Update: Filing Options for Form I-600 Petitions on behalf of Haitian Children

March 2016

FILING OPTIONS FOR FORM I-600, PETITION TO CLASSIFY ORPHAN AS AN IMMEDIATE RELATIVE

If you are a U.S. prospective adoptive parent or adoption service provider with an eligible U.S. transition case, we would like to remind you about these options for filing a Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative:

• U.S. families do not have to travel to Haiti to submit their Form I-600 petition with USCIS Port-au-Prince. A representative may file the Form I-600 petition on their behalf, as long as:
  • At least one prospective adoptive parent travels to Haiti and appears at the Embassy at some point in the adoption or visa process,
  • The petition contains original signatures by the prospective adoptive parent (and spouse, if married), and
  • The petition is accompanied by any appropriate fees.
• U.S. families can also file domestically with the USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC) via the USCIS Dallas Lockbox to meet the transition timeline.

USCIS Port-au-Prince is currently accepting appointments Monday–Friday to accommodate U.S. families or their representatives who would like to file their Form I-600 petition with the USCIS office in Port-au-Prince.

We understand that l’Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches (IBESR) is working diligently to match as many eligible U.S. transition cases as possible by the April 1, 2016, deadline. We also understand that if an eligible U.S. transition family receives a match from IBESR close to the deadline, it may be difficult to file a Form I-600 petition with USCIS by April 1, 2016.

We will accept a Form I-600 petition filed by April 29, 2016, and allow the case to proceed as a transition (non-Convention) case, provided there is evidence the family received an official match from IBESR before April 1, 2016, and their Form I-600A approval was valid at the time the Form I-600 petition is filed.

For additional information about filing options, please see the filing instructions (PDF, 605.97 KB) for Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.

IMPORTANT: We will update this information if there are any changes to filing options or the transition timeline.

REMINDERS:

• To demonstrate that your case meets the criteria to proceed as a U.S. transition case, please also include evidence of the match letter made by IBESR by April 1, 2016, along with your Form I-600 petition.
• U.S. families must have a valid Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition, approval to file the Form I-600 petition with USCIS at the NBC or USCIS Port-au-Prince.
• Adoptive parents wanting to file their Form I-600 petition with USCIS Port-au-Prince should contact the USCIS office in Port-au-Prince to schedule an appointment to file the Form I-600 petition in person at the Embassy.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• To schedule an appointment for you or your representative, please contact USCIS Port-au-Prince by email at USCIS.Haiti@uscis.dhs.gov or by phone at 509 2229-8600 or 509 2229 8184 (from within Haiti) or 011-509-2229-8600 or 011-509-2229 8184 (from the United States).
• U.S. families may contact the USCIS National Benefits Center by email at nbc.adoptions@uscis.dhs.gov or by phone at 877-424-8374, TTY (800) 877-8339.

NOTE:

For U.S. transition families who have filed a Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, with USCIS, please notify the NBC if you receive an official match from IBESR while your Form I-800A application is pending adjudication. We continue to discuss with IBESR possible options to smoothly process cases for families in this scenario.