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Intercountry Infant Waiting Child

 

INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION - HOW TO GET STARTED

There are a number of steps required in completing an International adoption.  The basic steps are as follows:

The Home Study

Every prospective adoptive parent must have a home study completed by a state-licensed agency. A typical home study involves a minimum of three visits between the family and their home study worker, one of which must take place in the family's home. In addition, coordinators²inc requires attendance at two additional educational workshops during the study process. Immigration clearance (USCIS clearance) is contingent upon the recommendation for approval by your home study agency. The home study process with coordinators²inc involves submitting an initial application. Once received, a social worker will contact you within two weeks to schedule your first home study meeting. Typically, a home study takes 2-4 months to complete. Rush service is available for an additional fee. We believe the home study process is an opportunity to educate and assist families as they prepare to become adoptive parents, for every family is a potentially valuable resource for one of our children. There may be additional requirements from the agency that is providing your referral and in country services AND/OR from the country from which you hope to adopt. Please be aware before you begin your home study process of any additional requirements or expectations from the referral agency and foreign country. We can assist families in gaining this information if necessary.

Application to USCIS to Adopt a Foreign-Born Child

An application must be made to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS –formerly known as the INS). This is done by completing and submitting an I-800A or I-600A form, depending on whether you are adopting from a Hague Convention country. You may obtain this form by calling 1-800-870-3676 and requesting an appropriate packet. You may also download the form and accompanying instructions at: http://uscis.gov/. Submittal of FBI fingerprints is part of this process and is a separate process from the fingerprints you will submit for your home study assessment. Once your completed home study is received by USCIS and your fingerprints are submitted, the typical time to approval is 6-10 weeks. Please consult your social worker if you have any questions at all about how to fill out this form, as it must be accurate and complete to avoid delay in processing.

Completion of a Dossier

Families adopting a foreign-born child must submit a completed dossier to their placing agency, which will then be forwarded to the country you have selected for adoption. A dossier is simply a packet of legal paperwork on your family, submitted to the foreign court on your behalf, in order to comply with the country's legal adoption process. Many of the documents include vital record documents (birth, marriage, divorce decrees); therefore, it is prudent to obtain several certified copies of each document ahead of time. Consult with your placing agency about the dossier process and how much support and assistance they will be able to offer you. Every country has different requirements for what is included in the dossier and how many copies are required.

Referral and Placement of a Child

Depending on the country you chose to adopt from, your referral of a child may come only after your dossier is completed and submitted or may come at the submission of the dossier. A referral simply means written and visual information on an available child, usually in the form of medical, developmental, and social information as well as photos of the child. During the referral and placement process of your adoption, you will be working closely with your placing agency. However, your coordinators²inc social worker will stay in contact with you and provide support and assistance whenever possible. We may also be in touch with your placing agency to be sure that the process is moving forward appropriately and to offer assistance to them as well.

Post-Legal Services

Both your state of residence and your child's birth country require some form of post-placement supervision. This entails visits with your home study worker for a period of time following your arrival home with your child as well as submittal of supervision reports to adoption officials in your child's birth country. In addition, coordinators²inc can assist families with the steps required for a re-finalization of your child's adoption in the U.S. Most importantly, should your family encounter future challenges related to adoption issues and need more intensive assistance, coordinators²inc has a family-support component which provides direct support to families as well as valuable information and referral resources as the family seeks assistance best suited to their particular situation.