As many of you know, today the adoption agency representatives and court officials in Ethiopia spent the entire day meeting and discussing the new requirement of having families present for their court appointment.
The court is standing by the original decision to require families to travel for court. This regulation will not begin until mid-May, 2010 in order to give as many families as possible the opportunity to submit their paperwork and court application.
Many of the details at this time are unknown because the meeting went until very late in Addis Ababa. We know there are many questions you may have, but we don’t have reliable answers yet. IAN’s executive director will be traveling to Addis Ababa next week to be our eyes and ears “on the ground” to continue our efforts to do everything we can to get answers as quickly as possible
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Update for March 26
We know that everyone is anxiously awaiting news on the new travel requirement in Ethiopia. We are in daily communication with our Ethiopian facilitator, and are monitoring all news on the issue.
IAN will not confirm or deny any information unless it comes directly from the court in Ethiopia. At this point, the president of the court has not made an official statement, so we are not able to confirm any information regarding when or if the new regulations will take effect.
Please bear with us as we do our best to get reliable information to you in a timely manner.
IAN will not confirm or deny any information unless it comes directly from the court in Ethiopia. At this point, the president of the court has not made an official statement, so we are not able to confirm any information regarding when or if the new regulations will take effect.
Please bear with us as we do our best to get reliable information to you in a timely manner.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Adoption Tax Credit...Good News!
Please see the following announcement from the Joint Council on International Children's Services on the Adoption Tax Credit:
Joint Council is pleased to confirm that the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which was scheduled to expire in 2010, was extended for one-year (through December 31, 2011). The highlights of the ATC are;
The maximum credit was increased from $12,150 to $13,170,
The ATC is now retroactive to January 1, 2009. This represents a potential increase of $1,000 for adoptive families.
The ATC was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund the amount due.
The extension of the ATC through 2011, was passed as part of the health care reform bill which was signed into law by President Obama on Monday, March 22, 2010. There was some concern that the ATC would be included in the reconciliation process, however we have confirmed that it is not part of reconciliation. This means that the ATC is law until December 31, 2011.
Joint Council along with many other advocates and adoptive families have long advocated for making the ATC permanent. We applaud Congress and the Obama administration for the extension and continue to call for a permanent tax credit.
The ATC is a critically important element in finding permanent families for children in the U.S. foster care system and the children of our world, who live without permanent parental care. The ATC makes adoption a viable option for many families who may otherwise be unable to afford to adopt. We again applaud the extension and improvements to the Adoption Tax Credit.
Joint Council is pleased to confirm that the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which was scheduled to expire in 2010, was extended for one-year (through December 31, 2011). The highlights of the ATC are;
The maximum credit was increased from $12,150 to $13,170,
The ATC is now retroactive to January 1, 2009. This represents a potential increase of $1,000 for adoptive families.
The ATC was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund the amount due.
The extension of the ATC through 2011, was passed as part of the health care reform bill which was signed into law by President Obama on Monday, March 22, 2010. There was some concern that the ATC would be included in the reconciliation process, however we have confirmed that it is not part of reconciliation. This means that the ATC is law until December 31, 2011.
Joint Council along with many other advocates and adoptive families have long advocated for making the ATC permanent. We applaud Congress and the Obama administration for the extension and continue to call for a permanent tax credit.
The ATC is a critically important element in finding permanent families for children in the U.S. foster care system and the children of our world, who live without permanent parental care. The ATC makes adoption a viable option for many families who may otherwise be unable to afford to adopt. We again applaud the extension and improvements to the Adoption Tax Credit.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Update for March 12
Dear Families,
The latest news from our Ethiopian facilitator is that parents will need to begin attending the court hearing in Ethiopia. We believe this will become effective sometime in April but do not have a confirmed date yet.
Families who already have a referral, depending on where they are in the process, should have a confirmed court date in the next few weeks and may not have to travel to attend the court hearing. Our facilitator in Ethiopia is doing everything he can to move these cases along and we will keep you posted.
Thank you again for your continued patience in this matter.
The latest news from our Ethiopian facilitator is that parents will need to begin attending the court hearing in Ethiopia. We believe this will become effective sometime in April but do not have a confirmed date yet.
Families who already have a referral, depending on where they are in the process, should have a confirmed court date in the next few weeks and may not have to travel to attend the court hearing. Our facilitator in Ethiopia is doing everything he can to move these cases along and we will keep you posted.
Thank you again for your continued patience in this matter.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Some Good News!!
A lucky family accepted the referral of their beautiful baby boy this morning!!! Everyone below #1 on the baby boy list moves up one spot.
Questions and More Questions
With yesterday's news of the new travel requirement for court appointments, many of you are asking the same questions we are:
1. What if the family does not pass court the first time? Will they need to travel again?
2. Will there be a change in the time between court approval and embassy appointment?
3. Will both parents need to travel, or will one be enough?
4. Will there be cases "grandfathered" in? If so, what would the cut off be?
These seem to be the questions everyone has. We don't currently have the answers, but bear with us as we work dilligently at finding them. Please feel free to add other questions in the comments here, and we will continue to update.
1. What if the family does not pass court the first time? Will they need to travel again?
2. Will there be a change in the time between court approval and embassy appointment?
3. Will both parents need to travel, or will one be enough?
4. Will there be cases "grandfathered" in? If so, what would the cut off be?
These seem to be the questions everyone has. We don't currently have the answers, but bear with us as we work dilligently at finding them. Please feel free to add other questions in the comments here, and we will continue to update.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
URGENT ETHIOPIA UPDATE
Dear IAN families,
Evidently, this morning the Ethiopian government announced an additional change that will be implemented and will impact all agencies facilitating adoptions in Ethiopia, including IAN.
All adoptive families must now travel to Addis Ababa to be present for their court appointment. There have been rumors of this change for several weeks now, and the change is a direct result of the dramatic increase of "revocation" cases - cases in which the adoptive parents decline to bring their children home after they have passed court. This will mean families will make two trips to Ethiopia to complete their adoptions, which will certainly increase the time and money required for adoption.
On a positive note, if parents see their child before the court appointment, the child will be eligible for an IR-3 visa, thus making the child a US citizen immediately upon arrival in the United States.
There are many unanswered questions and we have no further details at this time. Please bear with us as we await further news and seek further information. Your coordinator will be contacting you as we learn how this will impact your specific case. Please feel free to email your coordinator if you have specific questions, and they will do their best to find out the answer.
Evidently, this morning the Ethiopian government announced an additional change that will be implemented and will impact all agencies facilitating adoptions in Ethiopia, including IAN.
All adoptive families must now travel to Addis Ababa to be present for their court appointment. There have been rumors of this change for several weeks now, and the change is a direct result of the dramatic increase of "revocation" cases - cases in which the adoptive parents decline to bring their children home after they have passed court. This will mean families will make two trips to Ethiopia to complete their adoptions, which will certainly increase the time and money required for adoption.
On a positive note, if parents see their child before the court appointment, the child will be eligible for an IR-3 visa, thus making the child a US citizen immediately upon arrival in the United States.
There are many unanswered questions and we have no further details at this time. Please bear with us as we await further news and seek further information. Your coordinator will be contacting you as we learn how this will impact your specific case. Please feel free to email your coordinator if you have specific questions, and they will do their best to find out the answer.
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