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Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS)

The Citizenship & Immigration Service (CIS) is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Every US citizen who adopts internationally must obtain approval from the CIS. Your first contact is at the very beginning of your adoption process. Also, the last step before returning home with your new family member(s) involves the CIS (or the US Department of State-Consular Services if there is no CIS representative in the country from which you adopt).

• If you are planning to adopt from a Hague country (Bulgaria, China, India, or Panama) you will complete and file form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. As part of this application process, you will be required to get fingerprinted at your nearest USCIS office. USCIS will send you a notice of your appointment and where to go.
• If you are planning to adopt from a non-Hague country (Russia), you will complete and file form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of your Orphan Petition. As part of this application process, you will be required to get fingerprinted at your nearest USCIS office. USCIS will send you a notice of your appointment and where to go.

Upon approval of your application to FTIA, you will receive a username and password that will allow you to access MyFTIA, which will provide you with instructions for completing the process with USCIS as well as provide you with a link to the form itself. We strongly recommend that you do not begin the process of filing your I-800A or I-600A until you have applied and received notification of your acceptance by FTIA.

When the USCIS procedure is complete, USCIS will send you an approval notice that will be valid for 18 months for I-600A Approvals (though fingerprints will expire in 15 months) and 15 months for I-800A Approvals and fingerprints. If your adoption process extends beyond 15 or 18 months (and it likely will), we will help you file for an extension to your USCIS approval.

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