Adoption of step-children

[ciao]

I'm applying for an IR-1 visa for my wife and our daughter.

Our daughter is from my wife's previous marriage, so I am not
her biological father.

I don't need to go through any formal adoption procedures, do I ?

We can get an immigrant visa for my (step)daughter without
me formally adopting her. Correct ??

[Randy W]

Correct - as long as she was under 18 at the time of your marriage (and will be under 21 when you file the I-130), she will be considered your "child for immigration purposes". Anywhere you see a reference to your "child", it will also be pertinent to your situation.

[dnoblett]

Note: You will be filing TWO I-130s, one for wife's IR-1 and another for step child's IR-2 visa so TWO fees, etc..

 

Also adoption IS a short-cut to citizenship for child, if you can adopt, once child is in USA you can file a N-600 for child's citizenship cert. This requires that the child be able to be adopted, I beleive younger than age 18.

[Randy W]

Note: You will be filing TWO I-130s, one for wife's IR-1 and another for step child's IR-2 visa so TWO fees, etc..

 

Also adoption IS a short-cut to citizenship for child, if you can adopt, once child is in USA you can file a N-600 for child's citizenship cert. This requires that the child be able to be adopted, I beleive younger than age 18.

 

 

http://www.uscitizenship.info/citizenship-...ry-children.htm

 

 

* NOTE ¡ª Children who immigrated under the "IR-3" or "IR-4" categories must have had an immigrant petition filed on their behalf before their 16th birthday; see answers to Question 22. All adoptions for any other type of immigration benefit, including naturalization, must be completed by the child's 16th birthday, with one exception: A child adopted while under the age of 18 years by the same parents who adopted a natural sibling who met the usual requirements.

 

This page SEEMS to say (somewhat vaguely) that the child must be under the age of 16, EXCEPT when two siblings have been adopted. They will be both naturalized if the younger is under 16 and the older is under 18.

[dnoblett]

Yep, Age 16, I was shooting from memory.