First off, you have to make sure that the child will qualify for immigration. Not all children, even relatives' children, do.
The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act states that an adoption visa may be given only to children who qualify as "eligible orphans." An eligible orphan, under the terms of the Act is:
"...a foreign child who does not have any parents because of the death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, separation from or loss of, both parents. An orphan can also be a foreign-born child with a sole or surviving parent who is unable to provide for the child's basic needs, and who has, in writing, irrevocably released the child for emigration and adoption."
To put it in plain English, an eligible orphan, under the terms of the Act, is one who is NOT living with married parents -- or with unmarried parents living together, in a country that recognizes common law marriage. Basically, the child is eligible if he/she meets one of the following criteria:
a) Has been abandoned, and is living in an orphanage or other setting, without any contact with the biological parents.
b) Has had both parents die.
c) Is living with a single parent, who cannot afford to raise the child at a level customary in the foreign country. (Note: it is not enough that the child is being raised differently from the way he/she would be raised in the U.S.)
d) Has been irrevocably relinquished by his/her parents and is living in an orphanage or other setting, without any contact with the biological parents.
e) Has been taken from his/her parents by a recognized court of law in the foreign country, and is living in an orphanage or other setting with no contact with the biological parents.
Note that children have been declared not eligible fi they are living with one biological parent and his/her new husband/common law spouse, even if the new husband has not formally adopted the child.
If the child you wish to adopt does NOT meet the orphan definition, the only way to bring the child to the U.S. would be for you to live overseas with the child for two years, and then apply for a regular visa for him/her.
Second, you will have to make sure that you can adopt the child under the laws of Belize. You can get some information on the adoption laws of Belize at the U.S. State Department website. Go to
http://travel.state.gov. Click on "Children and Family" at the top of the page. Then click on "Country Specific Information on the left side of the page. Then click on Belize in the country list.
If you are sure that your child will meet the requirements of the orphan definition, or if you "think" you might have a chance, the best way to proceed is to contact a reputable adoption/immigration attorney in your state. (It is not necessary to work through an adoption agency, as most agencies work mainly with non-relative adoption.)
As you guessed, you will need a homestudy done by a provider legally qualified to do them in your state. Your attorney can refer you to someone. Or you can simply contact an adoption agency and ask for a homestudy for international relative adoption.
You will also need to have the USCIS approve you and your spouse as parents, and the child as an eligible orphan. Your attorney will probably advise you to split this process into two tasks:
a) The I-600A, which you submit to the USCIS with your homestudy report and some other documents. This process approves you as people qualified to bring an orphan to the U.S.
b) The I-600, which you usually submit at the U.S. Embassy overseas, after you either finalize an adoption under Belizean law or receive guardianship of the child under Belizean law, and are seeking a visa for the child.
In some cases, an attorney will have you roll the two processes into one.
Do remember that you really should consult an AMERICAN attorney. He/she will probably need to work with a Belizean attorney on the court process overseas. However, a Belizean attorney is NOT going to be knowledgeable about USCIS requirements, and you don't want to wind up adopting a child whom you can't bring into the U.S.
Sharon