Adopting a child is an exciting time for many families in Florida. Thousands of families have adopted children from other countries to create or add to their family. Part of the international adoption process is obtaining a visa for the new child and gaining child citizenship.
There are two types of international adoption visas. The IR-3 visa is a visa that is given to children who have already completed the adoption process in their native country. Another requirement for this visa is that the new parents had a chance to observe the child in their native country before the adoption. Upon entering the U.S., the child is immediately given citizenship if one of the adoptive parents is a U.S. citizen. A child under the IR-3 visa does not need to go through domestic re-adoption under federal laws, but state laws vary.
The IR-4 visa is granted when one of the conditions in the IR-3 visa is not met. If both parents did not bring the child to the U.S., if both parents did not observe the child in their native country, if the native country requires the adoption to be finalized in the U.S., or other pre-adoption procedures or rules are not met then the child is given an IR-4 visa. The rules and procedures will need to be met before the child is granted U.S. citizenship and the adoption process is finalized.
Adopting a child is a wonderful experience for many families in Florida. International adoption can be tricky so hiring an attorney who is skilled in international adoption visas is often a good idea.
