Adoption requirements for US

[MichaelMechieME2 3]

Not sure if this is the correct forum, but none of the others seemed to match.  I'm hoping to determine if anyone has tips on the US adoption process of a stepchild from the Philippines.  Her father is absent, zero support or contact for 7 years.  Mother has solo parent ID from PH government, but I predict that the US court system will want some form of affidavit or ruling from a court that awarded sole custody.  If we must seek the father's permission, that could take years to locate him and likely pay him for that right.  I'm hoping to learn what the mother will need to gather from the PH before she leaves in a few months.

[Ontarkie 15,127]

~~Moved to Moving Here and Your New Life, from K1 Process and Procedures~~

 

Over the years we have had others go down this path. The PI is actually pretty easy for the adoption process if the parents were never married. You should be able to do a search on here to find that information. I think many just submit a copy of the PI law that explains how custody works in the PI. 

[JeanneAdil 7,492]

not on the adoption, itself, but if you file K1,  the child is included (with no fees to immigration)

if you marry in her country and do the I 130 for spouse,  you also must file I 130 for the child with all the paperwork and fees

[PokuPoku 67]

The laws vary by state. If you don't have, or don't think you can acquire, an affidavit from the father, then you will have to have a lawyer. We're actually going to speak to a lawyer on friday about this since my step daughter's father was never present. 

I can let you know what our lawyer says on friday. We're in Alabama, fyi. It will be a little different in other states.

Edited 4 hours ago by PokuPoku