Immigration & Naturalization

Working with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is one of the most important parts of the adoption process. Parents must meet all USCIS guidelines and be approved by USCIS in order to bring a foreign-born adopted child into the United States. Because USCIS works with many facets of immigration, they are often overloaded with paperwork and cases. Because of this heavy workload, your adoption approval may take some time.

In order to receive an approval from USCIS to adopt a foreign-born child, you must file a form I-600A/I-800A and the appropriate supporting documents required. Supporting documents include such things as copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, and death certificates if a spouse has died. USCIS also requires a completed home study be submitted with the I-600A/I-800A. Because of this requirement, we suggest before you file your I-600A/I-800A you choose an agency to work with and a country you want to adopt from.

You can download a copy of the I-600A/I-800A by going to the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov. Fees must be paid in the form of a money order or certified check, and USCIS will not accept cash or personal checks. You can find the fee schedule for filing the I-600A/I-800A listed on the USCIS website when you download the I-600A/I-800A. Both adoptive parents must also submit fingerprints for an FBI check to rule out any criminal history. There is also a charge for the fingerprints and that charge is also listed on the USCIS website.

When your case has been reviewed by the USCIS officer and an approval is granted, the USCIS office will mail you the approval notice, which is the written approval needed to go forward with the adoption. If you have any questions regarding the USCIS process, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are happy to explain this process to you and give you any help needed. You can email us at info@wiaa.org or call us directly at 801-334-8683.