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As of April 1, 2008, the US immigration rules on international adoptions changed dramatically as the US joined the Hague Convention on Intracountry adoptions. The US Department of State has since launched a new website, Adoption.state.gov , that is intended to act as a central resource for adoptive parents, adoption agencies and others involved in the adoption process. If US citizens are adopting a child from a country that has also signed the Hague Convention, then a new I-800 process is required to process US immigration status for the child. This process is complicated and it is extremely important to work with a Hague approved provider from the very start of a case.
If the sending country has not signed the Hague Convention, then the previous categories of I-600 orphan adoption and Immediate Relative petition for adopted child still apply. Each of these categories requires careful analysis, and we strongly recommend a consultation with an attorney or accredited agency for anyone who is considering an international adoption. The following is a rough guide to the new Hague Convention process for seeking Immigration Status for an adopted child in the United States. This guide is intended to show a general path only, NOT as legal advice as there are many important details and options that could not be captured in a simple timeline: 1. US prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) obtain a homestudy through an accredited agency- or certified under 22 CFR 96 and 8 CFR 204.301 that set the rules for Hague accredited home study providers). 2. PAPs file I-800A. Before I-800A approval, written findings by Central Authority and birth parent consents, PAPs cannot have any form of contact with the child's parents, legal custodian, or other individual or entity who was responsible for the child's care. 3. I-800A approval notice, home study and supporting documents are sent to Central Authority. 4. The Central Authority in the sending country (http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=authorities.listing) refers a child to the PAPs, with medical and social worker reports and its written findings about the status of the child, including that it is in the child's best interest to be adopted internationally, that all consents have been freely given after appropriate counseling, and that no money or other kind of "inducement" have passed to get the consents. Consent to adoption must be obtained only by agency or individual authorized under the Hague Convention, Section 404(a)(1) and (c) of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-279, 114 Stat. 825; 22 CFR 96.2. 5. PAPs accept the referral. 6. PAPs file I-800. 7. I-800 is provisionally approved, and forwarded to US consular post near the child's residence 8. PAPs file visa application for the child. 9. US consular officer provides provisional approval of I-800, and transmits "Article Five letter" to the Central Authority 10. The adoption can then be finalized 11. PAPs take the final adoption decree back to the consular officer for final approval of the I-800 and green card. 12. Child enters the US, and automatically becomes a US citizen under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 The International Adoption Sourcebook, Dan H. Berger, Editor-in-Chief, is a comprehensive resource covering international adoption issues. It provides guidance on - Intercountry adoption
- Habitual residency
- Visas for children
- U.S. citizenship for adopted children
- Immigration alternatives to adoption
- and more!
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International Adoption 
