I got a long-awaited piece of paper in the mail yesterday – our appointment date for our next fingerprinting appointment with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

USCIS Biometric Appointment Notice

I sent our application a month ago, and the appointment is almost a month from now.  So that tells you a little bit about the pace at which this office of our government works.

But in the interest of helpfulness, here’s a quick how-to on getting your USCIS approval notice (REQUIRED for your adoption dossier) for any of the Hague Countries.

1. Complete and mail USCIS Form I-800A “Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country.”  Include with your I-800A:

  • an original notarized copy of your Home Study Report,
  • a photocopy of your birth certificate (one for each adoptive parent
  • a photocopy of your marriage license
  • a copy of any required educational course certificates of completion (or proof of any other pre-adoption requirement your state may have)
  • A check for $670 (!!!! I know!) filing fee plus an $80 “biometrics” (read “fingerprinting) fee for every adult (person over 18) living in the household.

The complete instructions for the I-800A along with the (sometimes changing) address to which to send the packet are on the USCIS Forms page.

2. Receive biometrics appointment notice in the mail and attend at that time and location.  Bring a book or something.  It involves a lot of waiting in lines.

3. Receive approval notice, photocopy it (SAVE THE ORIGINAL IN A SAFE PLACE!), and include it in your dossier for the country from which you plan to adopt. 

4.  Make a note of the expiration date of your approval (15 months from the FINGERPRINTING date – not the approval notice date).  It will be YOUR JOB to file for an extension if you need one.  They send no notice that your approval is expiring.  It’s up to you!

5.  File for an extension of your approval, using Form I-800A, Supplement 3 if your approval expiration is approaching and your adoption has not finalized.  There is no fee for the first extension, though you do have to get fingerprinted again.  After the first extension, there is a fee each time.  Include:

  • an original notarized copy of your most recent Home Study Update Report
  • any applicable fee

6.  Once a child has been assigned, you will complete Form I-800, “Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative” as part of the finalization process.  This latter form is what will get you your child’s immigration visa.

 

We still haven’t received a referral, so we’re filing for our first extension.  We’re hoping this is the 15 month period in which our adoption will finalize!