Ethiopia Adoption Information

Ethiopia Implements Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) Requirement

Effective Sept. 1, 2013, the government of Ethiopia will require all adoption cases filed by United States prospective adoptive parents to undergo the U.S. PAIR process.  Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) will require a PAIR letter issued by USCIS in order to make a best interest determination.  Prospective adoptive parents must include the PAIR letter in the adoption dossier they submit to the Ethiopian Federal First Instance Court (FFIC) to initiate the adoption.  The FFIC will then forward the dossier, including the PAIR letter, to MOWCYA to review.  The new PAIR letter requirement will not affect adoption cases filed with Ethiopian courts before Sept. 1, 2013.

Guidance for Prospective Adoptive Parents

To help prospective parents to comply with Ethiopia’s new requirement, USCIS issued a policy memorandum, effective immediately, which allows prospective adoptive parents to begin the PAIR process and file a Form-I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.  This process allows USCIS to assess the child’s likely eligibility for U.S. immigration benefits and make a preliminary determination before Ethiopian courts finalize the adoption decree.

After USCIS issues a preliminary determination of the child’s immigration eligibility (PAIR letter), prospective adoptive parents, through their Adoptive Service Providers, must include the PAIR letter when filing a case with the FFIC.

To begin the PAIR process , petitioners adopting children from Ethiopia should file the Form !-600 petition and supporting documents through the appropriate lockbox before filing an adopting case with the Ethiopian courts.  Please see Filing Instructions for Form !-600 for a specific locations.  USCIS overseas offices and the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will continue to accept Form I-600 petitions.  Petitions filed overseas will be forwarded to the USCIS National Benefits Center for PAIR review.

Drafted by Brittany Alness, staff member of the Law Offices of Karen S. Law, PLC.

Disclaimer

This web site and the information contained within have been prepared by Law Offices of Karen S. Law, PLC for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This information is not intended to create, nor does receipt of it constitute an attorney-client relationship. Viewers should not act upon information found here without seeking legal counsel. All photographs shown on this web-site are depictions of clients and are not actual clients of this law firm. Copyright Karen S. Law, 2013.

Instant Mom, Nia Vardalos

 

In today’s society, we tend to put movie stars up on a pedestal. As quickly as they go up, they easily fall down again due to bad publicity or the next new person who comes into the spotlight. We can name what movies they have starred in or what television show they originally came from.  We even know what magazine cover they were last featured in; but have we ever stopped to think about the fact that even though they are constantly under the pressure and judgmental eye of the public, they go through the same struggles we face?

If you are not familiar, Nia Vardalos was the writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  She has also been in many other television shows and movies. Ms. Vardalos recently shared her struggles with infertility in her memoir, Instant Mom.  I devoured this book on a plane ride after meeting Ms. Vardalos at our annual American Academy of Adoption Attorneys meeting this year.  My seatmate gave me questioning looks as I was laughing throughout the long flight.  It is not only an easy read but it is  written from the heart with honesty and compassion. She talks about the difficulties she and her husband faced while waiting to have a child and how she was led to adopt a child from the foster care system.  She also shares the challenging moments of raising her daughter and the moments that make it all worth the wait and struggles.

I think you will enjoy this memoir.  Although it is written for couples facing infertility, it has a broader audience.  As Rachael Dratch said, “it’s for anyone whose Big Life Plan doesn’t follow the path they thought it would, and shows us that unexpected obstacles can lead to beautiful rewards”. 






Drafted by Brittany Alness, staff member of the Law Offices of Karen S. Law, PLC.
Disclaimer

This web site and the information contained within have been prepared by Law Offices of Karen S. Law, PLC for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This information is not intended to create, nor does receipt of it constitute an attorney-client relationship. Viewers should not act upon information found here without seeking legal counsel. All photographs shown on this web-site are depictions of clients and are not actual clients of this law firm. Copyright Karen S. Law, 2013