When a person starts to think about expanding their families, many of them choose to adopt a child from another country. Making the decision to adopt a child from another country is an admirable one and it can require you to hire an immigration attorney who can assist you in successfully adopting a child and bringing them into the United States.
There are several ways that you can go about adopting a child internationally. It all depends on which country you choose to adopt a child from. Some countries are known as Hague countries and others are not part of this treaty so it is important to determine what steps the country that you choose to adopt from will require you to take. Regardless, you will have to petition to bring the child you are adopting over to the United States. Each country has their own specific restrictions so it is important that you are informed about what you need to do so you don’t run into any unforeseen problems that may slow down or put a stop the adoption altogether.
If you are adopting an orphan who was born internationally, you will have to fill out a petition that will classify the orphan as your immediate relative, in addition to completing the adoption process. It is important to know that if you are unmarried at the time that you want to adopt the child, you must be at least 25 years old. Any person filing Form I-600, the petition to adopt an international orphan, must prove that they will be able to successfully provide care to this child. An orphan is classified as any child who was abandoned by their parents, or whose parents both died.
There are many steps that need to be taken in order to successfully adopt a child from a foreign country. You will want to consult with both an experienced immigration attorney and a family law attorney who handles adoptions in order to have all of the paperwork and information you need during this process.
Cheryl David is an experienced immigration attorney in New York City. If you have questions as to whether you’re eligible to apply for an I-600 permit, please contact the office, and we’d be happy to discuss your situation with you.
