Adopting a Child from P.R.C.

Immigrant Visa Stage

Parents have received China Center for Adoption Affairs' travel permission letter. Their adoption agency sends a copy of the letter to U.S. Consulate Guangzhou's adoption unit and requests a date for an immigrant visa interview. The unit confirms an appointment as close to the date requested as possible (The Consulate strongly recommends parents do not finalize travel plans until their agency has received confirmation of an appointment from the adoptions unit in writing. Failure to secure an appointment in advance of travel to China may mean parents could be unable to leave China for several days or longer, particularly during busy periods).

In addition, adoptive parents should note that since May 31, 2003, FBI fingerprint-based clearances for adoptive parents expire after 15 months. The Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services recommends that prospective adoptive parents who plan to travel abroad to file an I-600 Orphan Petition within 30 days of the expiration of their fingerprint check validity be re-fingerprinted prior to departing the United States. A Citizen and Immigration Services office prints the validity of fingerprint clearances on the I-171H, so most families can find this information on their I-171H, which Citizen and Immigration Services sends after approving a petition. If you do not know the date of your fingerprint clearance, you should check with the Citizen and Immigration Services office where you submitted your fingerprint cards. Click here for a list of Citizen and Immigration Services offices.

Once the adoption agency receives written confirmation from the Consulate of an appointment, the parent(s) may come to China, pick up their new child (or children), complete the formalities of adopting the child from the province where the child lives, and obtain the necessary documentation to support the visa application.

Parents must bring these completed documents, along with passports (of each parent and the newly adopted child), to the Adopted Children's Immigrant Visa Unit during their interview. A consulate packet of information includes the required forms and detailed information:

A.)  Documents that adoptive parents usually obtained in China:

1. Notarial certificate of the birth of the child;
2. Notarial certificate detailing circumstances surrounding the abandonment and subsequent finding of the child by Chinese authorities (with English translation);
3. Unified Adoption Decree issued by Chinese provincial Civil Affair Bureau (and an additional photocopy of the decree with English translation.);
4. Department of State medical evaluation forms
   (Please click here for more information.)
   DS-2053, DS-3024, DS-3025, and DS-3026;
5. Six glossy, unmounted, full-face color photographs of the child. Two of these photos will be given to the Consulate during the child's immigrant visa interview; you or your representative should write the child's Chinese name on the back. Four photos will be given to the hospital when the adopted child has his or her medical evaluation. The photographs should have a white background. The minimum size is 1 1/4" X 1 3/8" and the maximum size is 2" X 2". A "full-face" photo is one in which the applicant is facing the camera directly. Click here for a detailed description.
6. One copy of each adopted child's Chinese passport

B.)  Documents that adoptive parents usually obtained in the United States:

1. Petition to Classify Orphan as Immediate Relative
   Department of Homeland Security Form I-600;
2. Request for and Report on Overseas Orphan Investigation
   Department of Homeland Security Form I-604;
3. One copy of each parent's U.S. passport;
4. Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, Part I and Part II
   Department of State Form DS-230
5. If major household changes have occurred since the parent's I-600A petition approval, such as employment or residence, and/or the family has accepted the referral of a child that does not match the characteristics of the child for which they were approved (number of children, age, gender, or special needs), the parents must obtain an updated I-600A approval from USCIS. The Consulate does not accept home study amendments in lieu of an updated I-600A approval from USCIS.  For more information on how to obtain an updated approval, please click here.
6. If the child will receive an IR-4 visa (two parents are adopting a child and one parent is unable to come to China to register the child), the Consulate will require (1) a certified copy of your most recent federal tax return with supporting financial evidence (such as schedules and W-2 forms), (2) Evidence home state's pre-adoptions requirements have been met and (3) the Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the Act form, Department of Homeland Security Form I-864 / I-864A
   Also see our IR-4 section for additional special requirements for IR-4 visas.
   Ordinarily, the sponsor's signature on the Form I-864 is sufficient to qualify the photocopy or transcript as a "certified" copy. While the Consulate may ask for a sponsor to submit an IRS-certified copy of the tax return, this is an extremely rare occurrence. A person obtains an IRS-certified copy by submitting IRS Form 4506 with the U.S. federal government, and paying the requisite filing fee. Also see here.

C.) Documents usually obtained and/or completed either in the United States or China:
The majority of adoptive parents prepare a signed, notarized statement by one adoptive parent in the United States. This document indicates that he/she will follow up on his/her adopted child's immunizations as required by U.S. immigration law within 30 days of the child's entry to the States. However a number of parents also have the form notarized on the day of their interview (but prior to their appointment time) in U.S. Consulate Guangzhou's American Citizen Services section.

During your child's morning visa interview, you or your adoption facilitator (or adoption agency representative) will submit the paperwork to the Consulate and pay USD $400 (application fee*, issuance fee and new security enhancement surcharge). Parents receive a receipt for their records.

Following a successful visa interview and review of your documents, adopted children qualify for an orphan visa. Due to required security checks, visas cannot be issued until the following day at 4 p.m. At the time, parents will come to the Consulate for a swearing-in session. In 99 percent of cases, visas are ready at that time. Unfortunately, in rare circumstances, security check delays can occur.

* Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for an immigrant visa will increase by US $20.