Are there special requirements for intercountry adoptions?
U.S. immigration laws require that prospective adoptive parents be married or, if single, at least 25 years old. The adoptive parents must file an Orphan Petition (Form I-600) with the agency now known as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS, formerly called the INS), to show that the child’s parents have died, disappeared, or abandoned the child, or that one remaining parent is not able to care for the child and consents to the child’s adoption and immigration to the U.S. If there are two known parents, the child will not qualify as an orphan under any circumstances. Along with the Orphan Petition, you will need to submit a number of other documents, including a favorable home study report. If USCIS approves the petition, and there are no disqualifying factors such as a communicable disease, the child can be issued an immigrant visa. Much of the paperwork for an international adoption can be completed even before you have identified a specific child to adopt. Advance prepa
