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Please note: do not take this page as legal advice, but we hope to provide guidance to helpful resources and some general context to this topic.
The relationship between intercountry, transnational adoptees and U.S. Citizenship status has been traditionally a lesser discussed topic in the adoption community. However, without proper documentation, an adoptee could potentially face serious repercussions such as deportation. While rare, it is important to Adoptees of Chicago to protect and empower adoptees that may face the major hardships that come with tracing one’s documentation.
The passage of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) did help minors, under the age of 18 at the time of enactment (February 27, 2001), obtain automatic citizenship. However, it did not retroactively apply to adult adoptees when the CCA took effect.
The organization, Adoptees for Justice, is a wealth of information, assistance, and advocacy for an Adoptee Citizenship Act. Their website and FAQ can be helpful for adoptees looking to get involved and/or have direct issues with legal statuses. Impacted adoptees can contact their organization through this form here.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency anyone facing immigration issues would interact with. Here is a basic guide to some of USCIS’s standard rules and procedures. However, it is best to contact a lawyer who has an understanding of adoption and immigration law before approaching USCIS.
Another helpful resource is your local Congressman or Congresswoman’s district office and/or Senator’s office. For the state of Illinois, input your address into the Find My Elected Officials’ page from the IL State Board of Elections to see who your elected officials are. Once you know who your Representative is, click on the Representative’s website and fill out the “Help with a Federal Agency” page.
The passage of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) did help minors, under the age of 18 at the time of enactment (February 27, 2001), obtain automatic citizenship. However, it did not retroactively apply to adult adoptees when the CCA took effect.
The organization, Adoptees for Justice, is a wealth of information, assistance, and advocacy for an Adoptee Citizenship Act. Their website and FAQ can be helpful for adoptees looking to get involved and/or have direct issues with legal statuses. Impacted adoptees can contact their organization through this form here.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency anyone facing immigration issues would interact with. Here is a basic guide to some of USCIS’s standard rules and procedures. However, it is best to contact a lawyer who has an understanding of adoption and immigration law before approaching USCIS.
Another helpful resource is your local Congressman or Congresswoman’s district office and/or Senator’s office. For the state of Illinois, input your address into the Find My Elected Officials’ page from the IL State Board of Elections to see who your elected officials are. Once you know who your Representative is, click on the Representative’s website and fill out the “Help with a Federal Agency” page.
