USCIS Clarifies Guidance About How to Adopt a Child under the Hague Adoption Convention

Key changes

Effective June 14, 2024, we have updated the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 5, Part D , to clarify how prospective adoptive parents can adopt a child under the Hague Adoption Convention.

This update consolidates and clarifies existing guidance to provide clear requirements for the Hague process. The update:

Explains how a foreign-born child may be eligible to be adopted through the Hague process;

Describes the required order of immigration and adoption steps, including that a prospective adoptive parent should not adopt or obtain legal custody of a child for purposes of emigration and adoption before they complete certain steps in the Hague process; and

Clarifies requirements for adoption service providers, including the use of a primary provider and requirements following a loss of accreditation.