How do immigration requirements affect international adoptions?

 

A:

US citizens seeking to adopt children from other countries must meet many requirements before the children will be able to enter the US. Whether the parents complete the adoption in the child's home country or bring the child to the US to complete the adoption, the child will have to have a visa in order to travel to the US. Children adopted abroad will need an approved IR-3 visa while children seeking entry into the US to complete an adoption will need an approved IR-4 visa.

Either the adoptive parents or their legal representatives will need to apply for the visa with the US embassy or consulate in the child's home country. They will need to meet in-person with an officer, who will determine if the child meets the requirements to receive a visa. The child will have to undergo a medical exam to check for communicable and other diseases, illnesses and disabilities. The child also will have to have proof of certain vaccinations (in some instances, the parents will be able to get the vaccinations after the child has entered the US).

Parents will need to have a copy of the child's birth certificate or birth record, the child's passport and a copy of the completed adoption certificate, if the adoption was completed abroad. Parents also must have completed the requisite pre-adoption steps in the US before the visa can be issued. This includes filing an Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (Form I-600A), which determines the parents' eligibility to adopt a child. Parents can wait until after they have located a specific child for adoption before filing this petition, but given the time it can take to process the application, complete the background checks and home study, it is best for parents to submit it as soon as possible.

Once the US embassy or consulate approves the visa application, then the parents or legal representative can travel with the child to the US.