Instructions For Form I-600 - Petition To Classify Orphan As An Immediate Relative (Page 3 of 14) in pdf

Adoption abroad - child not seen by at least one parent, or not adopted by both parents

If the child was adopted abroad, but you or your spouse (if married) did not personally see and observe the child

before or during the adoption proceedings, the child will be considered to be coming to the United States for adoption.

You will then need to either adopt the child anew in your state of residence or take whatever steps may be required by

your state of residence to recognize the foreign adoption.

Also, if you are married and you and your spouse did not jointly adopt the child abroad, the child will be considered to

be coming to the United States for adoption, and the spouse who did not adopt abroad will need to adopt the child in

the United States.

5. Pre-adoption requirements

If the orphan has not been adopted abroad, or if the child will be considered to be coming to the United States for

adoption, you and your spouse (if married) must establish that:

You and your spouse will adopt the child in the United States; and

Any pre-adoption requirements of the state of the orphan's proposed residence in the United States have been met.

General Instructions

USCIS provides forms free of charge through the USCIS website. In order to view, print, or fill out our forms, you should

use the latest version of Adobe Reader, which you can download for free at

Signature. Each petition must be properly signed and filed. All signatures must be original. USCIS will not accept a

photocopy of a signed petition or a typewritten name in place of a signature. A power of attorney is also not sufficient for

USCIS purposes. If you are under 14 years of age, your parent or legal guardian may sign the petition on your behalf. A

legal guardian also may sign for a mentally incompetent person.

Filing Fee. Each petition must be accompanied by the appropriate filing fee and biometric services fee (if applicable).

(See the What Is the Filing Fee? section of these instructions.)

Evidence. At the time of filing, you must submit all evidence and supporting documentation listed in the Initial Evidence

section of these instructions.

Biometric Services Appointment. USCIS may require that you appear for an interview or provide fingerprints,

photograph, and/or signature at any time to verify your identity, obtain additional information, and conduct background

and security checks, including a check of criminal history records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,

before making a decision on your petition. After USCIS receives your petition and ensures it is complete, we will inform

you in writing if you need to attend a biometric services appointment. If an appointment is necessary, the notice will

provide you the location of your local or designated USCIS Application Support Center (ASC) and the date and time of

your appointment. If you, your spouse (if married), or an adult member of your household fail to attend the biometric

services appointment, USCIS may deny your petition. For petitioners residing abroad, see the Note for Petitioners

Residing Abroad below.

As part of USCIS' biometric services requirements, the following persons must be fingerprinted for this petition:

You and your spouse (if married); and

2. Each adult member of your household 18 years of age or older (Note: This may also include any person who has not

yet reached his or her 18th birthday, or who does not actually live at the same residence, but whose presence in your

residence is relevant to your and your spouse's suitability to adopt, as determined by USCIS).

If necessary, USCIS may also take a photograph and signature of those named above as part of the biometric services

requirement.

Note for Petitioners Residing in the United States: After you file your petition, USCIS will notify each person in

writing of the time and ASC location where he or she must go for biometric services.

Form I-600 Instructions 12/23/16 N

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