Petition To Classify Orphan As An Immediate Relative {I-600}

I-600 - PETITION TO CLASSIFY ORPHAN AS AN IMMEDIATE RELATIVE. U.S. citizens use this form to request that USCIS classify an orphan as an immediate relative. The U.S. citizen adoptive parent or legal custodian files the petition to finalize the immigration process of a child who is not habitually resident in a Hague Convention country. If you are a U.S. citizen, you (and your spouse, if married) may file Form I-600 for an unmarried child if: 1. You file the Form I-600 before the child’s 16th birthday (or before the child’s 18th birthday in some cases); 2. The child’s adoption is not governed by the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention); 3. The child qualifies as an orphan, as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 101(b)(1)(F); and 4. You (and your spouse, if married) either: A. Have adopted the child outside the United States and the adoption order is final; or B. Have obtained legal custody of the child for emigration and adoption in the United States and will adopt the child in the United States after the child enters the country with a visa. To qualify as an adoption for immigration purposes, the adoption must, according to the laws where it takes place, establish a permanent legal parent-child relationship between the child and you (and your spouse, if married), as well as terminate the legal parent-child relationship between the child and any former parent(s). If you do not have a final adoption, you may still be eligible to file this petition if you have legal custody of the child for the purposes of emigration and adoption. For example a guardianship order, foster parent appointment, or other custody order may be sufficient if it permits you to take the child out of the country for the purpose of finalizing the adoption in the United States or in another country. www.FormsWorkflow.com