The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is the federal government agency responsible for approving immigration to the U.S. by people from other countries.  Children adopted internationally are granted immigrant visa's so that they may legally enter the U.S. and be eligible for U.S. citizenship.  For this reason, the USCIS is involved with every international adoption completed by U.S. adopters.  The USCIS approves your family's eligibility for international adoption by ascertaining your citizenship, reviewing your home study, and checking your criminal history.  The USCIS then ultimately approves you for adoption of a specific child once the child has been identified.  The procedure for obtaining USCIS approval for your adoption is fairly straightforward and involves the simultaneous submission of a USCIS I-800A (Application for Determination of Suitability as Adoptive Parent(s) for a Convention Adoptee), supporting vital records, and a home study. 

• Proof of U.S. citizenship, most often in the form of a birth certificate (for married couples, at least one spouse must be a U.S. citizen)

• Fingerprints for each adult household member.  (after receiving your application, the USCIS will send you an appointment to have your fingerprints  taken and they are then submitted to the FBI for clearance)

• Proof of marriage and previous divorces (if applicable)

• The application fee (currently $830.00) - includes 2 adult finger prints

• Home study

Once these documents have been submitted, the USCIS will make a determination of your eligibility to adopt internationally. 

Once a child has been identified and prior to your adoption of the child, an I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative will be filed with the USCIS along with the child's legal documents.  These legal documents usually include a birth certificate, a medical report, any social history that is available, and proof of legal eligibility for adoption.  In processing the I-800 form, USCIS assesses the eligibility of a child who habitually resides in a Hague Convention country as a Convention adoptee.   Form I-800 and supporting evidence are required for USCIS to determine the child’s eligibility for classification as a Convention adoptee.  Upon review and approval, a final approval for immigration of the child will be granted by the USCIS. 

La Vida files and monitors USCIS applications on behalf of each of  our clients.

La Vida International 
150 S. Warner Rd., Suite 144, King of Prussia, PA 19406
Phone: 610.688.8008 Fax: 610.688.8028
Birth parents may call collect
e-mail: info@lavida.org web: www.lavida.org
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