Very Exciting News!!!

About three weeks ago we received a call from our agency that we were in Children's Court waiting for the birth parents final interview. This was good news for us, but still a little unsure that anything could fall through. We were also told that the deadline for I600 families had been extended until June 1st and there were approximately 75 families in all US agencies left who filed I600's and we were one of them. Our representatives in Haiti were rushing to get our case through to meet this deadline. Today we received an email and a phone call that we are OUT of Children's Court and the referral should be very, very soon! We are very excited and it seems almost unreal. It's been 25 long months in IBESR.  Below is the email from our agency:

Good afternoon Will and Amorie,

 

I just called and left Amorie a voice mail on her cell phone but wanted to follow up with an e-mail.

 

I just got off the phone with Silvia and Daniel for our monthly updates for cases so I can write our program update for families. I also at this time ask them for specific updates for cases if they have any new information.  They indicated to me today that your case is completed with the children’s judge and the file has been sent to IBESR for the official match.  IBESR in doing the final review prior to matching has requested the crèche to rectify some of the child’s documents before making the referral.  Silvia said that this is being worked on now and then we should receive the referral.  She anticipates this will be completed before the new June deadline IBESR has set for transitional cases.

 

Thought you would want to know.

 

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions. 

 

Angela Jackson, MA

Program Coordinator

Carolina Adoption Services  

Haiti Adoption Update #13

Haiti Program Update

February 2016

Dear Families,

We are pleased to report that we have a great deal of exciting news to share with you in the February 2016 Haiti Program Update!

One Feb 3, 2016, Angela Jackson and Tania Griasnow returned from a four day visit to Haiti. Angela and Tania traveled to Haiti to meet with our agency representative attorneys , IBSER representatives, USCIS and Consulate staff at the US Embassy in Haiti , as well as Maison Des Anges staff to advocate for the successful and expeditious resolution of our remaining vintage cases as well as to verify the required procedures for processing if Hague cases.

As neither Angela nor Tania had traveled to Haiti previously, they found that a physical presence enabled them to meet adoption colleagues in person and to better understand the logistical as well as the physical challenges those working in the field of international adoptions in Haiti face on a daily basis. 

Our first official meeting took place at IBSER, the Central Authority in Haiti. The IBSER offices are housed in an old building that consists of several floors, there are no elevators, just stairs.  The offices are quite small and crowded, many of them have no windows.  The offices tend to get quite warm as only the Director General’s office has air-conditioning. Some of the offices are equipped with fans, however, power outages are frequent. We in fact experienced a power outage during our meeting with Me. Guillaume. There is a scarcity of computers available for use by IBSER staff.  We were told that IBSER is in the process of implementing a data base system for referral matches. At the present time, however, referral matches are done manually.  Transportation to and from IBSER can also be a challenge as political demonstrations are a frequent occurrence. During our visit to IBSER we saw an UNICEF bus with a severely shattered windshield parked at the side of the building.  We were informed that the windshield was shattered during a demonstration that turned violent.   Even though there are times when travel to IBSER needs to be postponed due to demonstration risks, our attorneys visit IBSER three to four times a week.

We were accompanied to IBSER by our agency attorneys/representatives Dr. Oscar Daniel Demayo and Silvia Lidon Millan and Gladys Maximilien from Maison Des Anges. We were quite impressed with the warm welcome Daniel and Silvia received from all the IBSER staff.  It was quite evident that they were highly regarded and respected at IBSER.

Upon our arrival at IBSER we were escorted to the office of the head attorney of IBSER, Me. Guillaume. Also present at the meeting was the head of the multi-task disciplinary team which consists of social-workers and psychologists and is responsible for issuing referral matches. The main focus of this meeting was to express our concerns about the length of time it is taking to obtain referral matches for our remaining vintage families.  There was concern that a new IBSER requirement stipulating that birth parent would now need to provide an additional document, a voter eligibility document, would significantly increase the timeframes for referral matches and in some cases serve as a prohibitive factor if birth parents were unable or reluctant to obtain this newly required document.  After considerable deliberation between all parties present, it was agreed upon that the new voter eligibility document requirement would be waived for all vintage families in an effort to provide referral matches to CAS vintage families before April 1, 2016. 

After our visit with Me. Guillaume we were able to meet with Mme. Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin, the Director General of IBSER to introduce ourselves and to reaffirm our agency’s commitment to a collaborative effort with IBSER on behalf of the children of Haiti who are in need of forever families.  We were also able to take the opportunity to advocate for our vintage families who were waiting for referral matches. Me. Villedrouin graciously agreed to have her staff follow-up with doing what was possible to expedite the referral matches for our agency’s vintage cases.  The meeting ended on a friendly note with us expressing our deep gratitude to the Director General and her staff for all their hard work on behalf of the children of Haiti and their forever families.

We as well as Daniel and Silvia were also able to meet USCIS staff and Chinwe Obianwu, Chief of Adoption Unit at Consular Section of US Embassy, to discuss the status of pending vintage cases who have filed I-600-A s and Hague cases who have filed I-800-A’s.  We were informed that all vintage cases will continue to be processed by USCIS.  There has been no definite decision made as to whether families who have filed I-600-A and will not receive an official referral match by April 1, 2016 will need to switch to a Hague case and file an I-800-A.  There are negotiations taking place between the Embassy and IBSER which may result in a decision to allow vintage cases who do not receive a referral match by April 1, 2016 to extend their I-600-A validity and not have to file an I-800-A.  USCIS will keep us apprised of the progress of these negotiations and will notify all agencies when a decision will be made.

All Hague cases will be processed through the Consular Section. The U.S. State Dept. and IBSER are in the process of finalizing the standardized procedure for processing of Hague cases. The State Department will notify all agencies when the processing procedure are finalized.

Our last stop was at Maison Des Anges, the crèche from where most of our recent referral matches have been made. We were pleased to be able to tour the facility and to meet with the staff who provide such excellent care of the children.  We were also able to meet with a CAS family who had just received their child’s visa and were leaving for the USA with their child at the end of the week! Everyone at MDA was very excited as there was of total of 5 referral match presented since Dec. 2015. Two families are planning their bonding trips for that latter part of Feb. 2016!

We returned to the U.S. late one Feb. 3, a bit tired but confident that our first journey to Haiti was a successful one, that provided us the opportunity to meet with our Haitian adoption colleagues and together were able to advocate for the children of Haiti and for their forever families. We are encouraged ty the increased activity experienced in the past few months and are optimistic about the future of the Haiti Program.  We wanted to share our journey experience and optimism with you!

Sincerely,

Tania Griasnow

Haiti Program Coordinator 

Tania Griasnow

Program Coordinator

Haiti Adoption Update #12

Two more families from our agency received referrals this week. Unfortunately they were not for us. I'm happy that the pace is picking up with matches from our agency, but disappointed that we still waiting for our referral. Our dossier was submitted in March 2014. The two families that received referrals this week, dossiers were submitted in February and June 2014. 

Haiti Program

January 2016 Update

Dear Families,

Hope all of you and your loved ones had a wonderful holiday season and that you are enjoying the New Year! 

We are pleased to share some good news with you, in this first Haiti Program Update for 2016!  We are seeing increased activity in the process of our vintage cases! Two families received referral matches in Dec. 2015.  Both families were able to travel for their bonding trips in early Jan. 2016.  Daniel and Silvia returned to Haiti as scheduled and were able to accompany both families to the US Embassy for them to file their I-600s. The US Embassy visit went very smoothly and the families were pleased with services provided by Daniel and Silvia.  Both families were also very pleased with their bonding visits with the children as well as services provided by MDA staff.

Two more vintage family cases have received their referral matches this week! It is anticipated that these families will be able to make their bonding trips sometime in Feb. or March of this year.

We are also pleased to announce that Angela Jackson and Tania Griasnow will be traveling to Haiti in early Feb. 2016 to meet with Daniel and Silvia, IBSER officials, US Embassy officials, and staff at Maison des Anges (MDA) crèche.  The main focus of this visit will be to advocate for our vintage families and facilitate the expediting of referral matches before April 1, 2016.  We will also be seeking clarification as to what will be the process for families who will need to switch from having filed an I-600-A to filing an I-800-A.  We are optimistic that our visit will be productive, informative, and that all of us as a team will continue advocating for our families in the Haiti Program.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to share our trip experience with our families upon our return to the USA.

Warm Regards,

Tania Griasnow

Haiti Program Coordinator 

Tania Griasnow

Program Coordinator

Carolina Adoption Services         

Adoption Update #11

Two new families from my agency, Carolina Adoption Services (CAS) received referrals last week! Unfortunately one of them did not belong to us, as we have had a setback with the child that was chosen for us. The birth mother did not respond to requests initiated by the creche and/or IBESR, so they had to start with a new match for us :( The two families that did receive referrals have been in IBESR >24 months, both children are around 2 years old. 

We have been in IBESR 21 months now. Supposedly we are next in line to receive our referral, but at this point I'm just really unsure. As I have felt for a long time, it seems like there is no end in sight for this adoption :( In April we have to file the I800 if we do not have a referral by April 1st. So that means more paperwork, time, and money after two years of waiting with no child. Below is the December update from our agency:

Haiti Program December 2015 Update

Dear Haiti Families,

Hope all of you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying this festive holiday season!

In this the last Haiti Program Update for 2015, we would like to share some exciting news with our families who have been patiently waiting for increased activity in the Haiti Program.  Two of our families have received their referral matches from IBSER in early December! The families have submitted their acceptance letters to IBSER and are making plans to travel for their bonding visits in Jan. 2016. Our attorneys Daniel and Silvia continue to advocate diligently with IBSER on behalf of our families with frequent visits to IBSER. 

Families need to know that historically during the holiday season in December, governmental offices in Haiti experience a slowdown in processing of cases. Due to the fact that there is an anticipated slowdown in activity, Daniel and Silvia have decided to take a brief vacation and will be out of the country from Dec. 15, 2015 to Jan. 10, 2016.  They will be back in Haiti in time to assist the two families with their US Embassy visits for filing of their I-600. CAS is very pleased with these referral matches and we are optimistic that more matches will be forth coming in the near future.

All of us here at CAS would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season! Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Warm regards,

Tania Griasnow

Haiti Program Coordinator

Adoption Update #10

Another update from our coordinator today. 20 months this month in IBESR, with no update or status on where our adoption stands. There are a lot of people with my agency who are very frustrated and upset about this process. Now that the holidays are here, it's best to assume there will be no progression until after Christmas :(

Haiti Program Nov. 2015 Update

Dear Haiti Families,

Now that the holiday season is fast approaching, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving and to let you know that we are thankful for the opportunity to be able to assist you with your adoption journey!

We also wanted to share with you that on Wed. Oct. 28, 2015, Interim Executive Director Angela Jackson and Tania Griasnow, Haiti Program Coordinator, participated in a NCFA Haiti conference call.

This conference call was designed to allow agencies with Haiti Programs the opportunity to share and compare their recent experiences and concerns. Some of the main topics of discussion were the processing of “simple” and” plenary” and referral matches.  CAS was pleased to receive confirmation from our attorneys that all of our present cases are plenary cases and the “simple” versus “plenary” adoptions should not be an issue of concern. A few of the agencies stated that they had received referral matches, however, most of the agencies had not received recent referral matches. There was concern expressed by most of the agencies in regards to IBESR’s ability to process cases effectively and several shared the difficulty in completing some of the birth parent interviews.  Some have experienced the issue of birthparents being brought in for interview, only to find that the person scheduled to interview them that day did not come in the office.  Others have experienced different information being given by IBESR to their representatives than has been given to USCIS/DOS.  All participants in conference call agree that they found it quite helpful and agreed to schedule such conferences on a quarterly basis.

Our attorneys Silvia and Daniel have informed us that they are able to visit with the IBSER on Mondays and Fridays.  They make a concentrated effort to visit very Monday and Friday and let us know what information they were able to obtain.  Haiti had elections on October 25.  As an aftermath of the elections there were some demonstrations in the streets making it difficult in some instances to reach IBESR. We had a scheduled skype session with Daniel and Silvia on Nov. 11, 2015 to discuss the status of our Haiti cases with IBSER.  We received notification from Daniel and Silvia on Nov. 10, that they were both quite ill with a tropical fever and would not be able to participate in the skype session at the scheduled time.  They assured us that they would resume visitation to IBESR and would reschedule the skype session as soon as they were feeling better.

We hope that Daniel and Silvia will have a speedy recovery and will be able to provide us with much awaited updates on status of our Haiti cases.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tania Griasnow

Haiti Program Coordinator

Adoption Update #9

            

Summer is almost over, and it's back to school for me. I figured I would post this update that I received from my agency in August. I have been so lazy lately, recovering from surgery and our wonderful trip to Maui, Hawaii (pic below). Not much news, just continuing to wait. It's been 17 long months since our dossier was submitted to IBESR.....sigh. 

Road to Hana

Haiti Family Program Update

August 2015

Dear Families,

Hope all of you are well and are enjoying your summer!

We at CAS have had a busy summer, with a lot of activity and changes happening in the agency as well as the Haiti Program.  Julie Glandt, who has been with the agency for the past 16 years and has served in the capacity of CAS Executive Director for the last four years, has left the agency to begin a new chapter in her life.  Angela Jackson, who shared the responsibilities of the Haiti Program with me and who has worked with many of you on your adoptions from Haiti has accepted the position of Interim Director of CAS as of August 1, 2015. As Angela will be focusing on the responsibilities of her role as Interim Director, all of her Haiti cases have been transferred to me, Tania Griasnow. I am looking forward to assisting all of you with your adoption journeys from Haiti and will continue to send you the Haiti Program Updates on monthly basis.

Our attorneys, Silvia and Daniel, have been apprised of the changes in Program and have assured us that the “vintage cases”, those who have filed I-600-A, will remain a top priority with the IBESR as well as Silvia and Daniel.  Daniel and Silvia have been visiting the IBESR several times a week to check on status of their cases and to see if there is any other documentation that is required by IBESR to move the cases along.

Families have been expressing concern about the length of time it is taking the IBESR to schedule birth parent interviews and making official matches of referrals. Our attorneys as well as agency representatives from the U.S. and other countries that have programs in Haiti acknowledge the validity of this concern and have met to discuss these issues. Those present at the meeting have submitted a letter to IBESR listing their concerns and requesting that action be taken by the IBSER to implement changes to expedite the adoption process. All concerned parties hope that the IBESR will take steps to expedite the adoption process, however, it is expected that there will not be much activity or information coming from Haiti in the month of August as most IBSER officials will be on vacation and IBESR will be operating with a skeleton crew. It is anticipated that IBESR will resume full operation in the beginning of Sept.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this update or your particular case.

Tania Griasnow

Program Coordinator, Haiti Program 

Adoption Update #8

It has been a while since I posted any updates to my blog. A lot has been going on the last few months outside of waiting for our referral. I had surgery a month ago out of state in Atlanta, so that has taken a lot of planning and the recovery was a little more tough than I thought it would be, so I'm now back to feeling somewhat normal again.

It has been 15 months since we entered IBESR and still no referral. So sad, I don't even know how I feel anymore. I guess just kind of numb about it, even though I think about it daily. Below are two new updates from our agency. One in May and one in June. 


We leave for Maui, Hawaii in two weeks for out 10 year anniversary trip! It's going to be AMAZING!!!

Haiti Family Program Update

June 5, 2015

Dear Families,

We have some great news to share with you!  

We have two families who have recently returned home with their children from Haiti.  One family returned home just last night with their son.  These are the first two adoptions completed with CAS families since the new IBESR regulations were implemented and our first families’ home from Haiti since November 2013.  Both families were non-Hague transitional cases with an approved I600A. 

These two families submitted their dossiers to IBESR in June 2013 and received their official match from IBESR in September 2014.  Their bonding trips were completed in October 2014.   The Haitian court system approved their adoption in February 2015 and the US embassy gave final approval for the child’s adoption files in May 2015. 

Once the adoption files were approved by the embassy, the families were appointed a visa interview date.  Our legal representatives along with Gladys from MDA and the child attended the appointment as we have to apply with IBESR for the child’s exit permit once the embassy approves the visa and this can take 3-5 business days. The visas for the children were approved the same day.  The families then made plans to travel to Haiti.  Once they arrived to Haiti and received their children, they went with Daniel, our legal representative to the US embassy to pick up their child’s passport with visa and immigration documents to present to US immigration officials once they arrived to U.S. They also received IBESR’s exit permit which is required for the child to be allowed to leave Haiti.  

We are so happy for both these families.  As you can see from their timelines above, both families received their official referrals within the current estimates of 12-24 months after registration of dossier. The adoptions received final approvals 8 months later and they are now home!

We remain hopeful that other families will receive official matches soon and that the slowdown in processing of cases at IBESR that the US State Department discussed in their recent notice sent to you on May 18^th will be resolved. 

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Tania Griasnow

Angela Jackson

Program Coordinators for Haiti Program