The adoption of a child from overseas involves many issues. You must navigate state, federal and foreign legal systems. You will have to work with a local adoption agency and adoption authorities overseas. You will have to satisfy both U.S. and foreign authorities that you can provide a suitable home for your child. You will also have to arrange for the immigration of your child to the United States. Once you have completed all of these processes, you will have a new addition to your family.
Step 1
Determine whether or not the country you are adopting from is a member of the Hague Adoption Convention. The procedures for international adoption vary somewhat depending on whether or not the child is from a Hague Adoption Convention. As of 2010, 80 nations were members of the Hague Adoption Convention.
Step 2
File Form USCIS Form 1-800A or 1-600A with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to apply for eligibility for overseas adoption. Form 1-800A is for Hague Adoption Convention Countries, and Form 1-600A is for all other countries. The USCIS will conduct a home study to determine if your home is suitable for an adopted child from overseas.
Step 3
Locate an adoption agency in your state that handles international adoptions. This agency must be licensed by your state. If you are adopting from a Hague Adoption Convention country, it must also be licensed by either the Council on Accreditation and the State of Colorado Department of Human Services. The adoption agency will help you begin the international adoption process.
Step 4
Seek declaration that the child is eligible for adoption from the USCIS and the child's home country government. Your adoption agency can help you with this. These procedures differ depending on whether or not the child is from a Hague Adoption Convention country. In any case, the child must be legally declared an orphan.
Step 5
Contact an adoption agency or attorney licensed in the child's home country, and apply through this authority for permission from the home country to adopt the child. You may be required to submit documentation, and you might be expected to travel to the country at this point.
Step 6
Ask the USCIS to make a determination as to whether or not the child is eligible to immigrate to the United States.
Step 7
Complete adoption finalization procedures with the overseas adoption authorities. This will require your personal presence in the child's home country. If the country is not a member of the Hague Adoption Convention, you must complete adoption procedures before seeking the USCIS determination on the child's immigration eligibility.
Step 8
Apply for a U.S. immigration visa for the child from overseas. Enter the U.S. with the child after the child's immigration visa is issued.
Tips and Warnings
- Carefully choose the adoption agency you will work with, because some are better than others. Contact your state agency to find out if the adoption agency you wish to work with is the subject of any unresolved complaints.
- Some U.S. states do not recognize foreign adoptions. These states do allow re-adoptions in the U.S., however.
Things You'll Need
- USCIS Form 1-800A or 1-600A
