We have just been informed of the following facts by our agency:
(I have taken out suppositions and confidential information leaving only the most important facts)
1.JCICS President, Tom DiFilipo, who had just returned from a trip to Vietnam to meet with personnel from the IAD, MOJ and USCIS. He began by informing participating agencies that the current MOU would not be renewed and therefore would expire on September 1, 2008.
2.Once the MOU expires on 9/1/08, the IAD has stated that it will no longer accept new applications, and they are currently considering changing that date to 5/1/08, but there has been no further word on which date they will actually use.
3.The IAD has yet to inform the community whether or not they will allow pending adoptions to continue.
4.Although the MOU will not be renewed, the Department of State has the
remainder of this month to renegotiate a new MOU, so we probably won’t hear a definitive answer from them until April. Additionally, at this point, we must wait for the following from Vietnam:
1. The IAD to decide when they will stop accepting applications
2. The IAD’s decision to allow or disallow pending adoptions to continue after the MOU expires.
3. The IAD to define a “pending” case (DTV with or without referral?)
5.Vietnam seems interested in protecting the future of international adoptions as they have announced their intention to become Hague compliant…
Our agency has proposed some alternitive options as well but we are unable to accept them for various qualificative reasons. We are stuck hoping that the IAD (Vietnam's Adoption Authority) allows families that already have a dossier in the country, but not yet a referral, to continue thier adoption.
Cross you fingers and toes ladies and gentlemen... a nervous breakdown is in the works!