I have a question about a foreign exchange student and adoption?

ok so this year our school had an exchange student from south korea...its now getting near the end of the school year and he is going back to korea for the summer but wants to come back next year and stay in america so he can finish school and go to college. He says if he wants to stay here, a family must adopt him so i was just wondering if you guys know if this is legal. Can it be done cuz my family wants to adopt him so he doesn't have to go back, but we don't know if we can, he is a great person and i don't want him to leave =[...please help...thanks.

C Wood

Adoption would be removing him from his family, and should be the last option investigated. In any case, adoption would not be a quick, easy answer. Out of country adoption would require careful legal work and expense.

If he's a good student, getting an extension of his time as an exchange student might be easy. It should be researched, and school administrators may well be your best assistance in that area.

If he's an average student, you should research if he can get a green card as a student to be here on a student visa.

Talk to the agency that brought him over as an exchange student in the first place, and they may well have more than one option that could be used for him to remain. If THEY state that adoption is the only option, then ask them for guidance on how to do so. It would probably have to be done as a private adoption.
cw

Sophie

Look up sponsorship... that may be an option.

michyme

You need to discuss this with his family and see how they feel about it. Maybe the boy should discuss it with them if that is what he really wants. If they are okay with it you need to get an adoption lawyer that handle out of country adoptions. You can't do anything with out the approval of his parents so that is where you need to begin. Yes it is legal if everyone is in agreement.

Good luck,
Dianna

Skadoctor1

The parents would have to relinquish parental rights and it would be an entire process getting it approved by his country. You would have to look in to the legalities of his country because he would have to be adopted in that country then, brought to the US and made a citizen. It would be easier if he just waited and got married to a US citizen. Less red tape doing that. Or, filed for citizenship or, filed for a green card so he could be a student here. Why adopt him? That would be my question?
I think in Korea you are required to go over there for 2 weeks+ to adopt a child. I think it would all be WAY more complicated a process than you would want to take on, but you can always check in to it. There again, his family would have to agree and afterwards you all would be his responsible family.

Kassy

The link below will tell you all the information you need on the US side of things. Pay attention to what it says about who is eligible to adopt from South Korea, and who can be adopted.

http://adoption.state.gov/country/south%20korea.html

It's not an easy process, and there are a lot of regulations. I think when you look into it you'll see that your friend may have to come up with a different plan.

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