citizenship. U.S. citizens resident in South Africa who wish to adopt may be able to conclude a Convention adoption if they plan to bring their adopted child to the United States to live, or may conclude a domestic
adoption after meeting South Africa’s five-year residency requirement if they intend to continue residing abroad. In cases where one spouse is a South African citizen, the five-year residency requirement may be waived.

The U.S. Department of State is pleased to have the opportunity to work with South Africa as a Convention partner and to complete
Convention intercountry adoptions of eligible children from South Africa by qualified adoptive parents in the United States. Please
continue to monitor adoption.state.gov as we update the country information sheet on adoptions from South Africa.

Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children

On July 10, 2012 the Russian Duma approved the bilateral adoption agreement signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 13, 2011. This marks a significant milestone toward the entry into force of the Agreement, which will provide additional safeguards to better protect the welfare and interests of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. To find out more about the agreement, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s FAQs and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) FAQs on the Agreement and its implementation.

The Agreement will now go to the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, and once approved, will be sent to President Putin. Following President Putin’s signature, the parties will need to establish procedures to implement the Agreement, which we are committed to doing as expeditiously as possible. Following the establishment of these

procedures, the Agreement will enter into force upon the exchange of notes between the U.S. and Russian governments. The Department of State and USCIS will provide guidance on their websites related to the Agreement.

Please monitor adoption.state.gov and uscis.gov for more information.

On July 1, 2012, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption entered into force for Montenegro. However, Montenegro does not yet have a fully functional Convention process in place. Therefore, the United States has determined that it will not be able to process Convention intercountry adoptions until the Government of Montenegro implements an effective Convention intercountry adoption process.

We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that, to ensure that adoptions from Montenegro will be compliant with the Convention, important steps must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Montenegro resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in

Montenegro until the Department of State notifies them that it has resumed adoptions in Montenegro.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or

202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

July 2, 2012

On July 1, 2012 the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) entered into force for Rwanda. However, the Government of Rwanda has notified the U.S. Embassy in Kigali that the current suspension on intercountry adoptions will remain in effect until the country has a fully functional Convention process in place. The Government of Rwanda believes implementation will take several months.

We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that important steps to ensure intercountry adoptions from Rwanda comply with the Convention must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Rwanda resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate

adoption programs in Rwanda until the Department of State notifies them that the Government of Rwanda has lifted its suspension on intercountry adoptions and that Rwanda’s procedures meet the requirements of the

Convention.

The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to

AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.