More Transracial Adoption ABCs, under the letter "I".

Immigration – (I apologize to any readers from countries other than the U.S.A., because this entry is specific to American citizens.)

Immigration is a part of all international adoptions, as a visa is currently required for all internationally adopted children to legally enter the United States of America.

The government office over immigration has changed its name several times in recent years. They have been known as INS, BCIS, CIS and USCIS. The name they are using now (for the moment) is USCIS, which stands for United States Citizen and Immigration Services.

In a nutshell, adoptive parents usually have a two-part process with USCIS for an international adoption. Typically early in the process, the parents submit an I600A application, which approves the adoptive parents to bring an ‘immigrant’ (adopted child) into the U.S.A.

The I600A verifies the adoptive parents’ citizenship, involves a fingerprinting process to check for criminal background and requires an approved homestudy to verify the employment, health, marriage, etc. of the adoptive parents. The I600A is usually submitted locally, in the USCIS office with jurisdiction over the city and/or state in which the adoptive parents live.

Later on, toward the end of the adoption process, the adoptive parents submit an I600 application. This approval is for the specific child that the parents want to (or already have) adopted. USCIS looks to ensure that the child meets the United States' legal definition of an orphan, that the adoption was legal and that all of the paperwork is in order.

The I600 can be submitted locally, at the same office that the parents submitted their I600A, or it can be submitted to an Embassy in the country that the child is living. The procedure with submitting the I600 varies with the different adoption programs.

Immigration can be a frustrating part of the adoption process. Each office seems to have their own way of doing things and their own idea of what an acceptable timeframe is to process applications.

You can find the necessary forms to download, the fees (ouch), poverty guidelines and the local USCIS office for where you live, including their contact information, here on the USCIS site.

I have written several posts that give detailed information on the immigration aspect of your adoption, including how to fill out the forms, how to get your approvals as quickly as possible and lots of other good info. You can find those posts here.