Ethiopia Notice UPDATED
US DOS has announced the following Ethiopia Notice on March 28:
“Notice:Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs Change in Procedure for Regional Approval Letters
On March 13, in response to our request for clarification on reported delays from adoption service providers and prospective adoptive families, the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) informed the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa of a change that took place November 7, 2013 in the procedures for issuance of the regional approval for placement of a child for intercountry adoption.
On November 7, 2013 (October 29, 2006 Ethiopian calendar), MOWCYA issued a directive to regional Bureaus of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs stating that all letters of approval for children placed for intercountry adoption must be signed by the head or vice-head of the regional Women, Children and Youth Affairs bureau confirming the child’s adoptability and eligibility for intercountry adoption. The directive states the purpose of the policy change was to standardize which office certifies eligibility for intercountry adoption across all regions in Ethiopia.
Initially, the request was to be retroactive, which caused delays in some regions. After some discussion between the regional and federal level offices, the change in procedure will apply to cases filed after November 7, 2013 (October 29, 2006 Ethiopian calendar) and those filed before will be grandfathered. Cases from all regions should be progressing on normal time frames.”
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update: US DOS issued another notice . See it http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=ethiopia_26 and pasted below
“Notice: Reminder on proper Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) processing order
The Department of State reminds adoption service providers (ASPs) and prospective adoptive parents that the entire PAIR process must be completed in every case BEFORE the adoption petition is filed at the Federal First Instance Court (FFIC) in Addis Ababa.
The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa notes that many ASPs instead file with the FFIC at the same time as filing the Form I-600 petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ National Benefits Center. It appears as though these ASPs aim to present the PAIR letter only at the final adoption hearing. Presentation of the PAIR letter at the final adoption hearing does not comply with the PAIR procedures agreed upon between the Governments of Ethiopia and the United States.
PAIR provides the Ethiopian Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA), as well as the prospective adoptive parents, information on the child’s likely eligibility for U.S. immigration prior to the adoption proceedings. When an adoption petition is filed with the FFIC, the dossier is immediately transferred to MOWCYA for its review of the child’s best-interests. MOWCYA is given a specific time frame to conduct this review and is obligated to provide its determination at the first adoption hearing. MOWCYA requires that the PAIR letter be present at the time of the filing with the FFIC. Dossiers that do not include PAIR letters at the time of FFIC filing risk rejection by MOWCYA at the best-interests determination hearing.”
Update 2: DOS issues an alert found http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/country-information/alerts-and-notices/ethiopia15-05-08.html
“Regional Policies on Approval of Placements for Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia
The Department of State wishes to update the adoption community on information received during lengthy discussions with the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) regarding the delays in some regions and changes to regional level policies toward intercountry adoption. Regional authorities in Ethiopia have authority to make regional level policy changes to intercountry adoption processing. The following regions have reported changes in their policies towards approvals of placements for intercountry adoption.
Tigray Region – As of January 2014, the Tigray regional Bureau of Women, Children’s, and Youth Affairs (BOWCYA) will not provide approval for placement of children from the Tigray region for intercountry adoption. The regional BOWCYA will also not provide a new letter of approval to conform with the change in requirements published by the federal MOWCYA in November 2013 for any case approved prior to that change. There are significant delays in cases from Tigray that were in either in the court hearing stage or awaiting the final approval from MOWCYA certifying the adoption decree before the November 2013 change in policy for regional approvals. We continue discussions with MOWCYA for more information on how these cases can be resolved.
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) – The regional BOWCYA in SNNPR no longer grants approvals of placements of children from SNNPR for intercountry adoption. The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa and MOWCYA were not able confirm the date this policy change went into effect, though reports indicate it may have occurred after February 2014.
A number of regions including, Addis Ababa, Amhara, Dire Dawa, Harar, and Oromia have reportedly enacted official bans on, or have effectively banned, relinquishments in their regions. Following these bans, these regions have seen an increase of children being presented as abandoned. In some cases, the supporting documentation presented to the prospective adoptive parents, the Ethiopian regional and federal authorities, and potentially to U.S. adoption service providers may not match the true circumstances of the child’s situation. In such circumstances, adjudication of the Form I-600 petition for the PAIR filing may take additional time.
There have been no reported changes to existing regional policy in theGambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Afar, or Somali regions.
The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa continues to engage MOWCYA on the issue of regional policies toward intercountry adoptions. The Department will publish any new information as it becomes available.”
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