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I am frequently asked, "Is my adopted child a U.S. citizen"? This can be confusing especially if your child was adopted many years ago. Child Citizenship Act taken from the Department of State Intercountry Adoption Website : "It is important to ensure that your adopted child becomes a U.S. citizen. If you postpone documenting or obtaining your child's citizenship, later he or she may have difficulty getting college scholarships, working legally, voting, and enjoying other rights and privileges. In some cases, the child might even be subject to deportation. Act now to safeguard your child's rights and future. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 was designed to make acquisition of U.S. citizenship easier and to eliminate extra steps and costs. Under the Child Citizenship Act, children adopted abroad automatically acquire U.S. citizenship if: At least one of the child's parents is a U.S. citizen; The child is under 18; The child lives in the legal and physical cus...

When a parent of a child marries or remarries, there are lots of changes that happen to create a new family dynamic.  The stepparent may want to adopt his spouse's child as his own.  There are several different situations in which adoption becomes the best decision for this newly formed family.  There are, however, a few obstacles that could prevent this from being an uncomplicated process.  I am often asked by people who are in long term relationships whether they can adopt the other partner's biological child.  At present, if they were to do that, it would terminate the parental rights of the biological parent, which is not the goal.  Under Virginia law, the couple has to marry in order for this adoption to add a parent, without subtracting the biological parent.  Next, the child must be legally free for adoption.  What does this mean? Under Virginia law, as in other states, you have to consider the parental rights of the other biological parent...

Who doesn't need an inspiring adoption story during this time of year? We just listened to The Ax Files Podcast of Michael Steele talking about his adoption. Michael Steele is an American politician who served as the first African-American chairperson of the Republican National Committee. If you read Steele's Biography , you will see many of his accomplishments.  Although he has a tremendous resume, it wasn't smooth sailing for him to get there. Michael Steele's biological mother got pregnant with him back in the 50's while she was attending a Catholic University. She was on her way to "deal" with her pregnancy when she came across a nun that ended up changing her mind and instead, helped her to make an adoption plan. On  another side of the adoption triad, we have Mr. Steele's adoptive mother.  She and her husband wanted to have childen, but they were told they were infertile.  Mrs. Steele said this is when she knew that there was something bigger and...

"On  December 23, 2016, new fees will go into effect for USCIS forms  as a result of a final rule  published in the  Federal Register  on October 24, 2016. This means that anyone filing an  adoption application or petition on or after December 23, 2016, must pay the new fee amount,  or the filing will be rejected.   Please go to our new  2016 Fee Changes to Adoption-Related Forms page  for information on the  new fees for adoption-related forms. On this page, you will find: A chart of all the new fees for adoption-related forms, Information on which adopted children may need to file a Form N-600/N-600K to  request a Certificate of Citizenship, and Clarification on whether the adopted child must pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee. Fees will increase for the first time in six years.   USCIS is almost entirely funded by the fees  paid by applicants and petitioners for immigration benefits and this recent increase is necess...

As the Holidays are fast approaching, we have some great news to share with you.  The IRS just released the 2017 Adoption Tax Credit amount and it's up from last year.  Creating a Family has a good overview: Straight from the Creating A Family Website: "2017 Adoption Tax Credit-Non Special Needs Adoptions The amount allowed in 2017 for the Adoption Tax Credit for non special-needs adoptions, both domestic and international, is $13,570 for “qualified adoption expenses”. The definition of what IRS considers a qualified adoption expense has not changed, and families must be able to document these expenses, if requested by the IRS. This amount is up slightly from 2016 ($13,460). The 2017 Adoption Tax Credit begins to phase out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) more than $203,540 and completely phased out for taxpayers with MAGI of $243,540 or more. 2017 Adoption Tax Credit-Special Needs Adoptions Families who adopt a child with special needs f...