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| 1. Enda Scott has given in the neccessary papers to
apply for Spanish nationality although as we know that takes on average twenty
four months to process. 2. We have paid for an official translation of all relevant paperwork done here in Spain so that our lawyers in Ireland and Britain have a copy. 3. We have spoken to our adoption agency once more to check on how they see the matter as progressing. Basically they insist that the local social services and other official agencies are not seriously attempting to find a solution for our case: at best the issue is being discussed as a long term problem. They insist that we have to find a solution through our embassies. Our adoption agency has pointed out to them once more that what happened in the case of the other British couple before us, was not genuine solution which can also be applied in our case, rather a series of decisions made in exceptional circumstances by the British Embassy in Bogota and the Home Office in Britain. Our adoption agency hinted strongly that unless we have found a solution beforehand, our adoption agency and local Social Services may not approve the adoption of any children assigned to us by the Colombian authorities. 4. We now have a lawyer in Spain. She says that once common sense seems to have failed, the only options are legal ones. She has made contact with all the parties involved including our embassies and is preparing a legal plea to the Department of Justice in Spain. Her interpretation is that because we are foreign and our adopted children are not entitled to Spanish nationality, the Spanish authorities need some guarantee that Britain and/or Ireland will grant the children British or Irish nationality. Otherwise, allowing them entry into Spain could be considered illegal trafficing of minors. 5. A recent email from the Spanish Foreign Ministry seems to confirm the above but for the first time appears to offer some avenue of hope in that if there is some confirmation that if the British or Irish authorities commit themselves to giving either British or Irish nationality to the children, they may be allowed a visa to enter and live in Spain while this is being processed. 6. Both the Ombudsman for the local region of Andalucía and for Spain as a whole have refused to take the case claiming that it is beyond their jurisdiction. To sum up, there are two problems. The main question remains one of nationality for the children. They have to obtain either or both Irish and British nationality which leads to the question of what the British and Irish government need in order to authorise this. The second, but initially most important problem, is that of an entry visa for the children to leave Colombia and enter either Spain, Britain or Ireland. Ideally if the British or Irish governments guarantee the children will have that nationality, the Spanish government will give them visas to enter Spain while they wait for the nationality procedure to be finalised. If the Spanish authorities continue to refuse entry until the children are nationalised as either British or Irish, the children would need visas to enter Britain or Ireland where they would have to wait for nationality to be processed, ideally in the speediest manner possible. |