rickster62

We filed DCF last Thursday, January 7th and received our acceptance notice (NOA2) yesterday. Many thanks to Larry at Pinayvisa and all the other posters on the forum, especially the ones who posted within the "Hot Thread" topic several pages down from here. I emailed USCIS Wednesday, and after receiving a quick "90 day response" form letter, received the good news. Don't waste your money with an attorney like I did. The first one I hired is an American lawyer based in Manila and calls himself a "local immigration consultant". I gave him a $1000 deposit and basically never heard from him again. This, after promising to "hold our hands" and walk us through the process. Next I hired an immigration attorney based in Seattle who did not know how, when or where to file. She knew nothing about DCF and suggested we file in the States. Then she mailed our application to Manila, which of course is not allowed. It worked out great because they were super friendly and responsive, and volunteered to hold our application until we arrived at the Embassy. So basically just read these threads carefully and, if you like, hire Larry. For $500 he knows a heck of a lot more than the attorneys I hired. For local adoptions, you need both two years Physical Custody and Legal Custody. The former can be accrued before or after the adoption, and the latter (here in The Philippines), commences the day the adoption petition is filed in court. The Embassy IS aware of this provision and honors it (usually the two years Legal Custody commences from the date the adoption is finalized) Make sure the date is clear and officially notarized. None of this post applies to those of you who are going the Hague route or any other means I cannot believe it took us so much time, effort, heartache and money to find out about DCF. I am a fairly intelligent guy, but I guess i never Googled the right search terms. My wife (dual citizen) is the one who officially filed since she has been in The Philippines the longest and most easily met the requirements for Permanent Resident. Local adoption ARE recognized by USCIS for immigration purposes, and they even sent us a list of requirements before our InfoPass appointment last week. I will copy it in a follow up to this post when I get home. It is my hope and goal that the next couple going through this process will not have to endure the confusion, misinformation and disinformation that we did. We will begin calling IV Manila for a case number next week, fill out the DS-260 online, then make our appointments for St Luke's and the interview. I will be more than happy to answer any and all questions. Take care and God Bless. Rick