Instructions For Form M-738 - Hague Home Study Tip Sheet For Adoption Service Providers And Prospective Adoptive Parents

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Hague Home Study Tip Sheet For Adoption Service Providers and
Prospective Adoptive Parents
USCIS
Department of Homeland Security
Form M-738
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received many questions about documentation and specific
material that needs to be included in the home study required for Hague Adoption Convention (Hague) cases. While
USCIS is not able to specifically advise what language should be included in a Hague home study, this tip sheet will
provide adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents (PAP) guidance for some of the areas where there
have been many questions.
All names and information provided in this tip sheet are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is
purely coincidental. Furthermore, this tip sheet is a guide to help home studies meet USCIS Hague requirements, and in
the event of any discrepancies between these tips, and the laws and regulations, the laws and regulations are overriding.
Tips to Avoid a Processing Delay
1. All home studies must be conducted by an accredited agency, temporarily accredited agency, approved person,
exempted provider, supervised provider, or public domestic authority (see definition of home study preparer in 8 CFR
204.301). Additionally, a home study must always be reviewed and approved by an accredited agency except in the
case of a home study that was actually conducted by a public domestic authority. For a complete list of accredited
agencies, visit the following Web site:
2. The home study must be reviewed by the accredited agency (or public domestic or foreign authority) and signed no
more than six months before submission to USCIS and will include a complete evaluation of the suitability of the
PAP to adopt a child from a Hague country. The home study preparer should include the following information in the
home study:
A. Identity information on the PAP and members of their household;
B. Identity of any other adult members of the household and their dates of birth; and
C. Any other identity requirements that must be included in the home study according to your State requirements.
Check with your State adoption authorities.
3. Include a summary of the contacts that the preparer has had with the prospective adoptive family and state the number
of interviews and visits, the participants, and date and location of those contacts.
In order to meet USCIS requirements, at least one in- home visit is required. See examples below:
Example 1:
Contacts with the Family
Adoption Agency Pre-Adoption Workshop/Couple Interview -
February 15, 2008, Adoption Agency Headquarters
Initial Home Visit/Couple Interview-February 20, 2008
Individual Interview with Susan Smith - February 20, 2008 -
local restaurant
Example 2:
“The home study preparer first interviewed Bradley and Susan Smith at the home study preparer’s office in City X,
State Y, on December 1, 2008. The home study preparer first interviewed them together for about half an hour, and
then met with each of them separately for about 15 minutes each.
The home study preparer then interviewed them again at their home in City Z, State Y, on December 8, 2008. No
other individuals were present for this home visit. There are no other members of their household.”
Form M-738 Instructions 07/27/09 N
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