MidnightDreary

Also, thank you for the link Greenbaum. I read through the thread - it seems like everyone who chimed in there was already married and talking about the process of adopting as a married couple. For some reason, I was assuming maybe it would be easier if she adopted her sister first, because isn't the the k-2 visa pretty much automatic for a child/adopted child once the K-1 is approved? But then again, I don't know how easy/complicated the adoption process is for a single person within the Philippines. I will continue to research that adoption website, so thanks again.

Thank you for all of the thoughtful information and suggestions. Yes, we're still at an early stage of the relationship - in fact, I am in the midst of my first visit to the Philippines right now. Neither of us is in a rush to get married or engaged, and I don't think it's something that would be seriously considered for another year or more. But, we do both seem to really like each other, so I'm just thinking of the potential situation down the road... I don't know that I just want to "look for another situation" just because this one might be a little complicated. It seems like perhaps the best option would be for her to start the process of trying to adopt her sister now, and if it takes a year or two, no big deal; if it doesn't work out, at least we tried. Thanks again, and any other thoughts are certainly welcome.

First of all, I've been enjoying all of the information on this forum; it really is a wealth of knowledge. I hope I'm putting this question in the right place - it seemed like it could fit a couple of different places, so I just chose to go with general. Please feel free to move if it belongs somewhere else.

Here's the situation. I'm a U.S. citizen, and I'm thinking about asking my Filipino girlfriend to marry me sometime down the road (nothing imminent). I think she would, and would like to move to America, except for one thing. She takes care of her 6 y.o. half-sister, and I don't know if she would be comfortable leaving her behind with relatives (if she even could). From what I understand about the K-2 visa, it only applies to children (including adopted children); is it safe to assume there's no way it could be used for a sibling under one's guardianship?

A related question more specific to the Philippines, I guess, would be how difficult would it be for her to legally adopt her half-sister? Is it even possible? The girl's parents are both still alive. However, the father they share doesn't work and doesn't provide for the girl in any way, which is why her sister took her over. The girl's mom just abandoned her; they don't even know what province she lives in now. Her older sister is really all she has, so leaving her behind just wouldn't be much of an option.

Thanks for any insight or suggestions anyone can provide. Like I said, nothing is imminent in terms of a marriage proposal, but I'm trying to think ahead because this would certainly be one potential obstacle.