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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 adopti...

  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.  S he 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 wa...

"Adoption is forever."  That's an often repeated  phrase that seems simple.  Yet, many children that are in the adoption process don’t quite understand; especially the older children that may have been hoping for a forever family for some time.  Preparation is the key to a successful transition for the child and the new family, whether the child is being adopted domestically or internationally. I read an excellent article recently which discusses this in detail:  "Preparing Older Children for Adoption", by Rhonda Jarema, MA, in the National Council for Adoption Newsletter, Adoption Advocate , No. 54, 2012. From the child's perspective, they have lived in the orphanage or in foster care for their entire life.  They are being asked to leave everything familiar behind.  The process of bonding during the initial visit with the new family is somewhat artificial and leaves the child with unnecessary anxiety.  Thoughts like, "Wha...

Jen and her husband, from Maryland, were in Russia on Christmas Eve awaiting their Court date when news of the adoption ban hit.  While they were in court, the judge decided to postpone their court date to early February. Jen and her husband left Russia Christmas morning with no child next to them but hopes still high that their son would be with them soon. This was their second trip to Russia.  They had already met their son and bonded with him.  Jen found out about the ban from the internet, not her adoption service provider or the U.S. government.  A lot of the information she has been closely following since she came home has been contradictory or confusing.  The Department of State has been reaching out to families more recently to provide some clarity, but the fate of Jen's son is still unknown.  For the past 5 years the couple had been setting aside money to start a family of their very own. It wasn’t until January of 2011 that the cou...

I meet so many families who inspire me with their commitment to provide a forever home for a child in need.   I decided to interview one family a month and share their personal story here with you.   I’d like to start by sharing Kathy’s story to give you a picture of how one child’s future can be radically changed through inter-country adoption.                   At the time, Kathy was 50years old and was limited in her options, especially since she was single and wanted to adopt an infant.   When her particular adoption story began, Guatemala was offering adoptions for someone specifically that had her qualifications; she also believed it would be exciting and fun to adopt a child that came from a different cultural background than herself.   As most people do when deciding to make a major change in their life, she did a lot of research, and happened to stumble upon an adoption seminar. ...

On January 11, 2013 the NBI will be hosting a CLE seminar entitled Adoption Law: Start to Finish. Attendees will receive 6 in person credit hours, including 1 ethics credit AND 6 GAL Continuing Education Credits. I am one of the speakers and organizers for the CLE and we are very excited to have an expert panel,including a judge's law clerk for more information go to www.nbi-sems.com  ***Keep your eye out for more updates,events and to find out how the seminar went _ also look for a new blog with heart warming stories from families that have adopted*** 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 withou...