Country Information



	*Country Information*
Join JCICS Membership Directory Membership Policies Complaint Policy Members Only Site		International Adoption Country Specific Information Frequently Asked Questions Complaint Policy


	History Mission Board of Directors Staff Members Only Site


	Adoption Legislation Hague Advocacy

The links below provide updates on these countries. Current and/or more detailed information can be found on the United States Department of State website. For a list of Joint Council members with programs in these countries, please visit our Country Programs page.

Costa Rica | Democratic Republic of Congo | Dominican Republic | Ecuador

Some of the above links go directly to the U.S. Department of State's website.

General Updates on International Adoption

November 2, 2009 - The following represents preliminary tabulations of the number of IR3 and IR4 visas issued for the Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2009.

Disclaimer: The country and worldwide totals are approximations and will differ from the official numbers published by the U.S. Department of State. These numbers do not represent any representation of the U.S. government.

Country of Origin	# of Visas Issued
China	3,000
Colombia	230
Ethiopia	2,275
Ghana	100
Guatemala	750
Haiti	330
India	275
Kazakhstan	295
Kyrgyzstan	20
Mexico	70
Nigeria	100
Philippines	275
Russia	1,600
South Korea	1,050
Ukraine	600
Vietnam	480
Total Worldwide	12,700

The Fiscal Year 2009 approximate total represents a 27% decrease against 2008 and matches the projections issued by Joint Council in April 2008 and republished in March 2009. Joint Council’s projections for FY 2010 (ending Sept. 30, 2009) remain at 9,800 (a decrease of 23% against FY 2009).

Joint Council is in the process of preparing a Summary Report on the dramatic and continuing decline of the utilization of intercountry adoption as a viable option for children living outside of permanent parental care. Also soon to be published is a report on the Hague Guide to Good Practice. The Hague Guide to Good Practice clearly supports the utilization of intercountry adoption over virtually all long-term temporary care settings. It is our goal to provide these reports as a resource to the community in advocating for sound, child-centric public policy.

November 2, 2009 - HIV Travel Ban Lifted
President Obama announced on Friday, October 30, 2009 that the travel ban into the United States by individuals with HIV would be lifted. Kathleen G Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, stated earlier today "we will publish a rule in the Federal Registrar announcing that the United States will drop HIV from the list of diseases barring visitors from entering this country, effective Jan. 1, 2010."

The lifting of this ban will eliminate the filing of a 601-waiver application for children who are HIV+ and adopted by U.S. citizens.

Joint Council applauds the administration for its decision to lift the ban. The repeal of the ban will significantly reduce the time that a child who is HIV+ and adopted by U.S. citizens will remain outside of permanent parental care.