Joint Council update

October 14, 2008
CHILD WELFARE UPDATE: Grandfathering of Pre-Hague I-600A Families

Dear Friends & Families,

After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has announced a positive ruling concerning the I-600A process. It is our understanding that, effective immediately, for families who filed an I-600A petition prior to April 1, 2008, and whose USCIS approval of that petition (i.e. the I-171H) has not expired, they will be permitted to proceed with their adoption under the I-600A process. This means that families meeting that criteria will not be required to transition to the Hague I-800A process. In order to maintain their status as 'grandfathered' cases, families with non-expired I-600A approvals must request a one-time free extension. Then, prior to the expiration of the one-time free extention, families must file a new I-600A petition and pay the appropriate fee. As we noted in our Position Statement, this ruling will save adoptive families thousands of dollars, eliminate countless sleepless nights and ensure that their adoptions can proceed to completition.

On behalf of over 10,000 adoptive families, Joint Council extends its appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their tireless efforts.
- Diane Kunz, Executive Director of the Center for Adoption Policy
- Dianne Pearce, Waiting Parent and Co-Organizer of the Fairness for Families Petition
- Debbie Reynolds, Joint Council China Cacus Co-Chairperson
- Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institue
- Michael Valverde, Cheif of USCIS Children's Issues
- David Yurkovich, Waiting Parent and Co-Organizer of the Fairness for Families Petition
- Members of the United States Congress

We offer our collective congratulations to everyone who participated in the Joint Council Call-To-Action and The Adoption for All: Fairness for Families petition. And we also send our congratulations to all who participated in the countless meetings, conference calls and emails over the past 6 months. Joint Council is built on a principle of collaboration and this very sucessful effort clearly demonstrates this principle in action. Our collective voice is definitely stronger than any singular organization or individual.

The full text of the announcement by USCIS can be found on their website. Joint Council will provide more specifics as they become available and asks you to visit our website for the latest news and updates.

Best Wishes & Congratulations,
Tom

*Basically, for us this means we will be able to use our current paperwork. We will not have to resubmit in order to acquire the I-800.
Nothing has changed other than this update. No new cases are being accepted until after the first of the year.