Support Foreign Adoptions

It has come to our attention that there have been two bills introduced that would streamline part of the adoption process as it relates to internationally adopted children gaining U.S. citizenship. Under one of the bills being considered, adoptive parents would be able to simply have an application filled out at a U.S. embassy for their child to be considered a U.S. citizen. This would be quite a change from the way the system currently works. You would no longer have to wait to follow USCIS guidelines based on which type of VISA your child enters the U.S. on. Additionally, your child would be considered a U.S. citizen “at birth,” similar to children who are born overseas to U.S. citizens. This legislation is known as the F.A.C.E. Act (Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act) and is H.R. 3110 in the House of Representatives, and S.B. 1359 in the United States Senate. Here are a few links to provide you with more information.

http://equalityforadoptedchildren.org/legislation/face/section.html

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3110/show

http://www.swa.net/news-detail.aspx?cid=2150

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2583454.htm

It is our sincere request that each of you will contact your local U.S. Representative and both of your U.S. Senators asking them to pass the F.A.C.E. Act.

~Please feel free to pass along this information as you see fit to get the message out~

You can contact them in writing or electronically through the links provided below.

For U.S. Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
(Simply choose your state)

For U.S. Representatives: http://www.house.gov/
(At the top left, simply enter your zip code)

An example of the type of letter you can send to your US Rep or US Senator:

XXX Rd.

XXXXX, TX

January 6, 2010

In regards to: F.A.C.E. Act

Congressman Kevin Brady

200 River Pointe, Suite 304

Conroe, Texas 77304

Dear Congressman Kevin Brady,

It has come to our attention that H.R. 3110 (also known as the F.A.C.E. Act) was introduced to the House of Representatives in June of 2009. As parents who have recently adopted a foreign child, we sincerely request your support of this bill as it would improve the process of granting U.S. Citizenship to children such as ours by removing a layer of bureaucracy from the process.

Currently we are required to file paperwork through USCIS to bring our child home, then depending on the VISA issued for their entrance into the U.S., we have to readopt our child in a U.S. Court (at an additional cost), then file another form with the USCIS (at an additional cost) and then wait an additional 6-12 months. The process of adopting a child is already long, tedious, and expensive.

With your support of this bill you will be providing a tremendous service to adoptive families by reducing costs, paperwork, and time while increasing the speed at which our child legally becomes a U.S. Citizen with all of its rights and privileges.

Again, we would greatly appreciate your support of the F.A.C.E. Act (HR 3110) and appreciate your voice in the United States Congress.

Respectfully,

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