[stephandmano]

Hi,
My husband and I are hoping to adopt a child from Sri Lanka (his country of origin) and we have lots of questions about the paperwork in the U.S. Luckily for us my husband has relatives in Sri Lanka who are helping us on that end.

How does one begin this process of international adoption in the U.S.? We have looked at the USCIS web site and read about advance processing. We have many questions:
1. Should we get the form/application off the internet or go through an agency?
2. Home Study-is there anyway to get one of these done without spending $2,000?
3. Do we need an attorney in the U.S. to help us with paperwork or procedures?
4. How long does an application stay current/valid?
5. Are there other things we need to be aware of ?

Any help or information you could share with us would be helpful as we currently feel pretty lost.

Thanks,
Stephanie and Manoj

[schroeder]

I cant help much but I can tell you that you must have an approved homestudy to submit to USCIS. Your I-600 will not be approved without the homestudy. Our homestudy cost $2500 plus we will do 4 post placements at $400 a pop.

Good luck

[JuliannaTeresa]

Without a Homestudy all the I-600 will do if submitted is sit in a pile. Fingerprints need to be re- submitted in 15 months and the application 18 months.

You can get a Homestudy through any Licensed Social Worker.
The problem with doing this is with time you are not exclusively theirs. You are one of multiple cases who are prioritized! The Homestudy is also a very critical process, and worth the money spent!

Most Homestudy Agencies handle the legal work which would involve an Attorney.

Also don't look at it as it is luck that you have Family in Sri Lanka.
It's how the Adoption proceeds in both Countries that is the issue here!

[stephandmano]

Thanks for the information. I feel like I have a better idea of how to at least get started in this process. Seems like the first item on my to do list needs to be the HomeStudy!
Thanks,
Stephanie

[sak9645]

... regularly works with Sri Lanka. It is Adoption Service Information Agency in Silver Spring, Maryland. The agency has an excellent reputation for ethical conduct and good service to families and children, and I used it for my China adoption.

You might want to call ASIA about its Sri Lanka program. It might be just what you need. As a client of ASIA, it could help you with both the Sri Lankan aspect of the process and the U.S. portion.

If you use an agency, you won't need an attorney for the adoption, though you may need one if you have to readopt in your state afterwards.

I really do recommend using an agency, even if your husband is Sri Lankan. As an example, just because a child resides in an orphanage doesn't necessarily mean that he/she qualifies for immigration to the U.S. on an adoption visa; an agency can help you identify a child that DOES meet the U.S. definition of an "eligible orphan" under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, and that is also adoptable under Sri Lankan law. It may also be better equipped than the average layperson to help you find a child whose health status is acceptable to you and to also help you navigate the Sri Lankan government's adoption process.

The fees for a homestudy vary by state. A lot depends on things like the normal hourly rate for a social worker in your particular part of the country, how far she will have to travel from his/her office to your home for the home visit, how complex the content of a homestudy must be in your state, and so on. Everyone who adopts must have a homestudy; there's no way around it. Just be sure to find one that is familiar with the requirements of international adoption, as the homestudy report will go not only to your state, but also to the USCIS and Sri Lanka.

Sharon

[willowbeads]

Your homestudy is definitely your most important step, and like Sharon said, you need to make sure you choose a social worker with a good background in international adoption. Take the time to check with different agencies, though. I can tell you we paid no where near $2500 for our homestudy and our SW did a great job. I think some of it depends on where you live, too. For one thing, I'm in the Midwest where things tend to be less expensive than on the coasts, and our SW didn't have to travel very far to our home. Anyway, just check out all avenues.

Best of luck

[jhscats]

We live in Tennessee and used a local agency for our homestudy. The fee was $1,000. We were very pleased with them. If I were you, I would shop around some more. $2,500 sounds a little high.

[stephandmano]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for the helpful information. I have already contacted the ASIA agency that works with Sri Lanka! Sharon thanks for the information on that agency. I am also currently checking into other agencies/social workers to get a better picture of my options regarding a HomeStudy.
After reading all your e-mails I feel really hopeful.
Thanks for your support,
Stephanie

[paperchasingmom]

I was glad to see Sharon's post--it was very informative....

The one thing that is MOST important FIRST is to find out how Sri Lanka does their adoptions....meaning, can you adopt any child, a child that you know--which would be called a "pre-identified" child, or no, they do not allow that and they themselves, the country, chooses or matches you to the child, which would be referred to as a non-identified child (for now)....

Unfortunately, you need to find this out first before you even do a homestudy or your BCIS paperwork....we speak from experience, we learned the hard way....

Example, the I600 form USUALLY is for a child that is ALREADY "pre-identified" meaning you know who the child is---typically, most countries pick the child for you, therefore the I600 "A" form is what you would fill out FIRST. That form basically approves you, as a family, to adopt internationally from the country of your choice....you still get your fingerprinting done at this time, for this application too, after they receive your application. They will send you a letter confirming they've received your application and they will then schedule your fingerprinting.....

For that form, you can submit it w/o your homestudy but I would only suggest you doing that when you're close to having your homestudy completed....for you will need to send in the homestudy quickly to go with your form....they do need the homestudy before fingerprinting.

I'm glad you called that adoption agency for help....they should be able to tell you alot...did they tell you if the country picks the child for you or are you allowed to find a birthmother yourself or know of a child and adopt THAT PARTICULAR CHILD.....that's crucial....

Depending on that answer, depends on what form you fill out for BCIS....

PLUS, you need to find out if Sri Lanka REQUIRES you to use an AUTHORIZED U.S. Adoption Agency....that's another thing....we went private with attorneys for our country only to find out our country DOESN'T ALLOW THAT, and now we're backtracking and going through an agency....more time lost....

Unfortunately, in the beginning we hired counsel both here and in the country we were adopting from and neither knew what they were doing and we lost about 5 months of precious time.....

Plus, the adoption agency here in the U.S. might require you to choose a social worker from a particular set of "approved" social workers that do homestudies for them....that's something else too.....

We went and did our homestudy through a private, licensed, clinical social worker ONLY to have to have it REDONE through an adoption agency that works with our country....More time wasted....

So key questions:

Does Sri Lanka require you to use an adoption agency here in the U.S.? or can you use attorneys only? (I would call Sri Lanka government yourself too, just to be sure....)

Also, do THEY (Sri Lanka) match the child to you or can you pick a child that you know of already, a "pre-identified" child---this matters for your BCIS paperwork....I600A if THEY match, remember, you do this first to approve you as a family, even when you don't know who the child is. Once you get that approval, approved as a family, and you get your child matched to you, THEN you fill out the I600 form which then approves that PARTICULAR child.

If you get to choose a particular child that you know of already, THEN you would do the I600 only....

Also, check out the BCIS website. It has tremendous information on it....I'd print the pages out to keep as a reference.

Hope this helps....I know it's confusing and sounds overwhelming, but, important thing is, know what you have to know and do first, and do those things right, so everything else can proceed correctly.....hopefully it will save you ALOT of time....time which we wish we could have saved.....

Keep us posted on your journey.

Blessings to you and your family,

Melody

[stephandmano]

Hi Melody,
Thanks so much for the information. I have been wondering about the pitfalls and your e-mail really gave me some insight on what to look out for. It's also helped me realize not to rush and get my paperwork etc. done until I really understand the requirements of both countries.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Stephanie

[Tawnya]

Originally Posted by stephandmano

Hi,
My husband and I are hoping to adopt a child from Sri Lanka (his country of origin) and we have lots of questions about the paperwork in the U.S. Luckily for us my husband has relatives in Sri Lanka who are helping us on that end.

How does one begin this process of international adoption in the U.S.? We have looked at the USCIS web site and read about advance processing. We have many questions:
1. Should we get the form/application off the internet or go through an agency?
2. Home Study-is there anyway to get one of these done without spending $2,000?
3. Do we need an attorney in the U.S. to help us with paperwork or procedures?
4. How long does an application stay current/valid?
5. Are there other things we need to be aware of ?

Any help or information you could share with us would be helpful as we currently feel pretty lost.

Thanks,
Stephanie and Manoj

Stephandmano, what is the update regarding your adoption in Sri Lanka? We had heard that it is very difficult. We noticed that ASIA adoption agency in USA terminated their S.L. adoption program. My husband is also from Sri Lanka; however, we are going through India for adoption.

[Hopeful!]

Yeah I'd love to hear an update. Sri Lanka is one of the countries I would love to adopt from in the future, if possible - I am just drawn to it for some reason, but it seems that adoptions to the U.S are neither common nor easy . . .


Anyhow, I hope it all worked out for you !