Adoption and
Immigration
Gretchen Korb-Nice
Attorney
holmancahill.com
206.547.1400
How does adoption impact my practice?
• Children who are physically present in the U.S.
• Adoptions that are not full and final
• The Child Citizenship Act of 2000
• Family unity
In 1957, Congress added a provision to the INA to include
adopted children within the definition of “child”, but it imposed
an age restriction in an attempt to “distinguish between bona
fide adoptions, in which a child has been made a part of a family
unit, and spurious adoptions, effected in order to circumvent
statutory restrictions.
Matter of Cariaga, 15 I&N Dec. 716, 717 (BIA 1976)
Roadmap
• Family petitions for adopted children -- INA §101(b)(1)(E)
• Orphan petitions -- INA §101(b)(1)(F)
• Hague Convention Adoptions -- INA §101(b)(1)(G)
• Alternative Strategies
• General Practice Pointers
Family Petitions
• INA §101(b)(1)(E)
• Eligibility of adoptee and petitioner
• Valid adoption
• I-130 Process
• Citizenship
• Nunc pro tunc cures following Matter of Huang
• Practice pointers
Orphan Adoptions
(Non-Hague Adoptions)
• INA §101(b)(1)(F)
• “Orphan” definition
• Eligibility of prospective adoptive parents
• Process
• Citizenship
• Practice Pointers
Hague Convention Adoptions
• Background Information
• INA §101(b)(1)(G)
• Initial analysis
• Convention Countries
• Status Tables
• Eligibility of Prospective Adoptive Parent
• Process
• Citizenship
• Practice Pointers
What Other Options Are
There?
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
• VAWA
• Asylum
• F-1
• B-1/B-2
• Humanitarian Parole
Final Practice Pointers
• Child Citizenship Act of 2000
• Immigration benefits for bio family prohibited
• U.S. Court Jurisdiction
• Issue spotting
Thank you!
Gretchen Korb-Nice
holmancahill.com
gretchen@holmancahill.com
206.547.1400

Adoption and Adoption 101

  • 1.
  • 2.
    How does adoptionimpact my practice? • Children who are physically present in the U.S. • Adoptions that are not full and final • The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 • Family unity In 1957, Congress added a provision to the INA to include adopted children within the definition of “child”, but it imposed an age restriction in an attempt to “distinguish between bona fide adoptions, in which a child has been made a part of a family unit, and spurious adoptions, effected in order to circumvent statutory restrictions. Matter of Cariaga, 15 I&N Dec. 716, 717 (BIA 1976)
  • 3.
    Roadmap • Family petitionsfor adopted children -- INA §101(b)(1)(E) • Orphan petitions -- INA §101(b)(1)(F) • Hague Convention Adoptions -- INA §101(b)(1)(G) • Alternative Strategies • General Practice Pointers
  • 4.
    Family Petitions • INA§101(b)(1)(E) • Eligibility of adoptee and petitioner • Valid adoption • I-130 Process • Citizenship • Nunc pro tunc cures following Matter of Huang • Practice pointers
  • 5.
    Orphan Adoptions (Non-Hague Adoptions) •INA §101(b)(1)(F) • “Orphan” definition • Eligibility of prospective adoptive parents • Process • Citizenship • Practice Pointers
  • 6.
    Hague Convention Adoptions •Background Information • INA §101(b)(1)(G) • Initial analysis • Convention Countries • Status Tables • Eligibility of Prospective Adoptive Parent • Process • Citizenship • Practice Pointers
  • 7.
    What Other OptionsAre There? • Special Immigrant Juvenile Status • VAWA • Asylum • F-1 • B-1/B-2 • Humanitarian Parole
  • 8.
    Final Practice Pointers •Child Citizenship Act of 2000 • Immigration benefits for bio family prohibited • U.S. Court Jurisdiction • Issue spotting
  • 9.