INDIA: Important New Guidance from CI for ASPs with Intercountry Adoption Programs in India

This communication is for all ASPs working with families who have pending adoption cases in India. We have one update and one request.

UPDATE: Embassy New Delhi has advised our office that visas issued by the Indian Embassy or any Indian Consulate to foreign nationals, including U.S. prospective adoptive parents, prior to India's implementation of COVID-19 restrictions on March 13, 2020, are no longer valid. Please advise all of your clients affected by this cancellation of Indian visas that they must apply for a new visa once India lifts its travel restrictions. At this time, these COVID-19 travel restrictions remain in place. We do not have further information on any pending change.

REQUEST: The Department of State continues to engage with CARA on how intercountry adoption has been affected by COVID-19-related travel restrictions. To assist us in this effort, we ask that you provide us with: 1) the names of your prospective adoptive families who will need to re-apply for visas, and 2) the names of clients who do not have previously-issued visas but whose cases have now become ready for PAP travel. For every individual applicant on your list, please include the full name of the families matched with a child, and the child’s name.

If you wish to provide this information, please submit it directly to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi at ndadopt@state.gov by August 31.

We want to emphasize that there is no change in India’s travel restriction. There remain many hurdles to a green light for actual travel for prospective adoptive families. We will provide you with any updates that we receive related to adoption-related travel.

Please contact us at ASPadoption@state.gov if you have any questions or concerns.

Last Updated: August 21, 2020