Immigrant Visas
International Adoption
A child adopted by a U.S. citizen and who will reside in the US must obtain an immigrant visa before he or she can enter the U.S. The U.S. Embassy in Dakar processes immigrant visas for children resident or adopted in The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. For country specific adoption information, please click here.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for two categories of adopted children to immigrate to the U.S. Under the first category, an adopted child is processed in the same way as a birth child if the child is adopted before the age of 16 and the adoption is full and final (not legal guardianship) and the child physically resided with the adoptive parent in their legal custody for two years. For more information about the definition of a child, please click here. For information on filing a petition for an adopted child who meets this criteria, please click here.
The second category allows an “orphan,” as defined by U.S. law and regulations, to immigrate. For more information about immigration requirements for an adopted orphan, please click here.
Appointments to file an I-600 petition or visa application for an adopted orphan are given priority and can be scheduled by contacting the consular section directly at consulardakar@state.gov. Please include the words "adopted orphan" in the subject line of your email. In the email text, please include your full name, the full name and date of birth of the adopted child, the name of the country in which the child was adopted, and the case number (starts with DKR or FTN) if you have one. We also encourage you to email us at consulardakar@state.gov with your questions regarding adopting an orphan in The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal or Sierra Leone.
