Our friends at Buffalo CIS have requested that we let our readers know to always include your child's registration/A# on any requests or correspondences. Yes, our government's computers have depersonalized our kids to a number, not a name, and as such they need that number in order to ensure a timely response.
Happy Fourth of July! Feliz dia de independencia!
I received a note fro my contact at the Buffalo office - who is the most customer-centric person I have ever encountered in government. He says that they are almost all caught up of G884 requests with only a dozen or so left.
He asked mt post this info:
If a family has brought an adopted child into the U.S. since January 1, 2004 and the child had an IR-3 VISA and it has been more than 45 days since the child arrived into the U.S., the family should have already received the child’s Certificate of Citizenship.
The Buffalo, NY office handles the G-884 requests for the adopted children who entered the U.S. since January 1, 2004 on an IR-3 VISA.
The Buffalo, NY office can also direct you to the office that may have your child’s file
If the family filed a G-884 form with the Buffalo, NY office to obtain documents from the child's file we attempt to send out acknowledgement letters within a week of receiving the request. If the family has not received at least the acknowledgement letter, they should contact Child-Citizenship-Act @dhs.gov or call 716-551-4741 ext 6130 to inquire.
Due to the site problems which are now under control, it took a little bit longer than expected to pull the database of those who submitted the abandonment case forms. The database was today sent to Kathleen Strottman and Mark Moore with the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute as well as US Consul General John Lowell. In the next day or so we will send the information to the CNA.
If we gain any information regarding this, we will of course share it. But for those if you who flled them out (approx. 30 families in total) the information has been passed on.
As I was reading the biglist, I noticed that some of the same year-end questions were coming up about children coming home on IR-3s. In 2004, IR-3s will FINALLY be treated as they should be (see USCIS press release). However, for many of you bringing home a Christmas baby....you will still receive a Permanent Resident card for your child (which is frustrating, but correct for the current system).
There is still a mound of paperwork to do made easier by the presence of your child (or children). So here is a quick summary of what was recommended to ME and how I handled the monumental tasks (noting that our daughter's name would change):
1. Since I had a new tax dependent, my first step was to get a Social Security card. Typically, you are issued a SS Card with the adopted name and the status of Resident Alien. Don't bother arguing with the Social Security people...this is just how it is done. If you are relatively close to an office, I recommend that you visit in person. Take everything about the adoption including their Guatemalan passport (they often request documentation IN ADDITION to what is listed on their forms).
2. Make sure your insurance is current with your new child. Use the legal name with your doctor's records and the insurance card. You may cause issues if you try and use a *new* name with one, but not the other.
3. If you travel internationally much, check the child's passport. Some expirations are just a few months and some are several years. We traveled to Costa Rica with our daughter's Guatemalan passport so there was no rush for an American passport. Just understand that you will have to meet visa requirements for a Guatemalan visitor (foreign lands are not the place to argue the citizenship of your child). If you do not travel much AND/OR can get by with the Guatemalan passport for awhile....the rest of the instructions are the standard less-hassle method to getting where you need to be.
3. Domestication/Name change - Ours took several months to get a court date...so, be prepared. Make sure that you get a signed request from the judge to make several certified copies of the decree for you. I know in Georgia, you do not automatically get this and if you walk out of the courthouse without it, those records are sealed and can only be opened with another court-order.
4. Apply for the Certificate of Citizenship. I have heard that it is advisable to get this AFTER the name change, if possible since it is NOT an easy document to have *updated* with the current changes.
5. Return to the local Social Security office and have the status and the name changed on the SS card.
6. Apply for a US passport.
There are many other ways to get everything done. I encourage those that tried different methods or had different needs to share what worked for them!
This entry has been revised and moved to the Resource Center.