Update (as of 1/28/2026)
The day I published this call to action is the day we found out that adoptions are exempt from the current immigration policy! We could not be more grateful. Our agency hosted an open forum video call where we were going to talk about what international adoption will look like going forward, but to our surprise, we got really good, exciting news! Read the guidance from the U.S. State Department below:
U.S. State Department Guidance on Intercountry Adoption Visas
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
The Department of State is issuing formal guidance to consular offices overseas. Adoption service providers, agencies, and prospective adoptive parents should be advised to continue engaging with U.S. consulates as they normally would throughout the visa process. Consular posts have been instructed that intercountry adoptions are eligible for National Interest Exceptions under the current presidential proclamation and should be processed on a priority, case-by-case basis.
To support coordination and address questions, Joe Rittenhouse has been designated as the point of contact for adoption matters within the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State. Stakeholders are encouraged to reach out to him directly with any questions or concerns at rittenhouseJD@state.gov.
Intercountry adoption remains a high priority for the Administration, and adoption-related visas will continue to be processed as expeditiously as possible. Additionally, because overall visa volumes have decreased following the proclamation, many consular offices now have increased capacity to assist with adoption cases.
Topline:
- President Trump and his Administration support families and intercountry adoption.
- In countries where the issuance of immigrant visas is currently limited or paused, children being adopted by U.S. citizens may qualify for an exception under the National Interest Exception.
- Prospective adoptive families should continue the normal adoption process, including submitting visa applications and attending consular interviews.
- No additional steps are required to request consideration under the National Interest Exception; adoption cases will be reviewed and prioritized on a case-by-case basis by the Department of State.
Please share this information broadly with your networks, agencies, and families to ensure consistent understanding and continuity in adoption processing.
Original Post
Our adoption journey has been anything but a walk in the park. It’s been fraught with unknowns, deception, changing agencies, and now, amid all the hiccups, an immigration policy that doesn’t exempt adoptions under certain conditions. I’m going to share with you what we know and how you can help. We are privileged to live in a country where people’s voices are heard. Although I have never gotten into politics, this policy hits home. For the first time, a fire has been lit, and we are using our voices to hopefully bring about change in something that deeply matters to us. I sent letters and completed online forums to the President, Vice President, Idaho Senators, and our Congressman. I have already received one phone call back from one of the Senator’s offices, informing me that they are putting together information to advocate for the exemption of adoptions from this proclamation.
What’s Happening
We’ve been keeping a close eye on President Trump’s Immigration Policy, rolled out in 2025 with changes every 6 months. Specifically, we were keeping an eye on Malawi. We knew they were on the docket for partial restriction, and they are partially restricted. Yet, the immigration policy currently in place doesn’t provide clear guidance on what that partial restriction means, so countries that are partially restricted are treating it as a full restriction and are hesitant to move forward with referrals.
We have had immigration policies enacted by previous administrations, but nothing to this extent. In previous administrations, adoptions were clearly exempt. That’s what makes this immigration proclamation a big hit to the adoption communities. In this proclamation, adoptions are not specifically exempt, which is causing families that are already matched or in the final stages of their adoption more uncertainty around timelines, added emotional strain, and prolonged waiting for the children who already have families ready to receive them, state-side.
Why This Matters
Adoption is already tricky. Domestic adoption is usually a simpler route to go, but it’s still full of unknowns, paperwork, legal systems, and humans. International adoption is full of all that, plus the fact that we are dealing with immigration, second or third-world legal systems, and different processes required by both countries involved.
When adoption is not clearly exempt from other immigration matters, it’s the children who suffer. The orphan crisis is very real. According to UNICEF, there are approximately 143-153 million orphans worldwide. Approximately 15-18 million of those orphans are considered double orphans (both parents deceased). The other children are placed in institutionalized care because their living parent is in such extreme poverty or an inability to provide.
This isn’t about politics; it’s about real kids, fighting for their lives every day, sleeping in less-than-ideal arrangements, and eating the bare minimum. This isn’t about a policy or a proclamation; it’s about having compassion on these kids who didn’t ask and don’t deserve any of what they have been handed in life. There are families in the United States who are called, willing, and able to care for these kids. There are families already matched, gone through court, the children are officially adopted, and yet, those children can’t come into the United States because of a policy. There are also people, like us, who have been through this grueling process longer than we expected, and yet here’s another hiccup we hope to overcome so our dream of adopting can come to fruition.
Policies can change. We are privileged to live in a country governed as a democracy. Our voices matter, and we need to be heard. So here’s what you can do.
How You Can Use Your Voice
You might be reading this and think, “How can I use my voice when I’m not the one adopting?” Guess what? It doesn’t matter! All that matters is that the White House hears enough of our voices to change the policy. We hope that this was just an oversight and that it will be changed quickly. Our adoption agency founder, an immigration attorney, said all we need is for President Trump to flick his pen. And really, that’s all we are asking. We aren’t asking for the policy to go away because that’s not We are asking that adopted children need an explicit exception under the proclamation.
Here’s What You Can Do
NCFA
Complete the National Council for Adoptions (NCFA) Petition to support advocacy for adoption exemptions. This petition will send a pre-written message to your federal lawmakers on your behalf. All you need to do is fill out your street address and zip code.
The White House
You can also write the White House directly. At the bottom of this post, I have a link to a pre-written message to the President where you can type or sign your name at the end. You can either copy and paste this message into the online forum or print and snail-mail it to:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500.
Other Contacts
If you have any personal or professional connections who may be able to raise awareness at the federal level, please reach out to them as well!
Last Thoughts
Adoption is already marked with a lot of waiting and uncertainty, but when policies unintentionally extend that waiting, I believe it deserves another look. How could we make this better for the children waiting in orphanages? Many families are willing to help in the fight against the orphan crisis. The statistics are staggering, but these children are not numbers; they are not a statistic; they are human beings made in the image of God. God commands us to “defend the rights of the poor and the orphans” (Psalm 82:3) and “see that justice is done-help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights…” (Isaiah 1:17). It also says that taking care of orphans is an act of true religion (James 1:27).
Right now, I’m raising my voice in hopes that the policy will be changed. But I understand that the orphan crisis is bigger than this current policy. It involves so many other factors. For now, we are doing what we can, taking action with what is in front of us, and doing what we can control. At the end of the day, it’s out of our control. We are remembering that God is bigger. He makes the impossible possible.
Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for using your voice to support the adoption exemption.
Letter to The White House Snail-Mail or Online Forum
To the President and Members of the Administration,
I am writing to respectfully request that the current immigration proclamation be clarified to include an explicit exemption for children entering the United States through legal adoption.
Intercountry adoption is a highly regulated, humanitarian process focused on the best interests of children who cannot remain safely in their country of origin. Adopted children are joining permanent families who have already been thoroughly vetted and approved under U.S. law.
Under previous immigration policies, adoption was clearly exempt. The lack of explicit guidance in the current proclamation has created uncertainty for children and families already in the adoption process, including cases where children are legally matched or fully adopted. As a result, some children remain separated from their families due to policy ambiguity rather than intent.
I respectfully ask that the administration take action to:
- Explicitly exempt adopted children from the current proclamation
- Provide clear guidance for adoption-related visas
- Ensure that children are not unintentionally harmed by broader immigration restrictions
This request is humanitarian in nature and reflects the shared belief that children deserve permanency, stability, and family.
Thank you for your time and consideration.Respectfully,
[Your Name]
Prefer a printable or shareable link? Download the letter below.