Adopted Children Immigrant Visa Unit

US Pre-approval of Adoption

Once you have accepted you referral, you will need to file an I-600 petition by mail with the USCIS office in Ho Chi Minh City. You will receive a notice of receipt when the USCIS Ho Chi Minh City office receives the Form I-600 and supporting evidence. This office will review the documents in order to determine if the child qualifies as an orphan under US immigration law. In many cases, a field verification will also be conducted to ensure the accuracy of the documents submitted. The US Embassy Hanoi will notify petitioners with a decision on the I-600 in approximately 60 days. Please note that processing time may be siginificantly longer if any issues are encountered in verifying the child's status as an orphan. If recommended for approval, petitioners may travel to Vietnam to complete the Giving and Receiving Ceremony once they have received an official pre-approval notification from USCIS. The U.S. Embassy strongly discourages prospective adoptive parents from traveling to Vietnam until they have received this pre-approval notice. Once the adoption is complete, an immigrant visa interview may be scheduled with the US Embassy in Hanoi. If not recommended for approval, petitioners will be provided with written instructions on how to proceed.

Please note that I-600 cases are processed by USCIS Ho Chi Minh City in the order they are received. However, as each case is unique, the processing time for cases can vary significantly. To protect the integrity of the I-604 process, USCIS is not able to inform petitioners of the status of their case between the time the receipt e-mail is issued and the time that a decision is made on the case.

USCIS will not expedite the processing of the Form I-600 solely because the petitioner is in Vietnam. If a petitioner chooses to travel to Vietnam to file the Form I-600, the petition and supporting documents will undergo the same processing as those filed and received by mail. The US Embassy strongly advises prospective adoptive parents not to travel to Vietnam until they have received this pre-approval notice. The notice is sent directly from the U.S. Embassy to the petitioning parent via e-mail. Parents should contact the U.S. Embassy immediately if anyone, including their adoption service provider, encourages them to travel to Vietnam prior to receiving the written pre-approval. The U.S. Embassy can work together with adoption service providers, the Department of International Adoptions, and local authorities to resolve issues such as the scheduling of a Giving and Receiving Ceremony.

The aim of the I-600 procedure is to protect both prospective adoptive parents and the integrity of international adoptions in Vietnam. Both the Department of State and USCIS in Vietnam have encountered inconsistencies in the documentation and circumstances regarding the relinquishment or abandonment of children for adoption. These irregularities may affect the eligibility of the child for classification as an orphan. They have also resulted in long delays for parents awaiting resolution of these issues while they are in Vietnam. In some cases, these circumstances have proved difficult to address or overcome for all parties involved.