[From the Adopt Talk, Rumor Queen post]
The International Adoption Simplification Act basically fixes a few things that Hague compliance complicated.
Summary from: http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/2/s1376
The International Adoption Simplification Act basically fixes a few things that Hague compliance complicated.
Summary from: http://www.gop.gov/bill/111/2/s1376
Under current law, U.S. citizens can generally adopt children from foreign countries and have those children considered as being immediate relatives for immigration purposes if the children are adopted while under the age of sixteen. However, adoptions are also allowed up to the age of 18 in instances where a U.S. citizen is seeking to adopt a child from a foreign country after having already adopted a sibling of the child.According to this page and this page, it passed the house yesterday. It passed in the Senate on July 21st, so at this point is just needs the president’s signature to become law. Actually, I believe it will become law at some point even without his signature.
The implementing legislation to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions did not include this latter provision. Therefore, the Immigration and Nationality Act’s provision allowing adoptions of siblings under the age of 18 does not apply to children adopted from countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention. S. 1376 would extend the provision to these sibling adoptions.
The bill contains another provision related to the Hague Convention. Under current law, prospective immigrants have to be vaccinated against certain diseases before they can enter the U.S. There is an exemption for adopted children if they are 10 years of age or younger and the adoptive parents certify that the children will receive the necessary vaccinations within 30 days of entry into the U.S. This exemption was enacted in 1997 to ensure that parents do not have to subject their children to unsafe immunizations in foreign nations. However, the exemption does not apply to children adopted from countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention. This bill would expand the exemption to also cover children adopted from Hague signatory countries.
I know my predictions may seem a little rosy … but I’ve decided to live in that rosy little world :) AND like I say I have been right on the money the last six months or so.
According to RQs polls the numbers will get a lot smaller moving forward, and there is a LOT of attrition. I am LID 9-11-06 and in my August/September Yahoo group there are very few of us still waiting. Most have chosen to go the waiting child route.
So don’t lose heart folks. I really believe our day is just around the corner.
Keep your chins up! :)