USCIS Announces Changes in Vietnamese Adoption Process
On October 25, 2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced procedural changes in the filings of Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative when the I-600 is being filed on behalf of a Vietnamese child on or after October 29, 2007. Starting on October 29, 2007, the USCIS office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam will have sole jurisdiction over all such I-600s.
The change is being made in response to concerns about irregularities that the USCIS says have been occurring in identifying children for adoption in Vietnam and in identifying them as orphans. Accordingly, the processing will be centralized in Ho Chi Minh City.
The USCIS is encouraging prospective adoptive parents to file the I-600 (and the required supporting documents directly with the USCIS in Ho Chi Minh City before traveling to Vietnam. The application and supporting documents if sent by courier should be sent to the United States Consulate General, 4 Le Duan Street, District 1,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Attn: DHS/USCIS.
The prospective adoptive parent petitioners will receive a notice of receipt from the USCIS Ho Chi Minh City office which will review the petition and supporting evidence to determine whether the child qualifies as an orphan. As necessary, an administrative field inquiry or a request for evidence will be necessary to make that determination, something that the USCIS anticipates should be completed in 60 days. Then, if the child qualifies as an orphan, the USCIS will notify the prospective parents that they may then travel to Vietnam to proceed with the adoption.
