Are you considering an international adoption? If so, you are thinking of doing a wonderful thing that will certainly change a child’s life for the better. Every year, thousands of United States’ citizens take the leap and adopt children from other countries, but the U.S. isn’t the only one involved in intercountry adoptions. Non-U.S. citizens who live in other countries also come to our country to adopt children and bring them back to their homes.
An international or intercountry adoption is where a citizen of one country would adopt a child from another country, but he or she would legally adopt the child. All legal requirements must be met in order for the adoption to go through.
Then, the adoptive parent would bring the child back to their country of residence to live with them permanently. After a U.S. citizen adopts a foreign-born child, he or she will need to acquire U.S. citizenship for their son or daughter.
Acquiring U.S. Citizenship for the Child
“It is important to ensure your adopted child becomes a U.S. citizen. If you postpone documenting or obtaining your child’s citizenship, he or she may have difficulty obtaining college scholarships, working legally, voting, and enjoying other rights and privileges,” according to the U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs.
“In some cases, the child might even be subject to deportation,” adds the Department. If you adopt a child from overseas, it’s important to understand that it can be a difficult journey in the legal sense, but an immigration attorney from our firm can navigate you through the adoption process, which involves one of three paths: 1) Hague, 2) orphan (Non-Hague), or 3) the process that applies to permanent residents and U.S. citizens called an Immediate Relative Petition.
For all of your international adoption needs, contact the Plano immigration attorneys at The Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC today!
