There has been no news from Guatemala on progress being made in becoming compliant with the Hague Convention. Furthermore, no one really knows what will happen to adoptions in process if Guatemala is not compliant when the US ratifies the Hague.

Most agencies will tell you that they believe (or hope) that anyone who has filed an I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, with the USCIS prior to the US implementing the Hague Convention (at the very end of 2007 or early 2008) will be able to continue their adoption from Guatemala. There is no guarantee that this will be the case.

Personally I don’t think that anyone should be starting a new adoption right now. With no guarantees, it could mean that you child will be delayed months or perhaps indefinitely. Right now the process seems to be taking around 8-10 months from referral to bringing your child home.

There are no new updates from the State Department, but let me remind my readers that this is the opinion of the status of adoptions in Guatemala:

The U.S. Department of State continues to caution American prospective adoptive parents contemplating adopting children from Guatemala that the U.S. Government cannot recommend adoption from Guatemala at this time because of the ongoing problems in Guatemala’s intercountry adoption process. Although U.S. consular officers currently continue to process adoption immigrant visa cases, each case is now subject to greater scrutiny than in the past and the process may be slower as a result.

How can your adoption agency help during this period? First and foremost, they need to be communicating with the prospective parents on a regular basis. Obviously agencies have time constraints, but nonetheless, parents have every reason to be concerned as 2007 draws to a close. Photos and health updates should be arriving on a regular basis, and information about the foster parents should be accurate.

If you are working with a reputable agency, which in turn will be working with reputable lawyers, your lawyer should be able to report the status of your case within a few days of a request.

Someone once asked me how often is too often when contacting your adoption agency. It depends on the situation. If everything is still within a reasonable schedule and nothing unordinary is happening, I would send an email once every two weeks to “check in.” Your coordinator should get back to you within twenty-four hours in my opinion. If there are specific problems with your child’s adoption process, more frequent contact is to be expected.

And while we are on the subject of adoption agencies, there is a new website that allows people to rate adoption agencies. In addition, the already existing Adoption Agency Research forum has a wealth of information. The JCICS(Joint Council on International Children’s Services) also has good criteria for choosing an adoption agency.


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More Information on This Subject

What is the Hague Convention?

Ethica: Adoption Regulation and Consumer Protection

Choosing an Agency for Guatemalan Adoptions