Part A - Adoptions Overview
Resources
22 CFR 96 - Intercountry adoption accreditation of agencies and approval of persons
8 CFR 103.2 - Submission and adjudication of benefit requests
8 CFR 204 Subpart C - Intercountry adoption of a Convention adoptee
8 CFR 204.1 - General information about immediate relative and family-sponsored petitions
8 CFR 204.2(d) - Petition for a child or son or daughter
8 CFR 204.3 - Orphan cases under section 101(b)(1)(F) of the Act (non-Convention cases)
INA 101(b)(1) - Definition of child
INA 101(b)(1)(E) - Definition of a child adoptee for family-based process
INA 101(b)(1)(F) - Definition of a child adoptee for orphan process
INA 101(b)(1)(G) - Definition of a child adoptee for Hague Adoption Convention process
INA 101(c) - Definition of child for citizenship and naturalization
INA 201(b)(2)(A)(i) - Immediate relatives
INA 203(a) - Preference allocation for family-sponsored immigrants
Pub. L. 106-139 (PDF) - Immigration and Nationality Act of 1999
Pub. L. 106-279 (PDF) - Hague Adoption Convention and the Intercountry Adoption Act
Pub. L. 111-287 (PDF) - Intercountry Adoption Act
Pub. L. 112-276 (PDF) - Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012
Pub. L. 80-774 (PDF) - Displaced Persons Act of 1948
Pub. L. 87-301 (PDF) - The Act of September 26, 1961
Pub. L. 89-236 (PDF) - Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Appendices
No appendices available at this time.
Updates
This technical update to Volume 5, Adoptions, incorporates information on USCIS country-specific adoption processing by adding a reference to the USCIS Country-Specific Processing webpage.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is publishing a volume in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding adoptions. This guidance incorporates basic requirements for the submission of adoption-based applications and petitions to USCIS.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating and incorporating relevant Adjudicator’s Field Manual (AFM) content into the USCIS Policy Manual. As that process is ongoing, USCIS has moved any remaining AFM content to its corresponding USCIS Policy Manual Part, in PDF format, until relevant AFM content has been properly incorporated into the USCIS Policy Manual. To the extent that a provision in the USCIS Policy Manual conflicts with remaining AFM content or Policy Memoranda, the updated information in the USCIS Policy Manual prevails. To find remaining AFM content, see the crosswalk (PDF, 317.68 KB) between the AFM and the Policy Manual.
1 USCIS-PM - Volume 1 - General Policies and Procedures
2 USCIS-PM - Volume 2 - Nonimmigrants
3 USCIS-PM - Volume 3 - Humanitarian Protection and Parole
4 USCIS-PM - Volume 4 - Refugees and Asylees
5 USCIS-PM - Volume 5 - Adoptions
6 USCIS-PM - Volume 6 - Immigrants
7 USCIS-PM - Volume 7 - Adjustment of Status
8 USCIS-PM - Volume 8 - Admissibility
9 USCIS-PM - Volume 9 - Waivers and Other Forms of Relief
Version History
No historical versions available.