
Children adopted from other countries must first obtain a
Child’s Eligibility
Children being adopted abroad must be found eligible to immigrate under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in order to reside in the
Under the INA, a child who is adopted abroad while under the age of 16 and who has been in the legal custody, and has resided with, his or her adoptive parent(s) for at least two years may be the beneficiary of a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) I-130 petition (Petition for Alien Relative) and receive an immigrant visa in the IR-2 category.
Most
Visa Process Steps: Convention and Non-Convention Countries
To review the immigrant visa process for adoption cases, select one of the following:
· Adoption from a member country of the Hague Adoption Convention
Notes on the Immigrant Visa Process
To begin the immigrant visa process, prospective adoptive parents submit forms and documents to USCIS. After USCIS reviews the paperwork, a case is assigned to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where the child resides. All children adopted abroad require an immigrant visa interview at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate before coming to reside permanently in the
Getting Help
The immigrant visa process is complicated, but you are not on your own. Your adoption agency or an immigration attorney can help. The Department of State also responds to public inquiries on obtaining immigrant visas for adopted children. Before making an inquiry, please review the visa section on travel.state.gov and the website of the relevant U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. To ask a question about immigrant visas, contact the Visa Office’s Public Inquiries Division at 202-663-1225. Remember that information about a specific visa case is confidential and generally cannot be given to third parties.
For questions about other adoption matters, please contact the Office of Children's Issues









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