Relative adoption

[Dragon15 0]

I have a niece who is my first cousin daughter she' s been with me since birth and now she is 11 y/o and stayed with my auntie. i was the one who supported all her needs financially until now. My question is what are the steps that i need to do in order for me to adopt my niece legally and bring her here in the U.S? I'm currently holding a permanent status visa, I've been residing here in the U.S for 3 years now and im planning to visit my niece in the philippines next year. Do i need to adopt her here in the U.S and consult a lawyer over here or do I need to adopt my niece over in the philippines? Please help me to answer all my question, thank you so much.

[apple21 953]

Are her biological parents still alive?

[Ning 619]

I have a niece who is my first cousin daughter she' s been with me since birth and now she is 11 y/o and stayed with my auntie. i was the one who supported all her needs financially until now. My question is what are the steps that i need to do in order for me to adopt my niece legally and bring her here in the U.S? I'm currently holding a permanent status visa, I've been residing here in the U.S for 3 years now and im planning to visit my niece in the philippines next year. Do i need to adopt her here in the U.S and consult a lawyer over here or do I need to adopt my niece over in the philippines? Please help me to answer all my question, thank you so much.

There is a lot more to be understood before you attempt what you are talking about. That would include the fact that even if you did adopt her it may not result in a visa being granted to her later. If her bio parents are alive you can just about forget the idea.

[apple21 953]

Refer here: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=f5a0741b78c73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=f5a0741b78c73210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

In sort: what you are attempting to do is very difficult, because there are policies in place by USCIS to specifically make family adoption for immigration purposes difficult. You would need 2 years of physical custody of the child, so essentailly move back to Phils after you get US citizenship, look after her for two years, adopt her during that time, then apply for a visa for her.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Simplified, even if you have legally adopted a child in another country, in order to get this child immigration benefits to the United States, these 3 conditions have to be met:

1) the adoption has been completed before the child turned 16 years of age

2) both of the child's parents are dead or incapacitated (in a coma or insane asylum)

3) the primary purpose of the adoption cannot have been to provide the child with immigration benefits to the U.S.

So even people like Madonna or Brangelina who have houses worth close to $100,000,000 and can wipe their butts with $100 bills without ever running out of money, people who can write a $100,000 check to a couple of attorneys like you would buy a loaf of bread, cannot get around this.

There are cases where an American adopted a child in South America, and the USCIS denied the child an immigrant visa. The Colombian embassy in the United States then pressed charges against the American for child abandonment, and he went to the big house for many years. Adopting a child does not come with a money back guarantee if the immigration part of this doesn't work out.

Adopting a child in a foreign country and getting them immigration benefits is a great way to spend money on legal fees. Lots and lots and lots of money.