Adoption Pros will provide the detailed instructions for each stage of your adoption process. Each program has its own requirements. The following are some steps common for most international programs:
Start your home study with a licensed adoption agency in your area of residence. At the same time select an agency to process the international part of your adoption. Your home study agency and your international agency may be two different agencies located in different states. Adoption Pros can provide home study services to Michigan residents and also process international adoptions from non-Hague countries nationwide.
Adoptive parents are advised to initiate immigration process as soon as possible. If you are United States citizen, please visit http://adoption.state.gov
The I-600 packet consists of the following forms: Form I-600A, I-600, and instructions. Call Adoption Pros if you need assistance. Mail I-600A form with the appropriate fee per the instructions provided in the packet.
Apply for a passport for yourself and your spouse, if needed. Passport applications can be obtained at any Post Office or downloaded from www.firstgov.gov
Referral of the child will be made by the foreign officials based on the home study recommendation and your application. It usually happens after you submit your international dossier to the foreign authority in charge of adoptions. Many countries require adoptive parents to be personally involved with the matching process in the orphanage.
Travel is required to finalize most international adoptions. The in-country stay depends on the program you choose, and may vary from 10 to 30 days. Your travel may be divided into two separate trips for your convenience. Most countries require that you appear in front of a judge in a court in the orphanage area; some countries allow adoptions by proxy. While some countries may require at least one trip, others want you to travel two or more times. Some countries allow escorting children to the United States. Adoption Pros will advise you on the differences and requirements by foreign countries.
When you complete your adoption you will receive all the documents pertaining to the adoption of your child and the necessary travel documents for the child. Adoption Pros will assist you throughout this process.
An interview with the adoptive parents is required for the child’s visa and entry into the United States. The interview takes place in the US Embassy in the country you are adopting from. In Ukraine it is in Kyiv, in Kazakhstan it is in Almaty, in Uzbekistan it is in Tashkent. Prior to the interview, the child must receive a medical check up at an approved location. Adoption Pros will provide detailed information concerning your travel. It is at the visa interview that the USCIS Form I-600 is used along with other forms. The detailed instructions are provided at http://adoption.state.gov/
U.S. citizens residing in other countries must comply with the entry requirements of the country in which they reside as well as meeting general instructions outlined in this information sheet. Finally, it must be remembered that a child adopted in another country or legally admitted to the parent’s country of residence retains citizenship in the country of birth (some exceptions apply).
