News
Ukraine to continue processing adoptions
Russia and U.S. expected to sign adoption accord
Filing addresses for CIS applications
As of July 1, 2010, all adoption cases will now be processed through the National Benefits Center
Olivia's story - The miracle baby.
Russia and U.S. expected to sign adoption accord
Russia and the U.S. have been negotiating greater protections for adopted children since the case of the 7 year old boy who was returned to Russia by his adoptive mother after she put him on a plane by himself with a note explaining that he had special needs. The two countries are expected to sign an agreement in mid-July, 2011 during a visit to Washington D.C. by Russian officials. For more, read Click here
AAC and ATWA Picnic
AAC Adoption and Family Network (AAC) of Colorado
and Across The World Adoptions (ATWA) of California
invite you to a picnic for past, present and future families
interested in international adoption. The event
will feature special guest Regina Johnson of AAC, discussing
adoption from China or Korea. ATWA's Lesley Siegel
will explain the basics of home studies in California.
Families who have already adopted will be on-board
to show off their kids and share about their adoption journey.
Families hoping to adopt can meet others in the process or those
considering international adoption.
The picnic will be at Larkey Park in Walnut Creek, CA. The park is on Buena Vista Avenue at First Avenue.
We have reserved the lower picnic area, which has BBQ
grills and playgrounds. The picnic will be held from 11AM to 2PM.
Please bring your own lunch and drinks and we will provide
paper goods like plates, napkins, plastic ware and cups.
Please RSVP to ATWA at 925 356 6260 or adopt@atwakids.org
Immigration Fee Increase
On November 23, 2010, Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) will increase its fees for all immigration filings. The fees for I-600A/I-600 and I-800A/I-800 will increase from $670 to $720. Fingerprinting will increase from $80 per adult to $85. The N-600 application for a certificate of citizenship for an adopted child will increase to $550.
Filing addresses for NEW or FEE CIS applications
Effective immediately, and regardless of your residence, all CIS (Immigration) forms requiring a fee will be filed at one location. Do NOT send to your local CIS office or to the Hague lock box in Chicago.
I-600A and I-600
Regular Mail
USCIS
P.O. Box 660088
Dallas, TX 75266
Express Mail or Courier
USCIS
ATTN: Adoption
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
I-800A and I-800
Regular Mail
USCIS
P.O. Box 660087
Dallas, TX 75266
Express Mail or Courier
USCIS
ATTN: Hague
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067
As of July 1, 2010, all adoption cases will now be processed through the National Benefits Center.
All cases, including I-600A and I-600 applications, as well as Hague cases, will now be processed through the National Benefits Center (NBC). Cases will no longer be processed at local Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) offices. All cases currently in process with the CIS offices are being transferred to the NBC in Missouri.
You may call the NBC at (877) 424 8374 or (816) 251 2770. Their fax number is (816) 251 2799 and the E-mail is NBC.Adoptions@DHS.gov
Renewal requests that do not involve a fee may be sent directly to the NBC at the below address for U.S. mail
-
National Benefits Center
Attention: Adoptions
PO Box 8025
Lee's Summit, MO 64002
Overnight or Express Mail may be sent to:
-
National Benefits Center
850 N.W. Chipman Road, Suite 5000
Lee's Summit, MO 64063
Requests for extensions on existing cases that do NOT involve a fee must be RECEIVED at the NBC before expiration of the current approval. You do NOT need to include a new application (I-600A or I-800A). Please send:
- A written request from the prospective adoptive parent(s). No particular format is required, but you should include your name(s), address and phone number(s). State that you are requesting a free extension of your existing approval due to expire on mm/dd/yyyy. Sign your name(s).
- A photocopy of of your current approval notice - Notice of Favorable Determination (I-171H or I-797).
- A copy of the updated or amended home study.
For the mailing addresses of NEW applications or renewals that involve a fee, please click HERE for the addresses of the lockbox locations in Texas.
Olivia's Story
Olivia was identified as a special needs child at the time of placement. She was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries, a congenital heart condition, at birth. Bonnie, a nurse, knows a great deal about this condition and was prepared to parent a child with TGA. Four days before Bonnie was to travel to China, she received a call from her placing agency, explaining that Olivia had been hospitalized with pneumonia for the past two weeks, and was not doing well. Olivia was supposed to remain on portable oxygen when she returned to the orphanage, but was not sent home with oxygen. 
The day after Bonnie arrived in China, Olivia developed a fever of 103.5 degrees, and her breathing became fast and raspy. They went to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia and was given antibiotics and breathing treatments. She was discharged and Bonnie began planning to travel home with Olivia. She had already arranged to have Olivia transferred by ambulance to Stanford/Lucille Packard Children's Hospital immediately upon arrival in the United States. They completed their adoption paperwork, meetings, and Embassy appointment. Bonnie became intensely focused on getting Olivia to California, as it seemed to be her best chance of receiving the surgery necessary for her survival. China does not allow portable oxygen to be used on flights departing from the country, so Bonnie and Olivia needed to travel to Hong Kong to be able to fly to San Francisco with the oxygen Olivia would need on the flight.
On March 13, 2010, after a day long train ride out of ZhengZhou to GuangZhou, Olivia's skin became dusky and she had great trouble breathing once again. She was readmitted to the hospital in GuangZhou, China, where the doctors told Bonnie she would not be able to travel with Olivia due to heart failure, liver failure, and pneumonia. A feeding tube was inserted so Olivia wouldn't have to work at eating- she was far too short of breath, blue, and weak, so she had stopped eating. With the feeding tube, Olivia could be fed little amounts every two hours. She tolerated it well and slept through feedings much of the time. She remained in the hospital for a week, where she was given diuretics, antibiotics, breathing treatments and oxygen. Olivia's condition stabilized, she was discharged with portable oxygen, and on March 20, 2010, she and Bonnie boarded a train for Hong Kong. Olivia's heart rate and breathing were stable during the flight home and she slept most of the way. Bonnie and Olivia arrived in at San Francisco International Airport on March 21, 2010, and an ambulance met them at the gate and took them directly to the hospital.
On March 22, 2010, the pediatric cardiology surgical team at Stanford/Lucille Packard Children's Hospital began cardiac testing then inserted a cardiac catheter and placed Olivia on a ventilator in preparation for her surgery the next day. On March 23, 2010, Olivia underwent open-heart surgery. A shunt was placed in her heart and she underwent pulmonary artery banding. This surgery went very well. On April 6, she underwent her second planned open heart surgery, wherein an arterial switch was performed, her atrial septal defect was closed and her coronary arteries were moved to their proper positions. This surgery was also deemed very successful and the shunt inserted during her first surgery was removed. On April 9, 2010, Olivia was taken off the ventilator but continued to need supplemental oxygen. She continued to progress and gain strength and came home on oxygen on April 21, 2010. Because Olivia had also been prescribed opiates the entire time she was in the hospital, she also came home on Methadone and Ativan. She tapered off the prescriptions over the next 6 weeks and went off supplemental oxygen on June 3, 2010. An echocardiogram conducted on June 9, 2010 showed a normal heart. Her valves are no longer leaking and her lung pressures are normal. The pediatric cardiology team at Stanford called her a "miracle baby."
