IAA Law and Legal Definition
IAA is the abbreviation for the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000. IAA is a U.S. federal legislation that provides for implementation of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption by the United States.
Some important provisions of the IAA are:
1. Created the U.S. Central Authority within the Department of State with general responsibility for U.S. implementation of the Convention. The Act also required the U.S. Central Authority to submit annual reports to Congress
2. Allowed the State Department to enter into agreements with one or more qualified accrediting entities to provide for the accreditation of agencies (nonprofit) and approval of persons (for-profit agencies and individuals) who seek to provide adoption services for adoptions covered by the Convention
3. Authorized U.S. adoption service providers to provide services for convention adoptions only if they have been convention-accredited or -approved
4. Mandated the Department of State and Immigration and Naturalization Service to establish a case registry for all intercountry adoptions: incoming, outgoing, Hague Convention cases, and others.
5. Authorized the State Department to:
a. Monitor each accrediting entity's performance of its duties and their compliance with the Convention, the Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA), and applicable regulations
b. Issue certificates to cover Convention adoptions/placements for adoptions made in the U.S. necessary for their recognition so long as the department has received appropriate documentation to establish that the requirements of the Convention, IAA, and regulations have been met
The Hague Convention sets minimum international standards and procedures for adoptions that occur between implementing countries to ensure greater protection from exploitation of children, birth parents and adoptive parents alike. The Hague Convention aims to :
1. Make sure that there is proper consent for adoption.
2. Prevent abuses such as the abduction or sale of, or the trafficking in children.
3. Allow for the child’s transfer to the receiving country.
4. Establish the adopted child’s status in the receiving country.
