Intercountry Adoptees

We Can Do This (Because We Must)

First published on February 12, 2023 • Last updated on February 12, 2023

What’s to do after Congress failed yet again to fix US citizenship for intercountry adoptees? Our own work.

Getting Your Own Immigration Records

First published on June 7, 2022 • Last updated on November 15, 2022

A resource for intercountry adoptees to obtain their own immigration records through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Should I Wait for Congress? Or Should I Naturalize Now?

First published on April 10, 2022 • Last updated on December 14, 2022

Two key questions I often discuss with intercountry adoptee clients who do not have US citizenship.

Latest on Citizenship for Intercountry Adoptees

First published on February 5, 2022 • Last updated on February 12, 2023

A stripped down version of the Adoptee Citizenship Act has passed the House. But it’s not the actual ACA. It’s now an amendment to a much larger and unrelated bill.

Immigration Provisions in the Build Back Better Bill

First published on December 11, 2021 • Last updated on November 15, 2022

The Build Back Better bill contains provisions that could help millions of undocumented people, including some intercountry adoptees, though its impact is limited.

My Name is Monica Ross

First published on November 9, 2021 • Last updated on November 15, 2022

I need your support to get the Adoptee Citizenship Act enacted. Support me and the thousands of other intercountry adoptees who are in the same situation.

How Adjusting the ‘Immigration Registry’ Could Help Intercountry Adoptees

First published on September 24, 2021 • Last updated on August 23, 2023

A tweak to the ‘immigration registry’ could help millions of undocumented people, including many intercountry adoptees. Here’s how it would work.

FAQ: U.S. Citizenship and Intercountry Adoptees

First published on May 26, 2021 • Last updated on July 11, 2023

Information about issues concerning US citizenship and intercountry adoptees, including how federal legislation could resolve those issues.

What Works, What’s Broken, and Who Bears the Cost

First published on March 18, 2021 • Last updated on November 22, 2022

How current U.S. immigration law has failed intercountry adoptees.

The Kafkaesque Case of James Christian Werthmann

First published on May 5, 2019 • Last updated on November 15, 2022

I’m not the first person to conjure up Kafka as a way to describe James Werthmann’s case. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recognized the absurdity immediately.