Friday, February 17, 2012

USCIS Country Information on Cambodia Adoption

The USCIS has recently published country information on its intercountry adoptions pages. The following is their statement on Cambodia, which can be found at:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=ecab18a1f8b73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ecab18a1f8b73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Cambodia is a party to the Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention. DOS determined that Cambodia is currently not meeting its obligations under the Convention. For this reason, DOS Consular officers cannot issue the required Hague Adoption Certificate or Hague Custody Declaration at this time.

In light of the inability to complete the immigration process for Hague cases, prospective adoptive parents are strongly urged not to file Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, identifying Cambodia as the country from which they intend to adopt.

Additionally, the United States suspended orphan visa petition processing in Cambodia on December 21, 2001, due to the inability to verify that any particular Cambodian child is an “orphan” as defined in U.S. immigration law. It is important to note that this suspension remains in effect for any Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, filed prior to April 1, 2008.


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