Guatemala Adoptions: Responsibilities of Your Agency and Guatemalan Attorneys

Your US adoption agency and Guatemalan attorney will be your points of contact during the adoption and immigration processes. The adoption agency representing your interests, and your attorney legally representing the adoption agency.

It is the duty of these parties – and any other agencies you have hired in the US – to keep you informed about the process of your application and assessment of the child. The US Embassy does not have access to this information or the authority to intervene in Guatemalan legal processes. Your attorney will not present your case to the DHS at the Embassy until the adoption has been finalized by Guatemalan authorities.

It is wise to make sure you check out the background and history of any US-based adoption agency you are considering working with. The easiest way of doing this is to contact the Department of Health and Family Services in the state in which the agency is based. The Bureau of Consular Affairs website is a source of much useful information on adoption agencies and facilitators, and can be found at http://travel.state.gov.

You are not obliged to work with an US adoption agency or law firm during the adoption process, and some people do choose to talk to a Guatemalan attorney directly. Though many couples find this to cause no problems, having an experienced, US-based organization dealing with the beauracratic side of the process is often a benefit. Neither the Guatemalan nor US authorities officially recommends or takes responsibility for any particular attorney, so the best way of finding a reliable and experienced Guatemalan adoption attorney is to read up on the experiences of other couples in your position.

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