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Thailand Adoption Information |  |
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Homeland Security | |
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Immigrant Visa Section | |
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The Immigrant Visa Interview | |
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U.S. Immigrant Visa InformationThe Department of Homeland SecurityThe immigrant visa process for the U.S. can seem a bit overwhelming at first. But just like the application to adopt, it can be conquered by going one step at a time. The process for your immigrant visa begins when you submit an I-600 with the Dept of Homeland Security in Bangkok. However, both you and your spouse must be fingerprinted at the DHS at least two weeks prior to submitting the I-600. Your fingerprints are captured electronically and the results need to be returned to the DHS before submitting the I-600. This biometric service is free for persons living in Thailand. However, you will need to pay a fee of US$670 for the I-600. Instruction for the I-600 can be found here. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS)(Formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)) Tel. 02-205-5352 NOTE: Adoptive parents who live in Thailand must finalize the adoption under Thai law before applying for an immigrant visa for their child. However, you may begin preparing the paperwork for the immigrant visa application prior to finalizing the adoption. NOTE: The immigrant visa expires three months after the date of issue. Make sure your travel plans are set before asking the consular unit to issue the visa. How to Submit the I-600 formThe main document needed for the immigrant visa process is the I-600 "Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative". The I-600 instruction form is here. Adoptive parents living in Thailand do not need to submit an I-600A. Filling out the form is easy, but there are several supporting documents that need to be submitted with it. All documents that are not in English must be accompanied by an English translation from a certified translation agent. I recommend A.C.Service, located close by the USCIS offices. A. Proof of U.S. citizenship of the petitioner. You must submit a copy of your original birth certificate. B. Proof of marriage of petitioner and spouse. You must submit a copy of your original marriage license. C. Proof of age of orphan. You must submit a copy of your child's birth certificate. If it is not obtainable, submit an explanation together with the best available evidence of birth. NOTE: We do not have a copy of our son's birth certificate as he was not born in a hospital. We submitted a copy of his Thai passport, a letter from Pakkred Children's home stating he was in their care and a letter from a provincial official stating that there was no official record of his birth. Both of these letters were arranged for us by our DSDW social worker. She knew what we needed in place of his birth certificate when we filed the I-600 form. D. Copies of the death certificates of your child's birth parents, if applicable. E. A certified copy of the Thailand adoption decree together with certified translation. As noted above, you must finish your thailand adoption process before applying for an immigrant visa. F. Evidence that the sole or surviving birth parent is incapable of providing for your child's care. G. Evidence that your child has been unconditionally abandoned to an orphanage. NOTE: The final adoption decree from Thailand is evidence for items F and G. H. Evidence that the preadoption requirements, if any, of the state of your residence have been met, if the child is to be adopted in the U.S. NOTE: Our stateside address is Pennsylvania and there were not any issues preventing us from receiving an immigrant visa. I. Home Study - The home study is an indepth document about the prospective adoptive parents. Many of the documents required for the DSDW Thailand adoption application are also required for this home study. Here is a list of the required documents for the home study. NOTE: The home study which was done by the DSDW for the Thailand adoption application does not qualify as a supporting document when applying for an immigrant visa. The only agency in Thailand authorized to complete a home study for the I-600 is Holt-Sahathai Foundation in Bangkok. They complete the home study on behalf of Holt International Children's Services, Inc . They can be contacted at: 850/33 Soi Pridi Panomyong 36, Sukhumvit 71 Rd., Watthana, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 023-818-834, 023-811-318, 023-929-397 Fax. 023-818-837 Once your I-600 is submitted and reviewed, you, your spouse and child will be interviewed by a DHS agent. The agent will then let you know whether or not your I-600 will be approved. Upon approval, you will receive a letter of said approval from the USCIS and your case will be forwarded to the immigrant visa section of the U.S. embassy. Then you will receive another round of paperwork for actual issuance of an immigrant visa for your child to enter the United States next page.. |