Angelina
September 23rd, 2006, 05:41 PM
I know lots of people come to the cite thru Google search.
I just want to let you know... Russian adoption might take time and is expensive (around 30 K), but there is a country of Latvia (former USSR republik, as Russia, but smaller, Riga is the capital) and the adoption there is free for US citizens. And they do not require visa to come to the country. All it could cost (with airflights, court expenses, papers, hotels)-should be around 8 thousand, I guess.
Here is a link to read about Latvian adoption
http://riga.usembassy.gov/EN/site/C/adoption
http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index....27783&page=4693 (http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=27783&page=4693)
The adoption process begins with of Citizenship and Immigration Services application (formerly INS) and a relatively brief dossier. For most families, the process of completing this dossier process is about four months.
Once the dossier is completed, a legalization process begins, followed by translation, then review and approval by the Latvian government. Following approval and a matching process, a referral will be sent to the family including photo, medical and description of the child. Allow another three months for this referral process
Upon acceptance of a referral, an introductory "get aquainted with the child" visit date is set, an invitation is issued and travel scheduled. The family will travel to the region where the child lives. Within a couple of days after arrival, a meeting with the local "Family and Children's Services is set up, and the child is placed into the custody of the adoptive family. The child and family live together either in a private apartment or hotel, and during the 10-14 days together, a social worker will visit with the family and child and make her report regarding the bonding and relationship that she sees developing. This time is also the time in which the family decides if the match is a good match or not. After the social worker report is complete, the 1st court hearing will occur which grants the family the right to adopt this specific child(ren). After this first court is completed, the family has the choice to return home to the US or wait on the second and final adoption court to occur. The time between the 1st and 2nd court can be as little as 1 week or as long as 2-3 months depending on time of year which affects vacations of the judges and the region's current court availability. Latvia requires approval of two separate courts to finalize an adoption. After the 2nd court, there is a 20 day appeal period, which is mandated by Latvian law for all court decisions, therefore, most parents return to the US after the 2nd court and return about 3 weeks later to bring the child home. Only one parent is required for the 2nd court and the final trip home, including the US Embassy visit, to obtain to the child's immigrant visa. The second court trip can be as short as 48 hours in the country, and the final trip to bring the child home is about 5-7 days.
During the final step of a Latvian adoption, a two day trip to the U.S. Consulate in Warsaw, Poland is required where the family receives the immigrant visa for the child.
Latvian Adoption Law
The Latvian adoption law has recently been changed to eliminate an important requirement for six months of visitation with the child before adoption. No specific visitation time is now required by law. Only approximately two weeks of living with the child prior to the first court is the new "norm". However, if the social worker deems that more time is needed to build a relationship between parents and child, then more time can be requested. This change has again made foreign adoptions feasible from Latvia.
There is no mandate of law that requires the second court to schedule hearings by any deadline. However, the Ministry of Education is well aware of the importance of minimizing the stay in Latvia. They have advised us to avoid adoptions in the capital city of Riga, where court delays can be months. In small town courts, they have agreed to try to schedule both the first and second court prior to travel, so the court dates are known in advance.
I just want to let you know... Russian adoption might take time and is expensive (around 30 K), but there is a country of Latvia (former USSR republik, as Russia, but smaller, Riga is the capital) and the adoption there is free for US citizens. And they do not require visa to come to the country. All it could cost (with airflights, court expenses, papers, hotels)-should be around 8 thousand, I guess.
Here is a link to read about Latvian adoption
http://riga.usembassy.gov/EN/site/C/adoption
http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index....27783&page=4693 (http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=27783&page=4693)
The adoption process begins with of Citizenship and Immigration Services application (formerly INS) and a relatively brief dossier. For most families, the process of completing this dossier process is about four months.
Once the dossier is completed, a legalization process begins, followed by translation, then review and approval by the Latvian government. Following approval and a matching process, a referral will be sent to the family including photo, medical and description of the child. Allow another three months for this referral process
Upon acceptance of a referral, an introductory "get aquainted with the child" visit date is set, an invitation is issued and travel scheduled. The family will travel to the region where the child lives. Within a couple of days after arrival, a meeting with the local "Family and Children's Services is set up, and the child is placed into the custody of the adoptive family. The child and family live together either in a private apartment or hotel, and during the 10-14 days together, a social worker will visit with the family and child and make her report regarding the bonding and relationship that she sees developing. This time is also the time in which the family decides if the match is a good match or not. After the social worker report is complete, the 1st court hearing will occur which grants the family the right to adopt this specific child(ren). After this first court is completed, the family has the choice to return home to the US or wait on the second and final adoption court to occur. The time between the 1st and 2nd court can be as little as 1 week or as long as 2-3 months depending on time of year which affects vacations of the judges and the region's current court availability. Latvia requires approval of two separate courts to finalize an adoption. After the 2nd court, there is a 20 day appeal period, which is mandated by Latvian law for all court decisions, therefore, most parents return to the US after the 2nd court and return about 3 weeks later to bring the child home. Only one parent is required for the 2nd court and the final trip home, including the US Embassy visit, to obtain to the child's immigrant visa. The second court trip can be as short as 48 hours in the country, and the final trip to bring the child home is about 5-7 days.
During the final step of a Latvian adoption, a two day trip to the U.S. Consulate in Warsaw, Poland is required where the family receives the immigrant visa for the child.
Latvian Adoption Law
The Latvian adoption law has recently been changed to eliminate an important requirement for six months of visitation with the child before adoption. No specific visitation time is now required by law. Only approximately two weeks of living with the child prior to the first court is the new "norm". However, if the social worker deems that more time is needed to build a relationship between parents and child, then more time can be requested. This change has again made foreign adoptions feasible from Latvia.
There is no mandate of law that requires the second court to schedule hearings by any deadline. However, the Ministry of Education is well aware of the importance of minimizing the stay in Latvia. They have advised us to avoid adoptions in the capital city of Riga, where court delays can be months. In small town courts, they have agreed to try to schedule both the first and second court prior to travel, so the court dates are known in advance.