U.S. Department of State

U.S. Department of State
 
 

Notice on Guatemala Adoptions, 12/01/03,
Please Submit Inquiries via E-Mail


The Department of State is aware that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE, the former INS and BCIS) office at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City issued a notice to adoption agencies advising that it will no longer respond to telephone inquiries regarding specific adoption cases. ICE requests that prospective adoptive parents email their inquiries to guatemala.adoptions@dhs.gov. This change has been implemented so that the DHS/ICE office can more efficiently process adoption petitions and respond to inquiries in a timely manner.

The U.S. Embassy reminds parents to confirm they have completed all requirements for filing I-600s and setting up immigrant visa interviews by reviewing the Guatemala adoption flyer located at http://usembassy.state.gov/guatemala/wwwhadonoticee.html. In order for all adoption cases to be processed equitably and expeditiously, it is important that all parents adhere to these procedures. Questions about these procedures should emailed to guatemala.adoptions@dhs.gov or adoptguatemala@state.gov.

The Guatemalan Solicitor General's office (PGN) has resumed processing adoptions using the notarial system and is accepting new cases for processing under this method. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Guatemala City is accepting new I-600s for approval and authorizing DNA testing. Prospective adoptive parents should expect delays due to the large backlog of pending cases, and should take this into account when considering whether to pursue an adoption in Guatemala at this time.

Many adoption cases may have been pulled from or not sent to PGN while court cases challenging the Guatemalan government’s efforts to accede to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions were filed over the last several months. Prospective adoptive parents are advised to confirm with their adoption agency or attorney when their adoption was filed with PGN and whether it is still under active consideration.

We are aware that the Guatemalan Congress had considered proposed legislation that would completely revise the intercountry adoption process. This legislation did not pass during the recently concluded Congressional session. We continue to monitor the adoption situation in Guatemala closely and to urge the government of Guatemala to process all adoption cases as expeditiously and fairly as possible to avoid unnecessary and unreasonable hardship on adopting families and children.

This site will be updated as new information becomes available.