US Announces Changes to International Adoption in VN
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the USCIS office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam will have sole jurisdiction over all Form I-600s, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, filed on behalf of a Vietnamese child on or after October 29, 2007.
In response to growing concerns about irregularities in the methods used to identify children for adoption in Vietnam and the resulting difficulties in classifying those children as orphans, USCIS will centralize processing of I-600s in Ho Chi Minh City. USCIS encourages prospective adoptive parents to file the I-600 directly with USCIS in Ho Chi Minh City before traveling to Vietnam. This will enable USCIS or Department of State officers to determine whether a child identified in the petition qualifies as an orphan, as defined in Section 101(b)(1)(F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This is important because irregularities that may affect the eligibility of the child for classification as an orphan are becoming apparent only after the adoption has taken place and while the parents and child are awaiting resolution in Vietnam. These circumstances have proven difficult to address or overcome for all parties involved.
Prospective adoptive parents are encouraged to file the Form I-600 with the required supporting evidence, other than the adoption or custody decree, by mail or courier with USCIS, Ho Chi Minh City.This is Vietnam’s way of making their adoption policy in line with international standards and to maintain a safety measure to be consistent in protecting their orphans. Preventing fraudulent claims and maintaining a transparent standard so to encourage international adoption may create some additional paperwork and fees, but the ultimate benefit for these orphans and their potential families makes it worthwhile. On the contrary, dealing with USCIS may mean a prolonged bureaucratic process and unnecessarily extend the time required to adopt a child in desperate need of love and security. Either way, plan accordingly by speaking to a legitimate adoption organization before proceeding.
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