The Indian Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and the U.S. Embassy have in the past months been working diligently to process cases as expeditiously as possible, while following Indian quarantine protocols to combat COVID-19. With the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the situation is changing rapidly and there are multiple cities and states in India under lockdowns. For the latest travel information and health alerts related to COVID-19 in India, please review the information on the U.S. Embassy New Delhi’s website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html.
On April 30, President Biden signed a presidential proclamation that suspended certain types of travel for non-U.S. citizens present in India. The proclamation does not affect adoptive children, who may continue to travel to the United States and seek entry. Additionally, U.S. Embassy New Delhi continues to process visas for adoptive children. However, CARA has requested that the U.S. Central Authority ask prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) to postpone travel until after the current surge.
There are currently direct flights running from India to the U.S. on United Airlines and Air India. We strongly urge families currently in India to book one of the direct flights back to the United States, as transiting Europe is not an option for Indian citizens (which would include the adopted child(ren)) due to U.S. and European travel restrictions currently in place. We cannot predict whether these or other flight routes will be affected by the pandemic situation in the future. As we do not have a role in travel arrangements, we recommend families stay in touch with ASP representatives.
We all hope this situation eases in the near future so families can continue their plans for adoptions in India without significant further delay.
Sincerely,
Office of Children's Issues
Address
5600 Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Suite #250,
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
Phone
303-691-0808
Fax
303-703-8250
Email
info@internationaladoptionnet.org
Hours of Operation
Monday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM