Philippines Adoption Blog

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On Friday, November 13, ICAB, the Central Authority in the Philippines will be visiting Bethany Christian Services main office in Grand Rapids, MI.  We will be hosting a "reception" for families who have or are adopting from the Philippines on Friday between 2-4pm at the Bethany National Office.  If you are able and hoping to attend, please let your worker know or contact Alison at aadema@bethany.org - Hope to see you there!

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 10:04:23 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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http://www.newsweek.com/id/162326

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One child from the Philippines arrived home in September, and one dossier was sent to the Philippines.  So far in 2008, 12 dossiers have been sent and seven children have come home.  The children coming home have been referred through the regular adoption process, relative adoption process and Children of Promise.  Waiting times for this program continue to be more than 24 months for the regular adoption process, and increasing.  

Filipino American Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States during October and was established in 1988. In 2007, the Filipino American community was estimated to be at 4 million, or 1.5% of the United States population.

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 10:22:36 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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The last sunday in August is National Heroes Day (Ninoy Aquino and Manuel L. Quezon) in the Philippines.  It is a day for the people of the Philippines to honor the heroes who helped shape and build their democracy and freedom.  Owing to the Holiday, staff at ICAB will not be available August 18, 19 & 25, 2008.

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We apologize for the delay in updating this blog.  Due to a tragedy in my family, vacations, and holidays, we have not been able to appropriately keep you all updated, and I do apologize.  Please know that I will update the blog by the end of July with progress and news.  On a personal note, my family covets your prayers.  I truly appreciate your patience and understanding in this delay...
 
Thanks, Sincerely,
Alison, Program Coordinator for Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines

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This group is hosting a Filipino Adoptees Network Gathering - the first  - in Colorado early this August.  It is being held at the same time as the Colorado Heritage Camp (Filipinos Camp).  These are just a few ways to get connected to your children's heritage and other adoptive families.

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...the CIA Fact Book for basic information on the Philippines - it's People, Geography, Background and more!

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One family is traveling home this week, and one other family is making plans to travel in the near future.  We pray for God's continued blessings to these families - for safety and their transitions.

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In 2007, Bethany Christian Services applied for Hague Accreditation and as of 2.29.08 we learned that we received accreditation!!  We are thankful to all those who contributed to this achievement.   Last week the State Department released the public list of Hague Accredited Agencies. We congratulate our colleagues across the country as we all continue to work to serve the children.  The Hague Accreditation enables us to continue working in Hague countries (Philippines is a Hague country) for intercountry adoptions, and we are proud to share this news.  To read more about the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions, please link here to Rainbowkids.com

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One family traveled home from the Philippines this week with their son.  We are thankful for safe travels for this family.  We have quite a few families who are waiting on their final approval either from USCIS or their final approval for travel.  

A newer procedure in 2007 is for cases to be processed by USCIS AND the National Visa Center.  For families who already have USCIS approval of their I600 petition, they should contact the National Visa Center(NVC) to verify it's been processed and forwarded to the Embassy in Manilla.  After USCIS approval until the file is registered at the NVC usually takes about 7-10 days.  Inquiries can be made to the NVC by e-mail or phone (click above link) - be sure to note your case is an adoption case.    If the NVC does not have record of the file, and it's been more than the 10 days, families should consult their social worker and verify with the local USCIS office that they forwarded the file to the NVC.  Only after the files arrives in Manilla by way of the NVC will the visa medical and visa appointment be able to be scheduled.  Our liaison agency in the Philippines is responsible for scheduling this, and will confirm that information for families as soon as it's available.  

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