Citizenship Certificate for Adopted Children Fee Hike

You have until December 23, 2016 before the fees double.

Since February 27th of 2001 adopted children were granted their Citizenship when they first entered the United States as lawful permanent residents, however they didn't get their Citizenship Certificates issued to them automatically until January 1st, 2004. That caused some confusion, as the children did become US citizens, but didn't receive any paperwork to prove it.

To reiterate: even though the effective date of the Child Citizenship Act is February 27, 2001, adopted children who entered the United States prior to January 1st of 2004 didn't get their Citizenship Certificates issued to them on entry, additional paperwork had to be filed by the parents. Long story short: if your children don't have their Citizenship Certificate - now is the time to get it.

You can, of course, apply for the certificate at any time, but you must know that the fee is being raised from $550 to $1170. So, if you didn't file the paperwork before - now is the time. You have until December 23rd of 2016 to file under the current fee schedule.

For more information on the citizenship act please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/adoption-process/faqs/child-citizenship-act-of-2000.html

Application for your Certificate of Citizenship can be found here https://www.uscis.gov/n-600

If you lost or misplaced your documents, go to https://www.uscis.gov/g-639 and file to get your FREE copy of information.

Last, but certainly not least, if you have questions that you couldn't find answers for otherwise, or if you are experiencing processing delays - you can email child-citizenship-act@dhs.gov with questions.

World Links Association, Inc.

Every day we work hard to find families for children, and everyone who opens their heart, who shares their love, who welcomes a child into their family is both a hero, and a parent.

Being a parent doesn’t get enough credit lately, but it should. Being a good parent is hard work, but that eternal bond that you build with your child, that sparkle in her eyes when she talks to you, that feeling of being a family is what makes it all worth it.

That is what our families tell us, and that is what makes us work even harder every day. We know that there are more children waiting, and there are more parents anxious to fill that void in their heart, and they trust us to help them find each other.