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NOTE: An accredited agency must review and approve any home study that was not performed by an accredited

agency before it is submitted to USCIS. This requirement does not apply to a home study that was prepared by a

public domestic authority or a public foreign authority. A public domestic authority means an authority operated by a

state, local, or tribal government within the United States. A public foreign authority means an authority operated by

a national or subnational government of a foreign country.

You have one year from the filing date of your application to submit your home study.

If you submit Form I-600A without your home study because your state of residence must review and forward your

home study directly to USCIS, you should select Part 2., Information About Your Home Study Preparer and/or

Adoption Service Provider, Item Number 1, Item B. Do not submit your Form I-600A to USCIS until your state

authority is ready to send your home study to USCIS. If your state authority must review and approve your home

study, but will forward it to you (as opposed to USCIS directly), do not file Form I-600A until that appropriate state

authority has reviewed your home study and you are ready to submit it to USCIS.

If you submit your application without a home study because you indicate that it will be forwarded to USCIS directly

by the state authority, USCIS will send you a notice providing you with the date by which the home study must be

submitted. If the state authority fails to submit the home study by the date specified, USCIS may deny your Form

I-600A. Thus, you or the accredited agency will need to work closely with your state authority to ensure that the

home study is submitted on time.

In all cases, your home study must not be more than six months old when it is submitted to USCIS. If it is more than

six months old, you must include an update or amendment that is not more than six months old.

Home Study Requirements

For a complete description of the requirements for a home study subject to the UAA, see 8 CFR 204.311 and 22 CFR 96.

Home Study Updates and Amendments

Ordinarily, you will not have to submit an updated or amended home study to USCIS unless you are requesting an

extension of your Form I-600A approval or there is a significant change in your household or in the characteristics of the

child you intend to adopt since your home study was completed. Listed below are some examples of significant changes

that require a home study amendment or update. Your adoption service provider can advise you on other changes that

may require an amended or updated home study.

1. Change in marital status. USCIS will automatically revoke an approved Form I-600A if you are an unmarried

applicant who marries or if you are married and your current marriage ends. USCIS will revoke the approval of Form

I-600A without prejudice to filing a new Form I-600A.

If the change in marital status is:

A. While your application is pending, you must submit an updated or amended home study with a new Form

I-600A that reflects your changed marital status and required signatures. No fee is required.

B. After your application has been approved, a new Form I-600A that reflects your new marital status is

required, along with an updated or amended home study. The fee is required. (Note: You could also decide

not to file a new Form I-600A and instead wait to request a suitability and eligibility determination as part of your

Form I-600 petition filing. For more information about such filings, see the filing instructions for Form I-600 on

the USCIS website at )

2. Change of residence including a change in the child's proposed state of residence in the United States. You

must meet any pre-adoption requirements of the new state of proposed residence in the United States in the case of a

child coming to the United States for adoption.

3. Any change in history of arrest, substance abuse, child abuse, and/or family violence, as an offender, for you,

your spouse (if married), or any household member regardless of age.

Form I-600A Instructions 12/23/16 N

Page 7 of 14

Instructions For Form I-600a - Application For Advance Processing Of An Orphan Petition Page 7

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