Tuesday, October 14, 2008

USCIS Heard us! THANK YOU!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO HELPED US BY SIGNING THE PETITION I LINKED TO AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. We got great news today that the 15 thousand signatures got some attention at the USCIS. Here is the email I received today.....

Dear Families & Friends,
After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has announced a very positive ruling concerning the I-600A process.

In summary, it is our understanding that, effective immediately, families who filed Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, prior to April 1, 2008 and whose USCIS approval of that petition (aka the I-171H) has not expired, will be able to proceed with their adoption under the I-600A process if they take certain steps while their approval remain valid. This means that families with valid Form I-600A approvals will not be required to transition to The Hague process via Form I-800A. In order to maintain their status as ‘grandfathered’ cases, families with non-expired Form I-600A approvals must request a one-time free extension. Then, prior to the expiration of the one-time free extension, families must file a new Form I-600A and pay the appropriate fee.


IF YOU SIGNED THAT PETITION, KNOW THAT YOU REALLY HELPED OUT A LOT OF WAITING PARENTS!

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