Copies of Documents for You to Print. :)

USCIS FAQs about I600A Renewals.

Page #1: Click on the JPG to enlarge and print. :)

Page #2: Click on the JPG to enlarge and print. :)

Page #3: Click on the JPG to enlarge and print. :)

USCIS Update:

One page only: Click on the JPG to enlarge and print. :)

And here is a link the the USCIS forms should you need to download and I600A form. It looks like the forms are updated each September, so make sure the form you use is current.

http://tinyurl.com/USCIS-Forms

Please bookmark the page so you'll always have it.

Good luck filing what is hopefully your last I600A for this adoption.

:)

D&D

UPDATE ON I-600A Continued Renewals

Hey hey~
Just wanted to put it out there that several people (that I know of)have had some trouble getting their 3rd I-600A renewal done (the paid-for one). I called my USCIS office today (Los Angeles) because I am about to take mine in tomorrow, and she told me that she just received the new guidelines today. What others have told me is that their offices are the same.
So, what it seems is occurring is that the offices are the last to know about this.
In my case the officer was very sweet and started looking through it with me on the phone; others have not been so sweet.
We spoke with JCICS about it, and according to them, the larger the office the less-aware they may be of the changes simply because they may have heavier workloads (no time to read bulletins perhaps?) or more worker turn-over.
If your office doesn't know what you are talking about I suggest you send them the information in an email, and ask them to please check it out with the higher-ups and get back to you. The information is here: (see the * below)
Try to be calm and sweet when you speak with your office, not that anyone would be otherwise, but these encounters could make a saint swear sometimes.
Everyone who has had this little mix-up occur has been able to file, so again, please realize that if it happens to you it just means that your office hasn't been educated yet. And if the person on the phone doesn't know, it's not his/her fault, and it's probably embarrassing to hear it from outside the office first, so send over the info. and give the worker a day or two to get up to speed. :)
ALSO:
You now need to include in your renewal packet a letter, signed by you and your spouse if you're not a single, that says: I/we, the undersigned, certify, under penalty of perjury, that I/we have not filed an I600 related to this I600A. and both of you sign it.
It does not need to be notarized.
HELP WITH THESE PROBLEMS:
When problems with offices like USCIS occur, JCICS is one agency that will advocate for you. They try to represent orphans, agencies, and adoptive parents to our government.
Because times are tough all over, JCICS has had their budget reduced, and they may now lack the staff to take on as many cases as they have in the past.
Just like a union, they help people regardless of whether or not they are members (as, clearly, orphans are not able to pay for a membership).
However, you can become a member and if you become a member you are giving a gift to all adoptive parents out there who may need JCICS to help them one day like they helped us. They are directly responsible, in addition to your signatures on the petition, for all of us getting our I-600A extensions. Now they need our help, so please consider becoming a member.
Right now they are working very hard to get the Vietnamese government to re-open, something which may really be important to many of us, and getting the adoption tax-credit re-authorized. Their contact info. is in sidebar.

ANOTHER I-600A/I-800A UPDATE:
There has also been a change in the forms I-600A and I-800A parents will have to fill out after they receive their referral. Those changes are explained in the post below: http://i600a.blogspot.com/2009/01/letters-of-seeking-confirmation-what.html .
Thanks!
:)
Di

* What follows is stuff you can send to your USCIS office if it does not know about the I-600A renewal changes:
The crucial part of the USCIS press release is in paragraph 1.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/adoption_14oct08.pdf

“…may file one additional Form I-600A…”

The I-600A itself includes a one-time free renewal. So the filing of an I-600A would imply the inclusion of a one-time free renewal.

BELOW is the really crystal-clear evidence of this. Everyone should print and bring a copy of this document to their USCIS office when refiling:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/adoptionFAQ_14oct08.pdf
The most important part of this document is the example they give which clearly states that the new Form I-600A gets one extension (which is why in the example they give [below] the new form is filed February 1, 2010 and expires March 10, 2013. That’s over 36 months (ie, 18 months for the first and another 18 for the free renewal)! They can’t dispute this because it’s THEIR example…

Q: Can you give some examples of how the “grandfathering” interpretation works:
A: Yes, please see below.
𐂃 EXAMPLE: Form I-600A was approved, with the approval expiring on August 1, 2008. The
applicant requested and obtained a one-time extension, with the new approval period expiring
February 1, 2010. In January 2010, they still have not filed a Form I-600. On February 1, 2010,
they file a new Form I-600A. The “grandfathering” of the original Form I-600A will be extended
to the new Form I-600A, since it was filed before the approval of the original Form I-600A
expired.
𐂃 EXAMPLE: Form I-600A was approved, with the approval expiring on August 1, 2008. The
applicant requested and obtained a one-time extension, with the new approval period expiring
February 1, 2010. In January 2010, they still have not filed a Form I-600. On February 1, 2010,
they file a new Form I-600A. The “grandfathering” of the original Form I-600A will be extended
to include the new Form I-600A, since it was filed before the approval of the original Form I-
600A expired. The new Form I-600A is approved, with the approval (after one extension)
expiring March 10, 2013. On March 10, 2013, the applicant files yet another Form I-600A. This
third Form I-600A is not grandfathered, since, although the expiring Form I-600A was
grandfathered because the first Form I-600A was grandfathered, the expiring Form I-600A was
actually filed after April 1, 2008.

Letters of Seeking Confirmation??? What Does it Means to the I-600A Transitional Cases?

By now, or very soon, you will be hearing a lot about governmental changes that will affect families adopting from China. The changes were mutually agreed-upon by CCAA and USCIS and are applicable for all Hague Inter-country Adoption Convention cases between China and any Hague Convention country.

It all adds up to (surprise!) more paperwork. Specific changes are regarding two documents that are sent to families from CCAA when the referral is sent:

1. Letter of Seeking Confirmation from Adopter
2. Letter of Seeking Confirmation - Central Authority of Receiving State

But don't open up that Heaven's Gate suicide beverage just yet; the news is not really bad for I-600a Transitional Cases. In fact, those with a current I-171H/I-797C under the I-600A application who plan on keeping their I-600A application current until traveling to adopt their child need not worry over these new changes.

Under the new process, as of January 1, 2009, CCAA will send out the same documents for ALL cases (transition cases and Convention cases). These documents will include the “Letter of Seeking Confirmation from the Adopter” and the “Letter of Seeking Confirmation - Central Authority of Receiving State” at the time the referral is sent. For transition cases, families will continue to sign and return the “Letter of
Seeking Confirmation from the Adopter.” No action is required on the “Letter of Seeking Confirmation from the U.S. Central Authority.”

So, good news (for a change) for Transitional cases.

Bottom line: You will have to sign and return a Letter of Seeking Confirmation from the Adopter. But this is nothing new or different. The process for when the referral is sent out is basically three-fold:

1. Receive referral and Letter of Seeking Confirmation from the Adopter.
2. Sign and return letter to CCAA.
3. Receive Travel approval.

Okay, the above is a Cliffs Notes example of the process at that point, but who wants to read War And Peace anyway? Those 3 steps above represent the crux of what happens. Transitional cases just need to remember that even though they will ALSO receive a second letter with their referral entitled "Letter of Seeking Confirmation - Central Authority of Receiving State", they do not need to do anything with this letter. Note this letter is listed on DOS as "Letter of Seeking Confirmation from the U.S. Central Authority" and DOS sums it up here: http://adoption.state.gov/news/china.html (the take-home is the last sentence of paragraph 1).

I-800A's filed AFTER April 1, 2008 and those I-600A cases who have, unfortunately, let their paperwork expire, will need to sign and return both documents. Of course, all of this (as we've come to learn) is subject to change. But as of January 23, 2009, that be the story.

Deadline Is Tomorrow!

Hey all:
JCICS is having a webinar about the US government and international adoption. Sign up here: http://www.jcics.org/webinar.htm
and here are the details:
This Webinar will explain the role of individual government agencies in the adoption process, while providing an overview of the responsibilities and decisions in their realm. It is our hope that this Webinar will not only increase your awareness of intercountry adoption, but also help you advocate for your case and avoid unnecessary delays.
The Role of the U.S. Government in Intercountry Adoptions Webinar will occur January 29th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST.
Joint Council will be joined by Bill Bistransky from the U.S.Department of State; Karen Eckert from U.S. Citizenship & ImmigrationServices; Donna Campagnolo from the National Benefits Center (I800A processing); and Mark Moore from the Congressional Coalitition on Adoption Institite.
There will also be an opportunity for Q&A.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TOMORROW 1/23.
:)
Di