Home Study Paperwork Path for International Adoption

STEP 1  PAPERWORK TO START THE HOME STUDY

1.     Copy of Driver's License or State ID Father
2.     Copy of Driver's License or State ID Mother
3.     Local Police Precinct clearance Father (must be notarized by police station)
4.     Local Police Precinct  clearance Mother (must be notarized by police station)
5.     Set of fingerprints for each family member 13 and older for home study file
6.     Copy of Birth certificate Father
7.     Copy of Birth certificate Mother
8.     Copy of Marriage certificate
9.     Copy of any Divorce degree(s)
10.     Physicians Health Report Father ( form received at intake interview)
11.     Physicians Health Report Mother ( form received at intake interview)
12.     Medical insurance coverage letter-per the Affidavit of Responsibility.  (This is a letter from your medical insurance carrier  that states you are covered and a child will be covered by your  medical insurance from the moment of adoptive placement. It is law that the child is covered but this letter  provides the evidence you have insurance.) 
13.    3 letters of reference from non-relatives.

STEP 2  STARTING THE ADOPTION PROCESS WITH U.S. BUREAU OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES

A.  FINGERPRINTS/INS VISIT/DOCUMENTS FOR BCIS
You need to obtain 3 originals of your documents.
  1. One set will be used by the passport office, if you need to get a passport.
  2. One set will be sent to BCIS and given back to you.
 3. One set will be given to Child Referral Service. This will NOT be returned to you as it will be sent to your child's country.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR I-600A APPLICATION FOR INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS
Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition  You can file the I-600A without having decided where you will adopt yet.   Download the form here:  http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-600A.html 

A.  In order for you, the adoptive parent, to bring a child from another country into the U.S., you must meet immigration laws to be approved as an adoptive parent.  The child you adopt internationally will be a citizen of that country and, therefore, must meet immigration laws for an orphan petition to come to the United States.  For the adoptive parent(s) this requires advance processing of the I-600A application and having all individuals age 18 and older living in your home being fingerprinted and cleared through the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  The process of fingerprint approval can take up to 30 working days from receipt of the home study or more to complete and the home study can be done while this is in process.

Important Notice on Background Checks for BCIS.  
If you have been arrested or charged with any legal infraction (DWI’s, DUI’s, tickets for convictions for any felony or misdemeanor offense or any other record) by a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, BCIS and the home study process will require you to obtain additional information and go through additional steps to determine if you meet the criteria of being a safe and responsible adoptive parent.  In many cases, these issues can be worked through  - the laws require that safe and responsible individuals adopt, but certain legal issues you have encountered  in the past do not necessarily preclude individuals from becoming adoptive parents. You must be open and forthright during the adoption process which helps these to be properly addressed.  However, some adoptive countries may have requirements that might not allow you to adopt from that country so check on that before choosing a country and also discuss these incidents with your child referral service in an open manner.  Remember that BCIS goes back to 18 years of age for their records.

1. Original or certified copies of the arrest record and/or incident report from the law enforcement agency who made the arrest or wrote up the incident.  If the record/report is not available, please provide official or certified documentation from the appropriate law enforcement agency, confirming the unavailability of the record/report.  This documentation must have the original verification from the issuing authority and must not be a photocopy.
2. Original or certified copies of the final disposition from the appropriate county/state/federal court that presided over your case, if applicable.  If the final disposition is not available, please provide official or certified documentation from the appropriate county/state/federal court confirming the unavailability of the disposition.  This documentation must have the original verification from the issuing authority and must not be photocopy.
3. Original or certified copies of documentation that shows you have complied with all the conditions of your sentence/diversion/program/probation if applicable.  If these documents are not available, please provide official or certified documentation from appropriate county/state/federal court confirming the unavailability of the documents.  This documentation must have the original verification from the issuing authority and must not a photocopy.  This information will be addressed in the home study also per BCIS rules.
4. Letter from you explaining the circumstances and the steps and changes you have made in your life regarding this.
   

B.  To get started with the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) (I-600A) for you to be approved to bring an internationally adopted child into the U.S. (I-600-A), you need to fill in the form and provide the following to BCIS by mail.

1. $525 check or money order with $70 for each set of fingerprints payable to Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services 
2. Certified original and photocopy of father’s birth certificate
3. Certified original and photocopy of mother’s birth certificate
4. Certified original and photocopy of marriage certificate (if married)
5. Certified original and photocopy of any divorce decree(s)
6. Certified original and photocopy of any spousal death certificate
BCIS will review the original and return it to you and keep the photocopy.

C.  Apply by mail only to:
Advance Processing I-600A
Immigration and Naturalization Service
2901 Metro Drive-Suite 100
Bloomington, Minnesota  55425

D.  After the form has been processed by BCIS, you will receive a fingerprint appointment date to complete the fingerprints in about a week.  All individuals living in your home 18 years and older must be fingerprinted.  Fingerprints are $70 per set/person.  The fingerprints are scheduled for you  based on where you live Monday through Friday (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Immigration and Naturalization Service, 208 Federal Building, 515 West 1st St. Duluth, MN 55802   or   Tuesday through Saturday (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at  INS Application Support Center, 1360 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
 

Home Study Paperwork Path for Domestic Adoption

STEP 1  PAPERWORK TO START THE HOME STUDY

1.     Copy of Driver's License or State ID Father
2.     Copy of Driver's License or State ID Mother
3.     Local Police Precinct clearance Father (must be notarized by police station)
4.     Local Police Precinct  clearance Mother (must be notarized by police station)
5.     Set of fingerprints for each family member 13 and older for home study file
6.     Copy of Birth certificate Father
7.     Copy of Birth certificate Mother
8.     Copy of Marriage certificate
9.     Copy of any Divorce degree(s)
10.     Physicians Health Report Father ( form received at intake interview)
11.     Physicians Health Report Mother ( form received at intake interview)
12.     Medical insurance coverage letter-per the Affidavit of Responsibility.  (This is a letter from your medical insurance carrier  that states you are covered and a child will be covered by your  medical insurance from the moment of adoptive placement. It is law that the child is covered but this letter  provides the evidence you have insurance.) 
13.    3 letters of reference from non-relatives.