USCIS Implements Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) for Ethiopia Cases

USCIS just announced that the Pre-Adoption Immigration
Review (PAIR) process will go into effect for Ethiopia adoptions starting
September 1, 2013. This gives USCIS the ability to adjudicate the US visa
process (approve cases) prior to families passing court, which is when the
guardianship of the adoptive child is legally transferred to the adoptive
parents. Below is an excerpt from the article:

“Effective Sept. 1, 2013, the government of Ethiopia will require all
adoption cases filed by United States prospective adoptive parents to undergo
the U.S. PAIR process. Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs
(MOWCYA) will require a PAIR letter issued by USCIS in order to make a best
interest determination. Prospective adoptive parents must include the PAIR
letter in the adoption dossier they submit to the Ethiopian Federal First
Instance Court (FFIC) to initiate the adoption. The FFIC will then forward the
dossier, including the PAIR letter, to MOWCYA for review. The new PAIR letter
requirement will not affect adoption cases filed with Ethiopian courts before
Sept. 1, 2013.â€

To read the full article from
USCIS, click here: Ethiopia
PAIR Requirement Post

USCIS is hosting a call to
discuss this process in further detail later this week. America World Staff
will be on that call to learn further about how this will affect our adoptive
parents, and we will continue to communicate updates as we receive them.