Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

The hubster and I are starting the early stages of the adoption process in the US. He's USC I'm LPR - because I havent' lived in the US for 5 years, they need police checks from the other places I lived.

Some of you know I travelled about a bit and lived on yachts before getting married and getting PR in the US. I was based in Gibraltar (sailing the med - Spain portugal and Morocco) and then in Australia (sailing - Aus, Thailand and the pacific isles)

Does anyone know if we have to approach all the countries I visited or not for police checks?

Any insight you can give to adoption in general, I'd be pleased to hear from you!

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

You started by saying they want police checks from places you lived.

So that would not include places you visited.

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

But, I lived "nowhere" for a couple of years.....

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

To explain more fully - technically I was homeless. I didn't live in the UK, nor did I live in the other places.

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

But you must have had a base somewhere? Back in your familys home in UK maybe?
We did a US adoption, but I had already got my USC when we started it. They still wanted to see our citizenship certificates.

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

No, I didn't return. I had no address, no keys. Technically homeless.

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

Did you have an address (friend, family) to which you directed your mail while you were gone?

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

no, I did have British bank accounts though

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

Girl as you know I was off travelling the world as well but still got physical mail, where did all your statements and CC info bills get sent to etc etc....mine went to Mums and some still do lol :sneaky:

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

As this is all state by state based, why not ask the agency what they want to see?

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

They want to do police checks.... I had any physical mail forwarded to my cousin who promptly moved from that address and didn't forward my mail - so it was all return to sender.....

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

Dodgy character :lol:

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

Well, as your British bank was trying to send you British bank statements to a British address, I would say that during that time your official residence was in Britain. Unless your passport shows that during that time period you entered another country and stayed there for months, it seems fairly straightforward to me. Alternatively, you can say that you were based in Gibralter and then Australia for your time travelling, and get police checks for those two countries.

Re: Anyone adopted a child in the USA?
 

Hon, you said you were based in Gib; use the company office there and simply explain the situation. Won't the agency help you with this? Or perhaps people usually get lawyers to help with adoptions?

There was a story here recently about a family who'd adopted a girl of Mexican origin. Her mother had snuck her over the border as an infant and subsequently lost custody/parental rights.
So the adoption goes through, and the adopting parents rely on the information given to them by the state agency. The girl turns 18, and then a bit, and through trying to collect her documents for one mundane thing or another, discover that the girl is NOT a US citizen like everyone thought.

The agency did not complete the paperwork and neither did the parents and DHS, I kid you not, put this girl in removal proceedings.

Stuff like that would make me want my own lawyer to review and assist.