Security checks are a required part of the intercountry adoption process. 

As part of the process to immigrate your adopted child to the United States, we we will conduct a background check on you, your spouse, and any adult member of your household. In addition, your home study preparer must include an assessment of any household member’s criminal background in your home study. Your home study preparer must also include the results of required child abuse registry checks in your home study. 

Security Checks

You, your spouse, and any adult member of your household must submit biometrics as part of the intercountry adoption process. 

Your suitability approval notice will have the validity period of your fingerprint check. Your fingerprints never “expire,” but the validity period of background check and clearance based on the collection of your fingerprints is 15 months. Your fingerprint check results must be valid when we (or the U.S. Department of State) adjudicate your Form I-600 or Form I-800 petition.  

Checking Available Child Abuse Registries

In an intercountry adoption case, your home study preparer must check available child abuse registries for you, your spouse and each additional adult member of your household. This must be addressed in the home study.

• Child abuse registries must be checked in any state or foreign country that you, your spouse and any adult member of your household has resided in since that individual’s 18th birthday.
• We may also conduct our own check of any child abuse registries.

The home study preparer must take one of the following courses of action:

• Allowed Access: If the home study preparer is allowed access to the child abuse registries, the preparer must make the appropriate checks for the applicant and each additional adult member of the household
• Permission Required: If the state or foreign country requires that the home study preparer secure permission from the applicant and each additional adult member of the household before gaining access to child abuse registries, the home study preparer must secure such permission and make the appropriate checks
• Information Only to Individual: if the state or foreign country will release information from the child abuse registry only to the person to whom the information relates, the prospective adoptive parents and adult members of the household must secure and provide information to the home study preparer
• No Release: if the state or foreign country will not release information to the home study provider or the prospective adoptive parents or adult household member, the home study preparer must note the unavailability of information in the home study