On my trip to Korea last month, I met with the President of SWS and the Director of the Intercountry Adoption Department to try and assess the program for 2012. AIAA still has 7 children who are waiting permission from the Korean Ministry to travel. We also have 11 children who were either children with special needs or were referred in the last two months of 2011. All of these children will be counted on the 2012 quota for travel permissions.
As has been their policy for the last few years, the Korean Government will be cutting the quota for children being placed internationally by at least 10% for 2012. In 2011, SWS placed a number of children in the first 4 months of the year and had no more quota left. They chose not to refer any other children, except those with special needs, until the end of the year.
For 2012, the referrals will be spread over the year so the families do not have to wait so long for their children to travel. We are expecting to send new home studies shortly but in small batches depending on the number of referrals that we receive. At this point, we have no reason to believe that the families with completed home studies waiting to be sent will not receive a referral in 2012. However, as the year goes on, we will not be able to guarantee that they will travel this year. There is also a new law that will take effect in July, 2012 and it is unclear what impact it will have on international placements.
While these changes take place, I want you to know that both SWS and AIAA are committed to helping you fulfill your dream to adopt a child from Korea. We will keep you informed as we receive further information regarding the Korean Program.
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