INTRODUCTION

International adoption is the process by which you:

• Adopt a child from a different country than your own through permanent legal means.
• Bring that child to your home country to live with you permanently.
• Through international adoption, the legal transfer of parental rights from birth parent(s) to another parent(s) takes place.

Generally speaking, for immigration purposes the adopted child has the same rights and privileges as a child by birth (such as inheritance rights, etc.).

International Adoption is just one of several ways to build your family. In most cases, international adoptions are finalized in the country of origin, so once you come home with your child he or she is already legally yours. There are a number of countries that work with U.S. couples hoping to adopt, so identifying which country works best for your family is usually the first step you would take when moving forward.