Homestudy
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THE PAPER CHASE
The amount of paperwork necessary to carry out an international
adoption can seem rather overwhelming at times. However, if you
break it down, and follow a planned and focused set of steps,
it's all quite manageable. Much of the confusion stems from the
fact that there are really at least three separate, but overlapping
sets of paperwork required (your dossier, I-171H, and your homestudy).
Understanding that will make the entire process a little more
comprehensible.
Ultimately, in order to adopt your child, you need to send your
dossier, with all the required documents notarized, certified
and authenticated, to the child's country.
Two (2) of the documents you need as part of the dossier,
the I-171H form from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization
Service) and the homestudy, from a state licensed agency (or
social worker through an agency) in your home state, have their
own paper work requirements.
Your Dossier
Every document in your dossier, with the exception
of those noted in the list below (pictures of yourselves, passport
pages, naturalization certificate) must be notarized, certified
and authenticated.
One clarification to the above statement: When you receive an
original birth or marriage certificate (for example), it comes
with a raised seal, or with authentication which makes it an
original document. Birth certificates, marriage certificates
and divorce decrees are the most common documents that come this
way. These documents do not need to be notarized, since, in essence,
they have bypassed the notary level. Because of the raised seal
(or whatever makes it an "original"), these documents
are often referred to as 'certified'. This is not the same "certified"
that we mean. These documents still need to have 'the great seal
of the state' (which is what we mean by "certified")
just like all the other dossier documents, prior to authentication.
The 'original' document always needs the 'great seal of the state' for the state from which it was issued. The fact that the word 'certified' is applied to two steps of the process with certain documents is often confusing! If you have any questions at all, or are unsure if this affects any of your documents, contact us at World Child.
Listed below are all the documents required by World Child
to be included in your dossier:
1.Your Dossier
2.The I-171H
3.Your Homestudy
I-171H
This is extremely important document that you'll receive
from the INS. You do not fill this form out. It will be sent
to you when the INS finishes processing your I-600A form and
the other documents required for your I-171H. It has its own
list of required documentation.
Documents required to complete your I-171H:
I-600A / Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition
(1)
FD-258 / ORP Fingerprint card, Orphan (4 / 2 each)
ER-750 / EFC Notice of INS Copies policy (1)
M-249 / Notice to Prospective Adopting Parents (1) - Informational
N-643 / Application for Certificate of Citizenship in behalf
of an Adopted Child (1)
I-600 / Petition to Classify Orphan as an immediate relative
ER-739 / HARI-600 Notice - Informational
It's important to realize that though it is required, the homestudy
does not have to be submitted at the same time as the rest of
the documentation. Therefore, as soon as you have all of the
documents required to begin the INS processing (they are listed
below), with the exception of the homestudy, put them, and a
cover letter, in a large envelope and mail it (registered, at
least), or hand deliver it to your local INS office. The address
should be in the packet you received from the INS.
Listed below are the additional documents you need to submit
to the INS.
Birth Certificate(s) (1 each)
Proof of Current Marital Status
Divorce Decree (if applicable)
Homestudy