April 8, 2008
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February 27, 2008
Dear families,
We are happy to inform you that next milestone toward Russian Accreditation has been achieved by CAII. We learned that we have received the last signature from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and thus the extensive approval process from various Ministries is complete. The next step is for us to be approved by the Accreditation Committee within Ministry of Education and Science. We are diligently working to meet all requirements for this next step. Families can support us in expediting the accreditation process by timely provision of the post adoption reports and Consulate registrations, as it is imperative for us to submit these to the Ministry of Education properly and on time.
We continue to place children via independent adoptions in one region and we have families traveling to bring their children home. While our Russian program has become smaller, we are happy that we are still able to help orphan children to find their forever families.
It has been our observation that, overall, children referred to our families are older and we invite you to consider older and waiting children, as referral time frames for children less than three years of age is getting longer. We are being told that local domestic adoptions is becoming more accepted and more Russian families are starting to adopt orphan children. These families have started to receive incentives from the government to expand their families so more families are willing to adopt or provide foster care.
We realize that this has been a long journey for everyone. We thank you for your commitment to adopting a Russian child and we are looking forward to good news soon.
Sincerely,
CAII staff
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November 1, 2007
Dear Families,
As you recall from our previous updates, we have been waiting for one more ministry approval for some time. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Russia is yet to approve the next group of adoption agencies for reaccredidation. As a part of their policy for approval, the MIA has been requesting that the background clearances on the agencies to be submitted by Interpol. However, background checks performed by U.S. state authorities have been apparently also accepted, although not confirmed.
To help the situation, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS), in cooperation with members of U.S. Congress, has requested immediate action on the part of the U.S. Department of Justice (Interpol) regarding the issuance of clearances for adoption agencies. JCICS has also been attempting to contact Interpol on this issue directly, unfortunately, to no avail so far.
Again, we thank you for your patience and support and promise to keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc.
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October 1, 2007
Dear Families,
We want to thank you for your understanding and support while we are eagerly waiting for our accreditation in Russia. Although we have done everything possible to assist the progress of our accreditation, there has been no information on the progress of our agency’s accreditation since the last update.
The Russian government has very recently undergone some changes in terms of structure and composition, although not drastic changes. It is possible that until these final governmental changes had been finalized, the government officials were unwilling to take any steps that could be interpreted against them later on, considering that the issue of international adoption has always been a controversial topic in Russia.
Again, we would like to stress that we are taking every step possible to assist the situation and are staying hopeful that accreditation for our agency is soon to come.
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc.
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August 1, 2007
Dear Families,
We are still waiting for one more ministry approval at this point. Every ministry has it own procedure for obtaining information on an agency based on which they issue their approval. The ministries often request information from other governmental offices and await their reply. Because of the involvement of so many organizations, the process can easily be impeded.
In addition, the Russian government is no longer under pressure from the US government as well as various child advocacy groups to begin issuing accreditations as several adoption agencies have recently received their accreditation.
Lastly, summer (especially the month of August) is the time when the majority of Russian officials are taking their long vacations.
Yet, we are excited to know that 12 US adoption agencies have recently received their accreditation and stay optimistic that ours is soon to come.
Thank you for your patience and support,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc.
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Russia Accreditation Update from Department of State
Posted April 28th, 2007
April 25, 2007
Russia: Update on Adoption Agency Accreditation Delays
No U.S.-based adoption service providers (adoption agencies) are currently accredited with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
The Ministry of Education is currently reviewing adoption agencies' accreditation applications and has not announced a date by which it will complete this review. These applications for accreditation are also under review by four other Russian ministries: the Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. Sometimes during the review process, one of these ministries requests additional documents or clarification on some matters. Recently, for example, the Ministry of Justice returned applications to adoption agencies with a request for more information.
According to the recently-adopted law on re-accreditation, the Ministry of Education can only issue a license for accreditation if they have approval from the other four ministries.
The U.S. Government has been actively encouraging the Russian government to complete its reviews and proceed with appropriate accreditations or re-accreditations as expeditiously as possible. In addition, the Department of State recently provided to pending U.S. agencies as well as to the Russian government directly additional information that the Russian ministries had requested in the context of reviewing these applications. We also stand ready to assist however we appropriately can in answering additional questions that may arise.
We continue to monitor this situation and will update our web site
(www.travel.state.gov ) should new information become available. We recommend that American prospective adoptive parents in the process of adopting a Russian child(ren) stay in close contact with their adoption agency.
Sincerely,
Hague Implementation Staff
U.S. Central Authority
Department of State
April 13 2007 Update - "Russia Accreditation Update"
Russia Accreditation Update!
April 13, 2007
Dear Families,
We received some calls and emails from alarmed parents about the article called “Russian Curtails American Adoptions?printed in USA Today on April 11th, so we would like to address the issue.
We want to assure you that Russia is not stopping international adoptions. What happened is that the accreditation of the last 3 accredited US agencies has recently expired. The article incorrectly states that Russia is “shutting its doors.?Yes, it is true that there are no accredited U.S. agencies working in Russia at this point, as the Ministry of Education has not re-accredited a single agency for more than a year. However, there is no indication to believe that Russia won’t process international adoptions. The lengthy delay in the accreditation process is due to several big and small procedural changes that have been taking place in Russian legislature in the last year causing the hold up.
There has been a collective movement supported by JCICS (Joint Council on International Children’s Services) to bring public awareness about the delay in accreditation process causing hundreds of American families and thousands of Russian orphans to be put on hold. Unfortunately, some media publications have not researched the issue in depth and misinformed the public.
The accreditation process has been slowly but surely moving along. Yet, it is too early to predict the dates. We promise to keep you updated.
As always, thank you for your patience and support.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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April 2 2007 Update - "Russia Accreditation Update"
Russia Accreditation Update!
Posted April 2, 2007
Dear Families,
The Ministry of Education in Russia, by request of the Ministry of Justice, asked for an additional document to be submitted by agencies looking to get accredited. As you recall, in order for agencies to get accredited, they need approval of all 5 Russian ministries. Since one of these ministries, the Ministry of Justice, issued this request, all adoption agencies searching to get reaccredited are required to comply.
This additional document or letter needs to confirm that the adoption decree issued in Russia provides the adopted children with the same legal protection and same rights as children who are citizens of the receiving country. The letter must be issued by a competent licensing authority, or another organization, such Department of Justice, etc.
The Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) and the US Embassy in Moscow are working to resolve the matter. Since the requested letter relates to the United States federal laws, JCICS is in contact with the Department of State to obtain such letter. This one letter on behalf of all US adoption agencies should satisfy the request issued by the Ministry of Justice.
As you probably know by now, the issue of accreditation in Russia is not simply a bureaucratic matter (although this is an issue in itself), but also a political instrument. There is a speculation that the opponents of international adoption are pulling their “strings?to put pressure on the Ministry of Education to delay the process of accreditation. Again, we want to assure you that we are doing everything that is in our power.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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For Families Interested in our Russia Program
Posted March 14th, 2007
Accreditation Update
Dear Families,
Thank you for your interest in our Russia program. While we are happy to accept your contract, we want you to be informed about adoption agency accreditation situation in Russia.
Every agency working in Russia is required to be accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE). Since April of last year, the MOE has stopped issuing accreditation to international adoption agencies working in Russia due to some significant law changes taking place in Russian legislature governing the foreign non-commercial organizations and adoption agencies?accreditation procedures.
Our agency’s accreditation paperwork has been submitted to the MOE, at this point, we are waiting for the MOE to issue our accreditation. It looks like the accreditation process is hung up on bureaucratic formalities, which is not uncommon for Russia. We want you to be assured that we are carefully monitoring the situation and doing everything that is in our power.
We remain optimistic that the good news of our agency’s re-accreditation is soon to come, as we are very eager to continue helping orphaned children from Russia come home.
We greatly appreciate your interest in our Russia program and are looking forward to helping you with your adoption!
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Accreditation Update
Dear Families,
Thank you for your interest in our Russia program. While we are happy to accept your contract, we want you to be informed about adoption agency accreditation situation in Russia.
Every agency working in Russia is required to be accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE). Since April of last year, the MOE has stopped issuing accreditation to international adoption agencies working in Russia due to some significant law changes taking place in Russian legislature governing the foreign non-commercial organizations and adoption agencies?accreditation procedures.
Our agency’s accreditation paperwork has been submitted to the MOE, at this point, we are waiting for the MOE to issue our accreditation. It looks like the accreditation process is hung up on bureaucratic formalities, which is not uncommon for Russia. We want you to be assured that we are carefully monitoring the situation and doing everything that is in our power.
We remain optimistic that the good news of our agency’s re-accreditation is soon to come, as we are very eager to continue helping orphaned children from Russia come home.
We greatly appreciate your interest in our Russia program and are looking forward to helping you with your adoption!
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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March 14 2007 Update - "Accreditation Update"
March 14, 2007
Dear Families,
We know that you are very anxious to get any new information on the accreditation progress in Russia. Although we do not have much news to share at this time, we want to let you know that we are carefully monitoring the situation and doing everything that is in our power.
By some accounts, since the Ministry of Education and Science is dealing with insufficient staffing issues and a high volume of work, the accreditation process is being delayed.
Another possible caveat is that, as a part of the accreditation process, the approval for each agency accreditation is required to be obtained from a special committee, called the Interministerial Committee for Questions of Adoption, consisting of officials representing each of 5 ministries in Russia. Due to these representatives' other work obligations, this committee does not meet on a regular basis.
Thus, it looks like the accreditation process is hung up on bureaucratic formalities, which is not uncommon for Russia.
Again, we appreciate your patience throughout this not easy waiting period. We trust that the good news is soon to come.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Feb 7 2007 Update - "Accreditaion Update"
February 7, 2007
Dear Families,
We are still waiting for the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia (MOE) to issue our accreditation. The accreditation paperwork was submitted to the MOE on December 20th, 2006. Our paperwork has not been returned back to us to be redone. As you recall, the MOE has 3 months to review the submitted paperwork before issuing accreditation.
Just like you, we are hoping to receive our accreditation in the near future.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Dec 20 Update
Posted Dec 20, 2006
Accreditation Update
December 20, 2006
Dear Families,
We are very happy to report that today we submitted our accreditation paperwork to the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE). Today was the first day the MOE started accepting accreditation documents from foreign adoption agencies.
Only adoption agencies whose accreditation has expired or will soon expire and who have current NGO registration are allowed to submit their documents. Adoption agencies who have never been accredited in Russia before cannot submit their paperwork for new accreditation until the decision on how to accredit these agencies for the first time will be issued.
According to the Regulation 654, which sets forth the protocol by which foreign adoption agencies can apply for and receive accreditation to work in Russia, the MOE has 3 months to review the submitted paperwork before issuing accreditation. We hope that nothing else will delay the accreditation process.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Accreditation Update
December 20, 2006
Dear Families,
We are very happy to report that today we submitted our accreditation paperwork to the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE). Today was the first day the MOE started accepting accreditation documents from foreign adoption agencies.
Only adoption agencies whose accreditation has expired or will soon expire and who have current NGO registration are allowed to submit their documents. Adoption agencies who have never been accredited in Russia before cannot submit their paperwork for new accreditation until the decision on how to accredit these agencies for the first time will be issued.
According to the Regulation 654, which sets forth the protocol by which foreign adoption agencies can apply for and receive accreditation to work in Russia, the MOE has 3 months to review the submitted paperwork before issuing accreditation. We hope that nothing else will delay the accreditation process.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Nov 27 Update
Posted Nov 27, 2006
Accreditation Update
Posted Nov 27, 2006
Dear Families,
We have good news to share! The Regulation 654 (previously known as Article 268), which sets forth the protocol by which foreign adoption agencies can apply for and receive accreditation to work in Russia, has finally been approved by the Russian Government and published on November 8th, 2006. The new regulation asserts that accreditation permissions will be issued now for a term of 5 years instead of 1 year. However, the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE) has a right to temporarily suspend the validity of the issued permission if it decides that some provisions have not been followed by an agency, especially in regards to post-placement report compliance and consulate registration of adopted children. This confirms the level of significance of timely submission of post placement reports and completing consulate registration. The Regulation 654 also outlines a list of documents required to be submitted for accreditation. We have diligently prepared all the required documents and are just waiting for the MOE to start accepting the accreditation paperwork. Before the MOE can accomplish this, they need to process and implement the new regulation internally. This may or may not mean that additional documents will be required for accreditation.
We are hoping that in the near future the MOE will issue an announcement of a complete list of documents they will be requiring for accreditation and start accepting the paperwork from adoption agencies. According to the new regulation, the MOE has 3 months to review the submitted paperwork before issuing accreditation. Again we keep hoping that it will happen faster.
Please be assured that we are doing everything in our power to get our accreditation in Russia as soon as possible. We sincerely appreciate your patience and confidence in us.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Accreditation Update
Posted Nov 27, 2006
Dear Families,
We have good news to share! The Regulation 654 (previously known as Article 268), which sets forth the protocol by which foreign adoption agencies can apply for and receive accreditation to work in Russia, has finally been approved by the Russian Government and published on November 8th, 2006. The new regulation asserts that accreditation permissions will be issued now for a term of 5 years instead of 1 year. However, the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE) has a right to temporarily suspend the validity of the issued permission if it decides that some provisions have not been followed by an agency, especially in regards to post-placement report compliance and consulate registration of adopted children. This confirms the level of significance of timely submission of post placement reports and completing consulate registration. The Regulation 654 also outlines a list of documents required to be submitted for accreditation. We have diligently prepared all the required documents and are just waiting for the MOE to start accepting the accreditation paperwork. Before the MOE can accomplish this, they need to process and implement the new regulation internally. This may or may not mean that additional documents will be required for accreditation.
We are hoping that in the near future the MOE will issue an announcement of a complete list of documents they will be requiring for accreditation and start accepting the paperwork from adoption agencies. According to the new regulation, the MOE has 3 months to review the submitted paperwork before issuing accreditation. Again we keep hoping that it will happen faster.
Please be assured that we are doing everything in our power to get our accreditation in Russia as soon as possible. We sincerely appreciate your patience and confidence in us.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Oct 21 Update
Posted Oct 21, 2006
Commonwealth received NGO Status in Russia!
Dear Families,
We are thrilled to let you know that we have received our NGO status!!! It has been backdated to October 9th, 2006 as it took a few days to complete the registration process.
The next step is to get re-accredited. The legislature that enacts new accreditation process is on the verge of implementation. We hope to get more information on re-accreditation in the near future. We will keep you posted.
We greatly appreciate your patience and confidence in us and just like you, we are very eager to move forward with your adoption in Russia.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Commonwealth received NGO Status in Russia!
Dear Families,
We are thrilled to let you know that we have received our NGO status!!! It has been backdated to October 9th, 2006 as it took a few days to complete the registration process.
The next step is to get re-accredited. The legislature that enacts new accreditation process is on the verge of implementation. We hope to get more information on re-accreditation in the near future. We will keep you posted.
We greatly appreciate your patience and confidence in us and just like you, we are very eager to move forward with your adoption in Russia.
Sincerely,
Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. Staff
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Sept 13 Update
Posted Sept 13, 2006
NGO Status in Russia
Dear Families,
We would like to update you on the situation with our agency’s re-accreditation in Russia. We know you have been waiting for good news for a while and are anxious to move forward with your adoption. We absolutely share how you feel and are doing everything possible to make this date come sooner.
We are getting close to obtaining our NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) status, which is one of the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE) for agencies to get re-accredited. On the positive side, we are only required to go through the NGO registration process once for the whole period of our activity in Russia.
Although we have already submitted some of our re-accreditation paperwork to the MOE, the agency accreditation procedure has not been completely clarified by Russian Government. While in the past, the matters of accreditation of foreign adoption agencies have been in the sole control of the MOE, now the Supreme Court of Russia and Prosecutor’s Office are becoming heavily involved. Questions of law infringements connected with international adoption have been raised after foreign adoptions have received bad publicity by Russian media. The major TV and radio stations have been claiming that, due to lack of governmental control over the international adoption process, cases of cruel treatment of Russian children adopted by foreigners have been widespread. With tightening governmental control that followed the news, it is very likely that additional paperwork will be required from international adoption agencies in order to get re-accredited. Unfortunately, Russian Government has not been issuing any formal statements that would give us more guidance in this process.
We get a lot of questions about doing independent adoptions in Russia while we are waiting for our re-accreditation. Although independent adoptions are currently legal in Russia, most regional Departments of Education (DOE) and courts have been refusing to handle independent adoption cases. It is our understanding that the reluctance of the regions to conduct independent adoptions has to do with increased number of Prosecutor’s Office examinations of the regional DOEs. The problem in this situation is that the Russian laws are written vaguely and open to various interpretations. As independent adoptions are looked at unfavorably by Russian Government and with close watch by Prosecutor’s Office, the DOEs are often hesitant to leave any room for a mishap and therefore carry responsibility. It is our observation that there are just a few regions that allowed families registered prior to the agency’s accreditation expiration to continue with their adoption as independent adopters.
We have made many attempts to contact other licensed accredited agencies for the purpose of helping some of our families who are waiting to complete their adoptions and can only travel for the court with assistance of an accredited agency. Unfortunately, these agencies are preoccupied with helping their own families to finalize their adoptions in Russia. Another caveat of this matter is that it is not clear what is going to happen with accredited agencies that won’t be issued NGO registration by October 18th, 2006. On one account, the accredited agencies can continue their activity as long as they have submitted their paperwork for the NGO status. On another, after October 18th, all accredited agencies without the NGO status must stop all their activity in Russia. This greatly complicates the situation for our families and creates a feeling of uncertainty.
Despite current holdups with adoptions in Russia, please remember that we are very committed to help you with your adoption. We are carefully monitoring the constant changes in Russia to ensure we are on top of the situation.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as well as your trust in our commitment to help you and the children in Russia become families.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International
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NGO Status in Russia
Dear Families,
We would like to update you on the situation with our agency’s re-accreditation in Russia. We know you have been waiting for good news for a while and are anxious to move forward with your adoption. We absolutely share how you feel and are doing everything possible to make this date come sooner.
We are getting close to obtaining our NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) status, which is one of the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Science (MOE) for agencies to get re-accredited. On the positive side, we are only required to go through the NGO registration process once for the whole period of our activity in Russia.
Although we have already submitted some of our re-accreditation paperwork to the MOE, the agency accreditation procedure has not been completely clarified by Russian Government. While in the past, the matters of accreditation of foreign adoption agencies have been in the sole control of the MOE, now the Supreme Court of Russia and Prosecutor’s Office are becoming heavily involved. Questions of law infringements connected with international adoption have been raised after foreign adoptions have received bad publicity by Russian media. The major TV and radio stations have been claiming that, due to lack of governmental control over the international adoption process, cases of cruel treatment of Russian children adopted by foreigners have been widespread. With tightening governmental control that followed the news, it is very likely that additional paperwork will be required from international adoption agencies in order to get re-accredited. Unfortunately, Russian Government has not been issuing any formal statements that would give us more guidance in this process.
We get a lot of questions about doing independent adoptions in Russia while we are waiting for our re-accreditation. Although independent adoptions are currently legal in Russia, most regional Departments of Education (DOE) and courts have been refusing to handle independent adoption cases. It is our understanding that the reluctance of the regions to conduct independent adoptions has to do with increased number of Prosecutor’s Office examinations of the regional DOEs. The problem in this situation is that the Russian laws are written vaguely and open to various interpretations. As independent adoptions are looked at unfavorably by Russian Government and with close watch by Prosecutor’s Office, the DOEs are often hesitant to leave any room for a mishap and therefore carry responsibility. It is our observation that there are just a few regions that allowed families registered prior to the agency’s accreditation expiration to continue with their adoption as independent adopters.
We have made many attempts to contact other licensed accredited agencies for the purpose of helping some of our families who are waiting to complete their adoptions and can only travel for the court with assistance of an accredited agency. Unfortunately, these agencies are preoccupied with helping their own families to finalize their adoptions in Russia. Another caveat of this matter is that it is not clear what is going to happen with accredited agencies that won’t be issued NGO registration by October 18th, 2006. On one account, the accredited agencies can continue their activity as long as they have submitted their paperwork for the NGO status. On another, after October 18th, all accredited agencies without the NGO status must stop all their activity in Russia. This greatly complicates the situation for our families and creates a feeling of uncertainty.
Despite current holdups with adoptions in Russia, please remember that we are very committed to help you with your adoption. We are carefully monitoring the constant changes in Russia to ensure we are on top of the situation.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as well as your trust in our commitment to help you and the children in Russia become families.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International
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June 5 Update
Posted June 5, 2006
Accreditation for 2006-2007 in Russia is pending
Russia Program Update
Posted on June 5, 2006
Dear Families:
We would like to update you again about the current status with our NGO registration, re-accreditation process and our plan of action in the meantime. We are actively pursuing NGO registration and hope to submit our documentation very soon.
All of you are at different stages of the adoption process and all of you are understandably anxious to complete your adoption as expeditiously as possible despite the expected delay with re-accreditation. We are currently pursuing two options. First, we are researching if any other currently accredited agencies will assume any of our adoptive families so they can complete your adoptions for you. Second, we are gathering more information about independent adoptions.
Contrary to the information we were given previously, the Ministry of Education in Russia has announced that all accredited agencies must acquire NGO registration before October 18, 2006. This means that all agencies that still have valid accreditation as of October 18 must stop working, unless they have acquired NGO registration by that date. You should bear this consideration in mind when deciding whether to transfer to another agency. After we gather information about the agencies, if there are any, that have valid accreditation and are willing to consider completing your adoption in your region, we will offer you that option individually.
There is still a certain amount of uncertainty about independent adoptions in each of our regions. Not every region allows independent adoptions and not every region has a ready procedure set up for it. We hope to achieve clarity on this subject shortly after June 9 and we greatly appreciate your patience. We will approach you individually about this option as soon as we have enough information.
Thank you again for your understanding and persistence. Bearing in mind our past experience with accreditation delay in Russia in 2004-2005, we are compelled to remind you once again that we offer you information as it becomes available to us, and that it is subject to change, depending on the information we receive from the Russian authorities at that time.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc.
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Accreditation for 2006-2007 in Russia is pending
Russia Program Update
Posted on June 5, 2006
Dear Families:
We would like to update you again about the current status with our NGO registration, re-accreditation process and our plan of action in the meantime. We are actively pursuing NGO registration and hope to submit our documentation very soon.
All of you are at different stages of the adoption process and all of you are understandably anxious to complete your adoption as expeditiously as possible despite the expected delay with re-accreditation. We are currently pursuing two options. First, we are researching if any other currently accredited agencies will assume any of our adoptive families so they can complete your adoptions for you. Second, we are gathering more information about independent adoptions.
Contrary to the information we were given previously, the Ministry of Education in Russia has announced that all accredited agencies must acquire NGO registration before October 18, 2006. This means that all agencies that still have valid accreditation as of October 18 must stop working, unless they have acquired NGO registration by that date. You should bear this consideration in mind when deciding whether to transfer to another agency. After we gather information about the agencies, if there are any, that have valid accreditation and are willing to consider completing your adoption in your region, we will offer you that option individually.
There is still a certain amount of uncertainty about independent adoptions in each of our regions. Not every region allows independent adoptions and not every region has a ready procedure set up for it. We hope to achieve clarity on this subject shortly after June 9 and we greatly appreciate your patience. We will approach you individually about this option as soon as we have enough information.
Thank you again for your understanding and persistence. Bearing in mind our past experience with accreditation delay in Russia in 2004-2005, we are compelled to remind you once again that we offer you information as it becomes available to us, and that it is subject to change, depending on the information we receive from the Russian authorities at that time.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc.
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May 18 Update
Posted May 18, 2006
Dear Families:
We would like to share with you the latest developments regarding the accreditation process in Russia. The Ministry of Education and Science held a meeting with representatives of international adoption agencies in Moscow, Russia, on May 11, 2006. The Ministry of Education and Science announced that the process of re-accreditation will be delayed this year by an estimated 1-3 months for all adoption agencies that are non-profit organizations, like Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. The delay is caused by the introduction of a new law about non-profit organizations which requires non-profit organizations to be re-registered in Russia by an office subordinate to the Ministry of Justice. Although the law went into effect in April 2006, the office responsible for registration of non-profit organizations still does not have a clear procedure and thus has not yet begun the registration process. We want to assure you that we are closely monitoring the situation and will apply for non-profit re-registration at the first opportunity.
The Ministry of Education and Science also announced that adoption agencies must first be re-registered with the Ministry of Justice before being considered for re-accreditation. Currently accredited agencies are allowed to work until their accreditation expires and then must stop working until they receive both non-profit re-registration and re-accreditation.
The relevance of these legal changes to you, as adoptive parents with Commonwealth Adoptions, is two-fold:
--First, we will be able to facilitate your adoption as normal until our accreditation expires on June 9. After that date, we will be unable to proceed with any adoptions on the Russian territory until the re-accreditation process is complete. Please understand that this process is demanded of ALL international adoption agencies working in Russia and will delay all agencies needing re-accreditation. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any guarantee on the specific date in which we can resume the adoptions process on the Russian territory until we receive further instructions from the Russian government. All we can do at present is to continue operating under Russia’s guidelines and estimated timelines.
--Second, the Russian government has informed us that families who have already submitted their preliminary packages to Russia may choose to continue with their adoption in the form of an “independent adoption?after their agency’s accreditation expires. It is our understanding that this means that families may continue to pursue their adoption during the timeframe in which the above-mentioned agencies are seeking re-accreditation so long as they do so without agency involvement in Russia (i.e. the adoption must be independent). We are in the process of having Russian government clarify what constitutes “an independent adoption?under these circumstances, and we will convey this information to you as it becomes available. Families may also choose to simply wait for our agency to be re-accredited.
If you have any further questions, please contact your case manager and we will gladly clarify any confusion. We will forward new information regarding our re-registration and re-accreditation as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions
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Dear Families:
We would like to share with you the latest developments regarding the accreditation process in Russia. The Ministry of Education and Science held a meeting with representatives of international adoption agencies in Moscow, Russia, on May 11, 2006. The Ministry of Education and Science announced that the process of re-accreditation will be delayed this year by an estimated 1-3 months for all adoption agencies that are non-profit organizations, like Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. The delay is caused by the introduction of a new law about non-profit organizations which requires non-profit organizations to be re-registered in Russia by an office subordinate to the Ministry of Justice. Although the law went into effect in April 2006, the office responsible for registration of non-profit organizations still does not have a clear procedure and thus has not yet begun the registration process. We want to assure you that we are closely monitoring the situation and will apply for non-profit re-registration at the first opportunity.
The Ministry of Education and Science also announced that adoption agencies must first be re-registered with the Ministry of Justice before being considered for re-accreditation. Currently accredited agencies are allowed to work until their accreditation expires and then must stop working until they receive both non-profit re-registration and re-accreditation.
The relevance of these legal changes to you, as adoptive parents with Commonwealth Adoptions, is two-fold:
--First, we will be able to facilitate your adoption as normal until our accreditation expires on June 9. After that date, we will be unable to proceed with any adoptions on the Russian territory until the re-accreditation process is complete. Please understand that this process is demanded of ALL international adoption agencies working in Russia and will delay all agencies needing re-accreditation. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any guarantee on the specific date in which we can resume the adoptions process on the Russian territory until we receive further instructions from the Russian government. All we can do at present is to continue operating under Russia’s guidelines and estimated timelines.
--Second, the Russian government has informed us that families who have already submitted their preliminary packages to Russia may choose to continue with their adoption in the form of an “independent adoption?after their agency’s accreditation expires. It is our understanding that this means that families may continue to pursue their adoption during the timeframe in which the above-mentioned agencies are seeking re-accreditation so long as they do so without agency involvement in Russia (i.e. the adoption must be independent). We are in the process of having Russian government clarify what constitutes “an independent adoption?under these circumstances, and we will convey this information to you as it becomes available. Families may also choose to simply wait for our agency to be re-accredited.
If you have any further questions, please contact your case manager and we will gladly clarify any confusion. We will forward new information regarding our re-registration and re-accreditation as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Staff of Commonwealth Adoptions
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adoption
Marina Mayhew, our Russian-born Executive Director, oversees an extensive Russian staff, from Moscow across Siberia to Khabarovsk.Commonwealth works in more than ten regions and places children from more than twenty-five orphanages. In fact, the number of regions Commonwealth works with grows annually, thanks to our network of advocates in Russia and humanitarian aid provided by the agency and our families.
time frames
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From the time a complete dossier is submitted, the following timeframes will apply: Wait for an infant boy Wait for an infant girl |
Typically, the first three months of the adoption process will focus on completing the Home Study and Commonwealth Adoptive Parent Education, along with preparing initial documents for the dossier. The next few months will involve preparing regional documents and awaiting a child to be referred to the family. Older children are often available to be referred shortly after the dossier is submitted. Infants and toddlers take longer, with baby girls being the longest wait, often 15 months or more.The matching process varies region to region, and may also change during the course of the adoption due to alterations in the law or custom in the region. Most regions prefer that families come to meet children before committing to adoption.
After committing to a child, the family then waits for a court date and plans their travel. Court dates may be predicted but are never confirmed until just a few days prior to departure.
requirements
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One parent should be age 50 or younger to adopt a child under the age of 18 months. Parent(s) may have children, biological or adoptive, or be childless. More than one child may be adopted at the same time.
Commonwealth requires that when families adopt more than one child, that they be at least nine months apart in age except, of course, in the case of twins.
children
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Orphans in Russia are required to remain on a data bank registry for domestic adoption for at least 6 months prior to being released for international adoption. Children are typically born in maternity hospitals and transferred to orphanages when they are several weeks or months old. It is not uncommon that children are not entered in the data bank right after birth or relinquishment of parents' rights. That is why infants are always 10 months and older by the time they become available for international adoption.Children between age 10 months and 14 years may be adopted through Commonwealth. Many families wish for a child "as young as possible." Realistically, the child you seek, if an infant, will be between 12-18 months of age when you bring him or her home.
It is common for children in Russia to present some sort of problem or condition on their medical reports. Sometimes this is accurate. Other times it is a diagnosis more reflective of the Russian medical system than a condition we would understand in American medicine. Medical interpretations and terminology vary country to country. Consequently, we encourage families to consult with international pediatricians. They are the professionals familiar with foreign medical jargon and best equipped to assist you in making a commitment to a child.
Commonwealth associates visit orphanages throughout the year. Families who have adopted from different regions can assure you that the orphanages are well staffed, affectionate toward the children and provide for basic needs.
travel
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Whether you travel to Russia once or twice, your stay will be between one to three weeks in duration. The Court hearing to finalize the adoption is often, by Russian law, succeeded by a "ten day wait." Some regions waive this requirement; others do not.Travel expenses will vary considerably, depending upon the time of year. Not surprisingly, it is cheaper to fly to Siberia in the winter. It is, however, virtually impossible to plan your adoption travel around a personal calender. Largely, your adoption will be completed according to the prerogatives of Courts and Judges, and not what would be most convenient for you or the agency. Your stress will be less if you are prepared to be flexible.
Read a Russia Adoption Success Story:
-Bryce
-Johnny
-Jessie
-Anna
