This Notice Supersedes the September 6, 2019 Notice.

Effective December 5, 2019, the Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity (IAAME) cancelled the accreditation of Open Seas Adoption Services, Inc. (Open Seas), for failing to maintain substantial compliance with accreditation standards. 

As a result of this cancellation, Open Seas must immediately cease to provide adoption services in connection with intercountry adoption cases. If you have an open case with Open Seas, please contact them directly to find out how the cancellation will affect your case. Open Seas is required to transfer its cases to another accredited provider. In addition, the agency must issue any reimbursements or refunds due to clients in accordance with 22 CFR 96.33(e) and 96.40(h).   

Families working with Open Seas should contact them directly with questions about case or record transfer. We also encourage families to review the information published by IAAME about selecting a primary provider/adoption service provider and the accreditation/approval requirements. 

The Department of State does not review or approve case transfer plans and has a limited role in their execution. The Department does, however, communicate with competent adoption authorities about the accreditation status of agencies and persons and case transfer plans, as needed.

Affected families may wish to review information about Case Transfer Responsibilities on the Department of State’s website and information about If Your Agency is No Longer Accredited/Approved on the USCIS website.

We also encourage families with outstanding post-adoption reports to contact Open Seas for guidance on how to proceed. Information about post-adoption reporting requirements is available on the country information pages on the Department of State’s website. Requirements vary by country with respect to frequency of submission, information to be included, and methods of submission.

For more information, see IAAME’s website.