As you know from my last update, I was not able to file for adoption of Sophie in Bangkok. After meeting with some new lawyers (yay!), they explained that the reason was she doesn't have citizenship AND the US would not give me the guarantee of citizenship upon adoption. If she had either of those, I could adopt her in Thailand and get her a visa to travel to the US.
What does lack of citizenship mean? Imagine a life where you were not allowed to leave your state without written permission from your state capitol. Imagine not being able to own any property, not a car, not a house. Imagine not even having the option of getting health insurance. Imagine being denied the opportunity of studying at university, having a professional job or even applying for a passport. Is this the future you would want for your child? For so many children in Thailand, this is their reality. Most of these children have no one to fight for them. Sophie is lucky in that she has me to be her advocate for a brighter future.
Our adoption lawyer does not specialize in gaining citizenship rights for children like Sophie, (and if you have been following the story, my trust in him at this point is non-existent) so a friend connected me with a different law firm who have experience in this type of law. They are confident that they can achieve citizenship for Sophie, but think it will take two years. If you think that sounds like a long time, consider the fact that International Justice Mission estimated about 10 years, and their advice was "pray for the laws to change." This law firm will charge about $1100 for the law fee, and we will be expected to cover the cost of travel expenses to her home state, potential court filing fees and any other costs that may come up. The grand total will probably be around $2500 when all is said and done. Not too high a price when you consider it is giving a whole new future to a child who would otherwise have none.
The law firm would like to start working on Sophie's case immediately, and would require half their fee up front, the rest when citizenship is finalized.
If you would like to donate toward Sophie's citizenship, you can do so via the DONATE link to the right. Please be aware this is not tax-deductible.
What does lack of citizenship mean? Imagine a life where you were not allowed to leave your state without written permission from your state capitol. Imagine not being able to own any property, not a car, not a house. Imagine not even having the option of getting health insurance. Imagine being denied the opportunity of studying at university, having a professional job or even applying for a passport. Is this the future you would want for your child? For so many children in Thailand, this is their reality. Most of these children have no one to fight for them. Sophie is lucky in that she has me to be her advocate for a brighter future.
Our adoption lawyer does not specialize in gaining citizenship rights for children like Sophie, (and if you have been following the story, my trust in him at this point is non-existent) so a friend connected me with a different law firm who have experience in this type of law. They are confident that they can achieve citizenship for Sophie, but think it will take two years. If you think that sounds like a long time, consider the fact that International Justice Mission estimated about 10 years, and their advice was "pray for the laws to change." This law firm will charge about $1100 for the law fee, and we will be expected to cover the cost of travel expenses to her home state, potential court filing fees and any other costs that may come up. The grand total will probably be around $2500 when all is said and done. Not too high a price when you consider it is giving a whole new future to a child who would otherwise have none.
The law firm would like to start working on Sophie's case immediately, and would require half their fee up front, the rest when citizenship is finalized.
If you would like to donate toward Sophie's citizenship, you can do so via the DONATE link to the right. Please be aware this is not tax-deductible.
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