Convoluted Question

[bart21 0]

Hello,

Forgive me if this is not the correct forum to post. My question is confusing (to me, anyway) and I have no clue how to proceed. I did try to look at the guides but still am confused.

My wife is a permanent resident, and will apply soon for citizenship.

After she becomes a citizen, we will try to bring our son here.

Here it gets tricky: The son belongs to my wife's sister, who recently passed away. He is 10 years old. The father was never in the picture so technically he's not an orphan but might as well be. We are now his legal parents in Thailand.

1. We have not told the U.S. Government of this; do we need to?

2. I'm guessing we file the I-130 to bring him here?

3. Is it easier to do this after she is a citizen or will it be the same with her permanent resident status?

4. Do I only need the Thailand paperwork to prove adoption or once he's here do I have to adopt him again in the U.S.?

5. I'm sure a lot of people have dealt with this here - but he doesn't speak English. How do you handle school? We can't afford a private school.

6. Will he instantly become a citizen or does he need to go through a process?

Thank you for your time.