Due to the Universal Accreditation Act (UAA), effective July 14, 2014, all prospective adoptive parents adopting internationally must work with a primary provider. MLJ Adoptions may be able to assist your family and act as a primary provider for families seeking to adopt from a country where no U.S. adoption service provider has a current country program. The primary provider is responsible for ensuring that all six adoption services are provided and for supervising and being responsible for supervised providers where used.
It may be that prospective adoptive parents find themselves in one of the following three categories and are in need of a primary provider.
- You are seeking to adopt a relative from a country where no US Adoption Service Providers have current country programs
- You have already adopted a child from another country where no US Adoption Service Providers have current country programs and need the assistance of a primary provider to bring the child home to the US
- You are seeking to adopt a child from a country where you have a specific connection and where no US Adoption Service Providers have current country programs
In the past, families falling into the above-mentioned categories seeking to adopt may have decided to adopt “independently.” When prospective adoptive parents decided to adopt “independently,” the prospective parents would often connect with an attorney or organization in the child’s country of origin to process the foreign adoption in the country without the assistance of a primary provider in the United States. Following the implementation of the Universal Accreditation Act on July 14, 2014, this type of “independent” adoption is no longer permissible, and prospective adoptive parents must work with and designate a primary provider for their intercountry adoption process.
MLJ Adoptions is able to assist some families attempting to adopt from a Hague or non-Hague country in which no U.S. adoption service providers offer country programs. We are more than happy to speak with you regarding your specific cases to assess if MLJ Adoptions is able to serve as the primary provider for your case. MLJ Adoptions has attorneys, social workers and other experienced adoption professionals on staff to assist families through this individualized adoption process.
Please contact us to learn more about the possibility of MLJ Adoptions serving as primary provider for your intercountry adoption.
Nicole Skellenger, JD
Nicole Skellenger works as MLJ Adoptions’ Chief Executive Officer and Adoption Attorney. Nicole has spent time in orphanages with children who have nothing and are desperate for affection and has committed herself to using her skills to create better futures for these deserving children.
Nicole Skellenger, JD
Nicole Skellenger works as MLJ Adoptions’ Chief Executive Officer and Adoption Attorney. Nicole has spent time in orphanages with children who have nothing and are desperate for affection and has committed herself to using her skills to create better futures for these deserving children.