Adoption Change Alert!! 8/26/10

If you are interested in Rwanda adoption, please read the latest official Rwandan government announcement.

 

The government of Rwanda just announced a temporary suspension of Adoptions from Rwanda until the country converts to the Hague Convention.  No timeline has been given for the length of time until reopening.  Conversion to the Hague

Convention means that prospective parents must work through an approved

adoption agency.  A link to the official government announcement is below:

MIGEPROF (Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion)

Adopting from Rwanda

Rwanda is open for adoptions! But the process of Rwanda adoption is fluid and hard to understand, so we'll describe it at a high level from the perspective of a US Citizen. We are not attorneys, so please do not rely on this as legal advice. Also laws change, both in the United States and Rwanda. It's every person's responsibility to become informed on current law.

 

If you are serious about adopting in Rwanda, we advise you to work with an organization and attorney who are currently guiding successful adoptions in Rwanda. We provide a list of links and resources at the end of this article.

Rwanda Adoption Process Overview:

Rwanda is not yet part of the Hague Convention, therefore you do not need to use an agency in Rwanda, or pay agency fees in order to adopt. In fact, at the current time, there are not formal adoption agencies in Rwanda, but rather organizations that advise. You therefore may conduct what's known as an independent adoption. (However we have heard that Rwanda plans to join the Hague at some point, which will require the use of agencies.)

 

The process of adoption requires two legal paths, each with a lot of paperwork and steps. One path is inside the United States, and the other path is in Rwanda. You must follow the adoption laws of both the US and Rwanda. Many people fail to fully respect the laws of the foreign country from which they are adopting, because it may be difficult to learn those laws in an independent adoption.

 

For a short, to-the-point list of steps to follow for Rwanda adoption, see the US Embassy in Kigali website guidance on adoption here: [link http://rwanda.usembassy.gov/adopting_in_rwanda.html].

 

How much time does it take to adopt from Rwanda? It took us two years! But we have heard others say it can be as short as six months under the newer systems.

US Path:

The US international adoption path requires filing USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security) forms I-600A or form I-600. These forms are slightly different in their processes. I-600A can be completed when you do not yet know the identity of the child, and I-600 when you already know your child. When either one of these forms are fully approved, this gives you approval from the United States Government to bring the adopted child to America. Approval of the I-600 indicates that the prospective child meets the qualifications for international adoption under US law, and that you as a prospective family meets the legal qualifications of international adoption under US law. The most comprehensive part of the US Process is the completion of a Home Study. The Home Study is a very thorough personal evaluation of the prospective parents and family who will adopt. (We found it to be the most invasive personal process we had ever encountered.) While the US Process is long and challenging, it's entirely possible to meet all of the US qualifications and fail to meet the legal requirements of the foreign country. It's also important to realize that United States approval is not entirely complete until you arrive at the field office in Africa at the very end of the process where the immigration visa is issued. The child becomes an American Citizen upon entry to the United States, and you do not have to re-adopt under US law.

Rwanda Path:

There are two distinct legal paths within Rwanda that are both carried out. The first path of adoption approval is obtained from the Executive Branch through the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion. The second legal path of adoption approval is obtained through the civil court system in the sector where the child lives. Rwanda has a three branch government similar to the United States that include the Executive Branch, Judicial Branch, and Legislative Branch. The Executive Branch includes the office of the President and all of the Ministries that serve within the Executive Branch. The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion within the Executive Branch has the final authority to approve a prospective family for international adoption, to approve the qualification of the selected child, and allow a Rwandan child to be taken out of the country.

 

Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion: The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion must approve you as prospective parents, and agree that the prospective child qualifies for adoption, before you can take the child home. The Ministry requires submission of a Dossier, which is a collection of background information about you and the child you plan to adopt. To see a listing of the required information for the Rwanda Adoption Dossier, click here to download the requirements as posted the Ministry in 2009--[link].

 

In addition to providing background information, you must also meet the eligibility requirements for prospective parents. At the time we adopted, the Rwanda adoption requirements included being married for at least five years, not having more than one divorce, demonstrating financial stability and good health. Some single women have been allowed to adopt. It's important to get the most up to date information available on qualifications for Rwanda adoption. If the Ministry approves your dossier, you have permission to continue with the legal process at the judicial level.

 

It also appears from recent guidance published by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, that the Ministry facilitates the process of selecting a child. This is a new procedure and we are not familiar with how it works.

 

Judicial Path: You must legally become the child's parents within the local courts where the child lives. A qualified Rwandan attorney can file a petition with a local court for you to become adoptive parents. The eligibility requirements to adopt in the local courts are similar to, but not exactly the same as the requirements in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion.

 

You must get a passport for your Rwandan child to be able to take him or her to America. The process of getting a passport is through the Department of Immigration/Emigration and that requires a whole separate set of documents and processes.

 

Once you have fully met the legal requirements of Rwandan law to adopt your child, you take the child from Rwanda to the US Embassy field office that processes immigration visas. In our case that Embassy was in Nairobi, Kenya. It takes a week to ten days to complete the final visa process in Kenya to bring the child to the United States.

Selection of a Rwandan Child for Adoption:

Our latest information indicates that the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion has authorized certain orphanages that can designate eligible children. The quickest path to adoption in Rwanda is to work with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion to identify a child at one of these approved orphanages. Some people have adopted children who are not part of these orphanages. While it has not been impossible to select a different child, we believe the government of Rwanda highly desires prospective adoptive parents to work through the qualified orphanages, as a guard against child trafficking.

Rwanda Adoption Resources:

Hague Convention: Describes international adoption law. http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

US Department of State, information on international adoptions: http://adoption.state.gov/

United States Embassy In Rwanda Information on adopting in Rwanda:

http://rwanda.usembassy.gov/adopting_in_rwanda.html

Yahoo Adoption Discussion Group-Rwanda: Prospective parents talk about the process and journey and receive advice from experienced adoptive parents. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AdoptRwanda/

PDF Government of Rwanda Resource Guide on Adoption

US Organizations Assisting with Rwanda Adoptions:

At this time, these are the only organizations we have a personal connection with giving us first hand knowlege of their work in Rwanda. We hope to expand this list as we connect with more success stories.

All God's Children in Portland, Oregon: http://www.allgodschildren.org/adoption/rwanda/

Mugisha Ministries: Assists families through the process of independent adoption in Rwanda. http://mugishaministries.com/

America World Adoption: An agency with offices across the United States that currently facilitates adoptions in Rwanda. http://www.awaa.org/programs/rwanda/default.aspx

Questions about Rwanda Adoption?

If you have questions about the process of adoption in Rwanda, we suggest that you connect with one of the organizations we listed that is currently adopting in Rwanda. Also join the Yahoo Adoption-Rwanda Discussion Group. Many fundamental questions are answered in that forum.