These country updates bring you the most current and up-to-date information from our program coordinators. One way of keeping you informed of what is going on in the country.
July 2011
We are pleased to announce that we have had our first referral approved by both Mexico and the U.S! The family has received the Article 5 from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and we are now working with the Guanajuato State DIF office for a court date and permission for them to travel to complete the adoption. This process has been very lengthy and difficult for the family as they started the process some time ago with another agency that has not received the national accreditation and transferred to us already in process. After over a year of working with the state of Guanajuato, we finally received the official documents and had them approved.
CAS is considering new relative adoption cases on a case by case basis. New non-relative adoption applications are on hold, but we do have a waiting list for families who wish to enter the program once we can see some further progress. We continue to work with the following states: Puebla, Guanajuato, Zacatecas (only relative adoptions are accepted here), Nayarit, and Baja, California. Nuevo Leon has indicated to both the National DIF in Mexico City and the US State Department that they are not open to international adoptions and although other states are accepting of CAS national accreditation, we are not at this time opening a program in every state. We are evaluating at this time which states will be viable adoption options for American families and those with whom we can work.
Families who were already in process with a state DIF for an adoption who were working independently with an attorney in Mexico or with another agency not yet approved may complete an intake form to be added to our waiting list. We will evaluate when we can accept new families and which states we may consider working with in the future.
June 2011
At this time our agency in not accepting new applicant families until we can see some of our other families (non-relative cases) process through successfully. We are considering on a case by case basis assisting relative adoption cases. If you are attempting to adopt a relative child, you may contact our agency regarding your particular case to see if we can assist you.
May 2011
We received our first referral documents for a family seeking to adopt a relative. We hope that the family will soon be able to file the I800 on this child so that USCIS can provide provisional approval for the family to begin the adoption process in Mexico. This is our first relative adoption case under The Hague and we hope that the final process goes smoothly for the family.
At this time, our agency in not accepting new applicant families until we can see some of our other families (non-relative cases) process through successfully. We cannot anticipate at this time when we will reopen to new families but will post on our website when we are able to accept new families.
April 2011
We are awaiting a report from the US State Department Office of Children’s Issues regarding their recent trip to Mexico in March concerning international adoptions, licensing of future agencies, and other issues related to the adoption process under The Hague.
We continue to encounter delays in processing adoptions and receiving information in a timely manner. Due to these concerns, our agency is no longer accepting applications until we can see a more predictable process in place for families. We also encourage families that are dual nationals (Mexican and American) to use caution concerning adopting, especially relative adoptions, as the adoption cannot be completed in Mexico under the simple adoption process which is generally faster and easier but is designed for Mexican nationals. A simple adoption does not qualify as a Hague adoption. All adoptions in which the child will be leaving Mexico to live in another country with adoptive parents(even if a relative adoption), must be completed under the Hague convention regulations and this requires not only an I800A approval but the family must be working with a agency that has been approved by SRE/DIF in Mexico City. If a family obtains an I800A and then tries to process the adoption independently, they will encounter problems as all paperwork must first go through SRE/DIF and they will not accept paperwork for an international adoption unless it is submitted by an agency that they have accredited and will not issue the Hague documents (Article 23) needed for families to obtain a visa for the child.
March 2011
We have learned that officials from the US State Department Office of Children’s Issues will be meeting with the Mexican officials in charge of international adoptions during the month of March. There are many issues that will be addressed including the national vs. state approvals to do adoptions, accreditation of more US agencies and other issues that have surfaced in the past several months. We hope that as they meet, they can bring better clarification as to Mexico’s process of adoption under the Hague so that there is a more transparent and predictable process for families wishing to adopt from Mexico and to the agencies that seek to assist them.
It is very important for families considering Mexico to know that even if you have obtained an I-800A approval by working with a Hague home study agency in your state, unless you are working with an agency that has been nationally accredited by Mexico’s Central Authority(SRE/DIF), you will be unable to process the adoption in Mexico. Mexico is requiring that all adoptions come through an agency that has been accredited and that the SRE/DIF in Mexico City receives the application to adopt first. They will then forward to the State DIF for them to process, approve, and refer children to families.
Currently, we have created a waiting list for families that may be interested in adopting from Mexico once we see some of our current cases complete an adoption under this new process. We hope to have updated information to share with families in April.
February 2011
“La amistad es lluvia de flores preciosas”
“Friendship is like a shower of precious flowers”
-Aztec Poem
Valentine’s Day El Día del Amor y la Amistad
As this fragment of a beautiful Aztec poem illustrates, since pre-Columbian times Mexicans regard friendship very highly, considering it a precious gift of life. Now in Mexico, as in the rest of the world, on February 14 El Día de San Valentín (Valentine’s Day) popularly named El Día del Amor y la Amistad is the day of love and friendship.
All over town there are balloon vendors offering their colorful heart shaped declarations of love, for most of them have written on them “Te Amo” – I love you – “Para mi amor”-for my love, or “Felicidades” -congratulations. Delicious chocolates, as well as flowers, especially red roses, and greeting cards are also sold in every store.
If in Mexico, don’t even try to go to a restaurant without a reservation made weeks before. Couples of all ages go out for dinner on this special date.
Program Status
We are still waiting on our first families to receive a referral from Mexico and process through. Our program is currently full until we can see Mexico make progress in developing a more predictable process for current and future families. We continue to advocate with both SRE/DIF in Mexico City as well as the various state DIF offices where dossiers are registered for a more streamlined, transparent process as well as keep the US State Department and US embassy informed about our program in order that they can advocate as well with the Mexican officials. To date, CAS is the only U.S. agency that has received national accreditation from SRE/DIF in Mexico City to process international adoptions under The Hague. All international adoptions must now first go through SRE/DIF in Mexico City before being processed by the State DIF offices.
January 2011
We continue to wait on Mexico to process current adoption cases. We hope that the New Year will bring success to waiting families in receiving referrals and seeing our first cases reach a conclusion as we were encouraged by our meetings in November that Mexico is working to achieve a more streamlined process. We currently have eight dossiers in process in Mexico. We have a relative adoption case in Zacatecas that we hope will soon be able to submit the paperwork to immigration for approval of the I800 so they can travel and complete the process.
We currently are not accepting new applicant families until we see some of our current families make progress. We have started a waiting list of interested families that we can notify when we have a space available in the program and can accept new applicant families. If you are interested in being added to this list please contact Angela Jackson. Please keep in mind that Mexico under Hague regulations does not allow pre-selection/pre-identification of children unless in the cases of relative adoptions. Families must be open to children 5 years of age and older or children with special needs.
December 2010
On November 15-19th, our Assistant Director, Susan Fox, Program Coordinator, Angela Jackson, and Mexico Advisor, Heidy Flores made a trip to Mexico to meet with officials regarding international adoption. We had meetings with the US Embassy in Mexico City regarding the new processing of adoption visas in Mexico City as opposed to Ciudad Juarez, meetings with DIF Nacional, and meetings with two of the state officials that we are working in; Toluca and Puebla.
National DIF informed us that they are continuing to educate their state DIF offices, regarding the new process under the Hague convention and how things must now be processed. Although each state has their own DIF office, it is the SRE/National DIF that is considered the Central Authority under the Hague convention and everything must come to them first prior to an international adoption beginning. They are trying to make sure that all adoptions are processed according to Hague. Another priority is the prevention of pre-identified children by prospective parents, which they stressed, is not allowed by Hague. They did affirm that currently CAS is the only US agency approved nationally to do adoptions and that US families must currently work with our agency to process an adoption. Currently our program is full to new applicants and we have begun a waiting list for families interested in this program. Once our in-process families complete their adoptions, we will consider opening the program to new applicant families.
Currently we are only working in Toluca, Puebla, Guanajuato, and Zacatecas. We are determining if other states are open to international adoption and would be willing to work with us. Process timelines for completion of an adoption are still unpredictable at this time but we were told by DIF Nacional to expect between 12-18 months after the families’ paperwork has been received. Once we have our first families complete an adoption we hope to have more predictable timeframes for future families.
November 2010
Our Mexico program is currently operating at full capacity and we are temporarily unable to accept new applications at this time. Our hope is to accept new families into the program in the near future once we are able to process several of our waiting families through to completion. If you are interested in being on a waiting list to be notified when new applications can be accepted, please contact Angela Jackson.
Note: If you are currently trying to adopt from Mexico independently or by working with another agency that has yet to be licensed by the federal office, you need to contact the US Department of Children’s Issues for assistance or questions regarding adoptions in Mexico by calling 1.888.407.4747 or by e-mailing USCA@state.gov or AskCI@state.gov.
October 2010
We were pleased to hear from the US State Department that they will now process visas for children adopted at the consulate in Mexico City as opposed to Ciudad Juarez. For the safety of the families and children adopting from Mexico, this was a welcome announcement.
The US State Department is also meeting with Mexican authorities regarding international adoptions between our two countries and how to more efficiently process adoptions under The Hague. Some families who were in the process of adopting from Mexico working with another agency or with an attorney in Mexico, have found that they will be required to re-submit their application through the Federal office and start the process again because of the new changes by the Federal DIF. Currently our agency is the only US agency approved by the Federal DIF and families would need to work through us for an adoption from Mexico. Families would need to be open to adopting a child from the states in which we are currently approved to work.
We continue to accept applications for the program for families who are open to a child 5 years of age and older and wishing to adopt from the following states; Toluca, Guanajuato and Zacatecas. Timeframes for completion of adoption under The Hague are still unpredictable.
September 2010
The Central DIF office in Mexico City conducted meetings with various State offices in mid to late August regarding international adoptions under the new Hague guidelines. It was stressed to the State DIF offices that adoptions under The Hague could not be processed unless the agency had national accreditation. Currently, CAS is the only US agency with national approval to work! However, at this time, the States that CAS is currently working in that have agreed to accept dossiers from CAS and families are Toluca, Guanajuato, and Zacatecas. We are working to receive approval from other states and will post those approvals as we receive them.
Also decided at these meetings were the following items:
- Central DIF approved the use of Powers of Attorney that a State DIF could ask for if one or both family members needed to return to the US during the adoption process. This was not previously approved by Central DIF. It is up to each individual state to decide if they will allow the use of Powers of Attorney for one or both family members.
- There will be a standard waiting period of 6-8 months from submission of dossiers to the state until a referral is offered.
- The standard age of eligible children referred to international families will be 5 years and older, with exceptions being made for special needs children.
- Among the states at this meeting, it was noted that the adoption process in country will take from 4 weeks to 2 ½ months to complete depending on the state.
- The National DIF is now recommending to the State DIF offices that families with 5 or more children will not be eligible to adopt from Mexico. Please note that this is just a recommendation from Central DIF and is not a new law. States will determine whether to follow the recommendation or not.
August 2010
Being the only US agency approved to work in Mexico currently, we have recently been receiving a lot of calls and inquiries into this program from families who were working with other agencies that still have not been approved yet to submit dossiers. We hope to be of assistance to each of you interested in this program.
We are advising families considering this program that they need to be open to work in the states we are currently working in and to be aware of the fact that the program is still being established at this moment. We have not yet received our first referrals for families in process, nor completed our first adoption. We hope that this will change in the near future.
We currently have 6 dossiers in the country of Mexico. Five of the dossiers are in Toluca and the other dossier which is a relative adoption is in Zacatecas. Of the dossiers in Toluca, two of the dossiers are scheduled to be reviewed at the next technical council meeting when it occurs and the other three are still in the process of being reviewed.
July 2010
The Technical Committee in Toluca met on July 2nd but did not get to the adoption related issues on the agenda. We hope that the meeting will be re-scheduled soon so that families that are the agenda to be considered for approval and referral will be discussed. Families continue to either wait on approval and referral, or are busy working on their dossiers. The program is open to new applicants who are willing to adopt a child older than 4 years of age or children with special medical needs. Families in this new program need to remain flexible with the developing program until we can complete our first adoptions. Time frames at this time remain unpredictable.
June 2010
Things in the new program in Mexico continue to move along slowly as we are waiting on the technical committee in Toluca to meet and provide referrals to waiting families. Timeframes from submission of dossier to referral remain unpredictable until we can complete our first adoptions. We continue to receive much interest in the program, especially from families wishing to adopt a relative. However, until the process becomes more certain, we are unable to work with families unless they wish to adopt from Toluca. Cuernavaca has had changes in their DIF office and are currently unable to process dossiers.
Families hoping to adopt from Mexico need to be open to children 4 years of age and older and be flexible and patient with the developing program.
May 2010
DID YOU KNOW?
Cinco de Maya which occurs each fifth of May is a holiday celebrated in the United States and primarily in the state of Puebla in Mexico. The holiday does not commemorate Mexico’s Independence Day as many think, but commemorates the Mexican’s army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Celebrations during Cinco de Maya are a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. When is Mexico’s Independence Day? September 16th.
We continue to anticipate our first referrals for waiting families. We currently have five dossiers in process. Time frames remain unpredictable for referrals and completion of adoptions until we have had our first few families complete an adoption from Mexico. Families considering applying to the Mexico program need to be patient and flexible with the developing program and be open to a child 4 years of age and older and children with special needs.
April 2010
Mexico continues to move ahead with developing their new adoption process under The Hague. As a result, families in process with dossiers submitted have been asked to provide some additional documents and we are trying to determine if all future families will also be asked to submit these documents as well. Toluca has been the state that is most open to accepting dossiers from families as Cuernavaca has had a change in the leadership at their State DIF office and at this time are unable to accept dossiers. We hope that in the near future we will be able to submit our first dossiers to this state.
We are hopeful that once the first 3-4 families complete an adoption in Mexico we will have a more predictable process for future families.
March 2010
We continue to wait on our first referrals from Mexico for families who have dossiers in process. We also have several families working on their dossier and I-800A approval. As the Mexican Central DIF continues to implement their new process under The Hague in relation to working with the state DIF offices, our families have experienced delays in receiving referrals. We hope that soon the process becomes more defined and predictable.
February 2010
We do have a limited number of openings in our Mexico program for families desiring to adopt children 4 years and older. According to the new national guidelines provided by the Central DIF office families hoping to adopt from Mexico need to be approved for a child from 0-6 years of age or older and list special needs they are open to. Families wishing to adopt a child 4 and under need to realize that only children with identified special needs will be referred to international families. These special needs need to be discussed in the home study as well as the CIS approval. These can be from minor correctible needs such as cleft palate, club foot, missing digits, burns, developmental delays to more moderate to severe needs.
Wait times for approval and referrals are at this time unpredictable until our first few families receive referrals and complete the process.
January 2010
In Mexico, New Year’s celebrations are spent with families having a late night dinner. However, many also celebrate with large street festivals with outside dancing, bonfires and food. Fireworks and bells bring in the New Year and celebrations continue to daybreak. One tradition that Mexicans often observe is eating a grape for every chime of the clock leading to the stroke of midnight and making a wish for each of the 12 grapes which symbolize a month of the New Year. Bacalao, a dried salted codfish, is a New Year’s staple food in Mexico. Toasts are made with sparkling cider, and a hot fruit punch known as ponche. The celebrating is not over however on January 1st. On January 6, Mexico celebrates Kings Days when Mexican children receive gifts brought by the three kings (the Magi). As a result, many governmental offices are closed for an extended period during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
We continue to wait with great anticipation for our first referrals from Mexico to waiting families. We hope that they will soon receive a referral. We have been informed by our consultant who recently returned from a trip meeting with the Central Authority of Mexico, that families dossiers must meet national guidelines for international adoption which include having their home study and CIS Hague approval stating that they are approved for a child(ren) between 0-6 years of age and listing special needs that the family is open to, unless of course the family is open to an child older than 6. Those families wishing younger children (under age 4) need to expect that the child will have some type of identified special need to make them available for international adoption which could be very minor correctible needs.
December 2009
Our facilitator was in Mexico November 30-December 4th meeting with the Central DIF officials, state DIF officials and the U.S. Embassy in regards to processing of adoptions. We have encountered some delays as the Central DIF offices and State DIF offices try to reconcile processes between the two in regards to adoptions under the Hague Convention.
We were informed that the Mexico State of Puebla is interested in beginning to work with CAS in adoptions and we hope to have information on the process, children available, and timeframes for this state once our facilitator returns. This state may be a good option for families to consider.
Our three families who have submitted dossiers continue to wait for word of approval and a referral. We are hoping that our facilitator can help assist the Central DIF and State DIF offices in moving these families along.
We hope to soon be able to move not only these families through the process but also open up a few more slots in our program by the first of next year. We will post on our website when we will start accepting new applicant families.
November 2009
We continue to await word that the first three dossiers that have been submitted have been approved and can receive a referral.
Once a dossier is sent to Mexico, it is received by the Ministry of Foreign Relations where it is approved and then sent to the Central DIF to obtain a registration number. Once Central DIF has completed the processing, they forward to the State DIF office which is similar to the Department of Social Services. This DIF office has several departments which the dossier must progress through. The dossier first goes to the judicial department where the dossier is checked to make sure all the documents required are present, complete, and accurate. Then once approved by the judicial department, it is sent to court where if approved, a letter is issued regarding the suitability of the adoptive parents and the CIS status confirmed. Once this is received, then the family is eligible to receive a referral. Once the DIF office has a referral they believe is suitable, they will send the referral documentation to the agency to present to the adoptive parents.
Currently, the three dossiers are in the judicial division of the State DIF offices and we are awaiting word that they have moved to the next step in the process.
Other families in the program are working on completing their dossiers so they can be submitted to Mexico.
September 2009
We are currently waiting to hear from the Toluca DIF office regarding the first two dossiers that have been submitted by families. Our consultant is contacting the offices weekly to ascertain projected time frames for dossier approval and referral. The first dossier to Cuernavaca has been sent and is being processed by the Foreign Relations office and Central DIF before it is sent to Cuernavaca.
As this is a pilot program, families are advised that changes in time frames and requirements are to be expected and are part of a new program. CAS will keep families updated as information is received.
This program will open to new applicants once current pilot families make solid progress and we can more accurately determine the procedures and time lines.
August 2009
CAS has been notified that the registration certificate from Mexico is signed and a copy will be sent to us this week! A copy of our certificate is also being sent to each of the state DIF’s (the State System for the Full Development of the Family) so that they will accept our dossiers.
Our consultant was in Mexico July 21-24 for various meetings with the US Embassy in Mexico City, the Central DIF office, the office of Foreign Relations and the State DIF offices of Toluca, Cuernavaca and another potential state which would like to work with us, Puebla. She has received some further clarification on the different process requirements for these states as well as potential wait times for families. We will soon be posting these on our website.
Our first two dossiers have been sent to Mexico and we wait now for them to be approved and wait on the match of a child. This is an excellent program to watch as we anticipate our first few pilot families to move along smoothly. The program will open to new applicants once we determine the procedures and timelines.
July 2009
Our consultant with Mexico has confirmed with the Toluca DIF (State System for the Full Development of Children) office that we may submit dossiers now even though the Central DIF office has not issued the official certificate. The Toluca office recently sent additional documents that will be required from adoptive parents. Toluca is the area which requires the 2 month stay.
We have not received permission yet from Cuernavaca DIF office to send dossiers yet. Our consultant plans to meet with the DIF office there to discuss this.
Our program is currently not open to new applicants until we can process through the first few pilot families to determine the procedures and timelines for future families.
June 2009
What is a Pilot Program and What Can We Expect?
A pilot program is a new adoption program in a country that has either just opened for international adoptions or for which the agency is starting a new program to provide permanent loving homes to children in need. Families entering a pilot program are informed that with new programs to expect the unexpected and to be flexible with the many changes and delays that are part of starting a new program. A program is considered a pilot program until at least 5 families have completed successfully an adoption from this country.
Mexico is such a pilot program as they have changed requirements for agencies working there due to the Hague regulations and are requesting additional documents prior to agencies submitting dossiers. Due to some delays with the Mexican government and additional requirements being placed on agencies, we are still waiting to submit our first dossiers. Hopefully, we will soon send our first completed dossiers and evaluate the timeframes for these families.
We have other pilot families waiting to start their dossiers once we are able to submit our first dossiers and they are busy working on home studies or educational requirements as they wait. We are currently not accepting new applicant families to the CAS Mexico adoption program. As we are able to complete our first adoptions, we will be able to open up more places for families. We will post on our website when we are able to accept new families.
May 2009
Mexico again has been the focus of attention lately in the news because of the “swine flu” or the H1N1 virus. In fact, at the end of April and first part of May, non-essential government offices were closed as well as schools in order to curb the spread of the virus as Mexico has the largest number of cases and confirmed deaths from this latest strain of the flu. Travel to Mexico has been discouraged until the spread of the virus has been contained.
As a result, we are unable to move ahead with submitting dossiers for families as we wait for the government to give us permission to do so. We are advising families in the program to delay starting their dossiers until we can move ahead.
To view past Mexico adoption program updates, please see our CAS Publications page and click on the Monthly Country Updates.