Immigrant Daily

USCIS Guidelines for Adoptions from within Russian Federation

Yesterday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that from March 30, 2009, it would assume responsibility from the Department of State for adjudication of Form I-600 (Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative) filed within the Russian Federation. The documentary evidence requirements will remain the same for orphan immigrant visa cases, but some document intake procedures for filing will change.

USCIS advised prospective adoptive parents to fix a prior appointment to file Form I-600 with the Moscow USCIS field office after collecting all the necessary documents. The applicants can make appointments via Internet at www.infopass.uscis.gov and have to wait for two weeks (14 calendar days) before the anticipated filing date.

In order to expedite and facilitate prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers, USCIS recommended them to complete certain procedures well in advance. It also suggests adoptive parents to arrange flexible travel plan in the event of needing to resolve issues. The adoptive parents can visit the government’s dedicated website http://www.adoption.state.gov, where it provides additional information on inter-country adoptions.

For further information, please click USCIS to Adjudicate Form I-600 Filed within Russian Federation