INFORMATION ON I-600 and I-600A



Below you will find some basic info on adoption and adoption related issues.

I-600-Pertains to International Adoption

Form I-600 Once the adoptive parents have identified a particular child or children they wish to adopt, they must file a form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative (blue form). The I-600 is a petition to approve the adopted child as an orphan eligible to immigrate to the United States. A visa cannot be issued unless a valid, signed I-600 has been submitted on behalf of the child. If the adoptive parents already have an approved I-600A on file at the Embassy or Consulate, the I-600 should be filed at the same location. The I-600 must be signed by each adopting parent. If one parent remains in the United States during the adoption process, or returns to the U.S. without going to the Embassy or Consulate, that parent must complete and sign the I-600 after the child has been identified. The signed I-600 should be brought to the Embassy or Consulate by the other parents to be submitted. As an alternative, the I- 600 can be mailed to the Embassy or Consulate. The fastest (and safest) way to send a document to a foreign country is by one of the express courier services. Please note that one parent cannot sign the I-600 for another parent even with a power of attorney. An I-600 which was signed before a particular child was identified is invalid and cannot be accepted.

HOW TO GET STARTED: FORM I-600A

The I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (orange form), is a form which allows prospective adoptive parents to receive advance approval to adopt abroad before a specific child has been located. The I-600A should be filed with the local office of the INS in the U.S. before going to the foreign country, when the prospective parents know that they wish to adopt a foreign child but have not yet located a particular child to adopt. Prospective adopting parents should make sure that the INS sends notice of approval of the I-600A to the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate. An approved I-600A is valid for 18 months from the date of approval. When the Embassy or Consulate has a current I-600A on file, the processing for an orphan visa is normally done at that location. The INS approves prospective adoptive parents to adopt a specified number of children based on the homestudy. Therefore, the INS approval received by the Embassy or Consulate will state that the adopting parents are approved for one child, two or more children, a sibling group, and so on, as applicable. They can only issue immigrant visas to the number of children the adopting parents have been pre-approved for. If adopting parents wish to adopt more children than they have been pre-approved for, they must contact the INS office in the U.S. where they files their I-600A to ascertain whether they can be approved for additional children. In some cases, it may be necessary for the adopting parents to submit an updated homestudy in order to receive approval to adopt additional children. The recommendation is made that prospective adopting parents made sure before they leave the United States that they have INS approval for the number of children they wish to adopt. If prospective adopting parents are residing outside the United States, their I-600A application should be filed with the appropriate overseas office of the INS. The Embassy can provide prospective adoptive parents with information on how this should be done.