Doing it on your own

by Anonymous

I have adopted three kids from Korea and found the US process to be extremely easy.

Step one is, of course, to find a parent who is willing to give their child up for adoption--my wife and I went with her brother who was recently divorced and unable to take good care of his children.

We convinced him (and his ex-wife) to sign over custody/guardianship and they did all their paperwork with translations in Korea. After that, you simply need to bring the kids to the US legally...ANY Legal entry i.e. tourist passport.

That starts a 3 year process. First, they live with you for a year (extend their visa once), then slide on down to your local adoption lawyer who does straight-up adoption paperwork; nothing fancy just an adoption. This should only cost around $800.

From there, go to the INS, Homeland Security Website and download the Visa and Immigration forms. Fill out and submit...those cost around $1000 total.

Wait, wait, and wait, but don't worry--the INS won't deport your kids while they have paperwork in. After about two years, you'll get your appointment, bring the kids, tell your story and viola! They are US citizens. Congratulations!