8 Aug: To-Dos

To keep everyone up to date with the current developments, I'll routinely post a quick To-Do List. It's the most convenient way to keep in touch since we're in 3 different time zones in 3 continents!

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To Dos:

• Confirm the family's interest in pursuing the adoption  X
• Get Kenneth's approval  X  approval of the blog X
• Get sibling's approval X
• Get children's written and verbal approval X
• Get sibling's (non-formal) written approval -- NEED
• Finish the Inter-country Adoption Board's questionnaire -- In progress
• Send inquiry to adoption agency X
• Phone interview with adoption agency -- Scheduled for Monday, 11 Aug
• Request official copy birth certificates -- NEED
• Request official copy of divorce decree -- NEED 

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Day 2: It seems there's two ways that my mom can legally adopt Kenneth: through the Philippine court system (because she was a former Philippine national) and through conventional adoption. From my understanding, if my mom adopts Kenneth in the Philippines, he would legally be her adopted son, but he won't be able to move to the US because she doesn't meet the US requirements to petition him. In order to meet the US requirements, she would need to move to Philippines for 2 years, which is impossible, but even if it was, his age is the limiting factor. So initiating the adoption through the Philippine court system won't allow him to immigrate to the US -- which defeats the purpose of adopting him.

The second option is our only bet. This is where the Hague Convention falls in. 

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It appears that Kenneth would be eligible for adoption under the Hague Convention rules, but we won't know until I've spoken to an adoption agency (which is a requirement). I've contacted an approved agency listed in the Republic of the Philippines Inter-country Adoption Board. They advised me to call on Monday.

Starting the journey . . .

I've officially undertaken the role of helping my mom adopt my cousin from the Philippines. Philippines is part of the Hague Convention, and family adoptions abide by the same rules as conventional adoptions. It's an extensive process, one that isn't fully documented (and often misunderstood). This is the reason why I'd like to share my family's journey.

Here's a few details pertaining to our case:

• the prospective adopted parent (PAP), my mom, is 59 years old
• she is a single (divorced) homeowner, residing in the USA
• the prospective adoptee, my cousin, is 15 years old
• he's a honor student, residing with his biological parents and siblings in the Philippines

Where do we start? 

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