U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  announced a new address for prospective adoptive parents to submit Form I 600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, and Form I 600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition.  While the change takes affect today, applicants have a 30-day transistion period before USCIS will return incorrectly filed petitions.
 
Applicants were previously required to file at a local USCIS field office.

[Federal Register: October 6, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 192)]
[Notices]
[Page 51354-51361]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06oc09-117]

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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 6777]

Bureau of Consular Affairs; Registration for the Diversity Immigrant (DV-2011) Visa Program

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice.

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The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Guinea due to continuing civil unrest and the unpredictable nature of the current security situation.  U.S. citizens are advised that the Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members of the U.S. Embassy in Conakry, Guinea.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that a revised Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative (Form G-28) and the new Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney in Matters Outside the Geographical Confines of the United States (Form G-28I) has been issued.

On September 29, 2009, the U.S.

On September 30, 2009 the U.S. State Department issued an Adoption notice informing the following: Kenya is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention).  As such, all adoptions between Kenya and the United States initiated after April 1, 2008, must meet the requirements of both the Convention and U.S.

The U.S. Department of State is cautioning American citizens against filing an application to adopt a child from Liberia while the moratorium on adoption remains in effect. The U.S. Embassy remains in frequent contact with adoption officials, but there is no indication when the moratorium might be lifted.

On September 17, 2009, the State Department Issued an Alert informing of the suspension of adoptions in Sierra Leone. The Government of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs suspended adoptions on May 29, 2009 due to concerns on the legality of adoptions and the welfare of adoptees.&

Notice for Guatemala “hogar” adoption cases

On September 29, 2009, the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Children's Issues issued an alert informing that: The  China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has announced that all prospective adoptive families will be required to work with a U.S. Hague accredited adoption service provider for both transition cases and Convention cases beginning December 1, 2009.  This will require all families to work with an agency that is both U.S.