Uzbekistan is one of the lesser known countries that was
once a part of the former Soviet Union. It is a fascinating country, with
centuries-old history and culture that could not be eradicated even by decades
of communist regime. It is not surprising, therefore, that Uzbekistan's
orphanage system similar to that of Russia or other former republics, but
adoptions are ultimately decided by mayor offices, the closest thing to elders'
council. There have been very few adoptions from Uzbekistan so far,
but growing relationship with the West slowly broadens the doors of
international adoption in Uzbekistan.Adoption from Uzbekistan may be more
adventurous and pioneering than from some of the other more established programs.
The new law passed in August 2007 has introduced some
constraints, eliminating possibility of escort and requiring
adoptive parents to make two trips, but on the positive side
banned separation of siblings for the purposes of adoption
and put a cap on the amount of time local officials have to
process the adoption. Although prenatal
care in Uzbekistan is not at par with Western standards, there are fewer
instances of alcohol and drug-related disorders in Uzbek children. The children
are loved and taken care well with limited resources available to caretakers.
There are two adoption authorities in Uzbekistan. First, all dossiers
are processed centrally by the Ministry of Education. Next, they are
forwarded to the local Guardianship and Trusteeship Office (GTO) affiliated with
a Mayor's office in the town of adoption, called Hokimat. The Mayor, or
Hokim, is responsible for making the final decision on adoption, much like a
judge in other countries. Please see U.S.
Department of State overview
for more details.
Status
We have reopened the program to new applicants as of March 1, 2008 after a few
positive developments with new referrals and current cases processing. We are
cautiously optimistic of the progress and support families currently staying in the
program, hoping for more adoptions to be completed soon. At the same time we are
warning all new applicants of the incumbent delays and uncertainties and underline
that Uzbekistan remains a pilot program. It would be a good choice for families who
are flexible and patient, and accept both advantages and risks of this exciting program.
The Children
There is no national or international adoption
registry in Uzbekistan, and children typically become available for
adoption/referral once they are admitted to the orphanage at about 1-2 months
old, and could be as young as 4-5 months at the time adoption is
finalized. Most children are of Uzbek descent, with olive skin and
slightly Asian features. There are many Slavic and Mongol children as
well, making for a very diverse population. Very few children speak any
English, but many older children can speak and read Russian. Thanks to the
new law, siblings are no longer routinely separated for the purposes of
adoption. It may be possible to adopt two or more related or unrelated
children at the same time.
The children in Uzbekitan are on average as healthy as kids in the rest of the former
Soviet Union, which is to say their health varies from child to child. On average,
there are less instances of FAS among ethnically Uzbek population, but adoptive
parents should be more prepared for health issues developed as a result of poor
environment and resulting genetic abnormalities.
The Process
While in the U.S., prospective families are
required to prepare adoption dossier (a set of
documents required for adoption processing by local
authorities abroad). For Uzbekistan, dossier
includes USCIS (former INS) permission to adopt
internationally, homestudy prepared by a licensed
agency and a number of documents
verifying family marital status, income, health
condition, criminal history, etc. Once dossier is completed, it is
first authenticated in the Uzbekistan Embassy in USA and then mailed to Uzbekistan. There, it is translated into
Russian and authenticated.
AAC overseas coordinator primarily seeks referrals by
presenting family dossiers to local GTO (Guardianship and
Trusteeship Office) and orphanage officials. Families
may also choose to enroll in an optional
semi-private adoption
program, to be chosen by birth mothers who don't want to
give up their children to state orphanages, but nevertheless
want their children to find safe and loving homes abroad.
About A Child does not withdraw a referral until the
prospective adoptive parent(s) have had two weeks (unless
extenuating circumstances involving the child's best
interests require a more expedited decision) to consider the
needs of the child and their ability to meet those needs,
and to obtain physician review of medical information and
other descriptive information, including video of the child
if available. Once a family receives and accepts their
referral, the dossier is delivered
to Ministry of Education. After the dossier is processed
and registered, a family (at least one of the parents)
must now travel for a few days to meet the child and accept
his or her referral from MoE. When possible, adoptive
parent(s) would also meet on the same trip the Mayor of the
town/city where the child resides. After issuing the
referral letter, MoE forwards family's dossier to the GTO in the town/city
of the referred child (sometimes the dossier has to go
through a regional GTO office first). GTO makes a recommendation to the Mayor to approve
the adoption, and Mayor's signature irrevocably finalizes the adoption.
There is no waiting "appeal" period and parents receive custody of
their child once Mayor's signature is obtained.
If adoptive parent(s) meet the mayor on the first trip, it may be possible
and even likely for the Mayor to sign the adoption decree when meeting with AAC
coordinator as the POA (Power of Attorney) of an adoptive family. Vital
Records office may not be as lenient and still require adoptive parent(s) to
sign for the new birth certificate in person. When both the Mayor and
Vital Records office agree to issue the documents to a POA, adoptive parent(s)
only need to travel to Tashkent for a week to go through U.S. Embassy exit interview and obtain a child's immigration visa.
When parental presence is required by either the Mayor or Vital Records office,
at least one of the parents should expect to travel for 2-3 weeks for the second
trip, depending on how quickly child's passport and embassy paperwork can be
processed.
Adoptions in which both parents have not met the child
before Mayor signs an adoption decree are not considered to be finalized (children don't automatically become U.S. citizens, and re-adoption must be done in USA). Immigrant visas issued to children in such adoptions are called IR-4.
In the U.S., parents are required to register their child with the Uzbekistan
Embassy within one month of arrival. After that, parents need to submit four post-placement reports about child's well-being to the Uzbekistan authorities.
Timeframe
Because it is a new program, we can give only
approximate estimates of how long it is going to take from Uzbekistan. At
the moment, we conservatively estimate it to take from 12 to 18 months to
complete an adoption after the dossier is submitted, although it is likely to
take less than a year for adoption of an older or special-needs child. Typically, it
takes 3-5 months for dossier preparation, but
unexpected circumstances and USCIS
delays might extend the wait time. The Cost
Uzbekistan adoption program (without foster care
costs) is on average more affordable than those of Russia and Kazakhstan, the
two other Eastern European programs where it is possible to adopt an infant.
Most of all, it affords a convenience of one-parent travel for families with
another parent on a tight work schedule.
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