The timeframe to complete an adoption from Haiti takes approximately 28+ months from application to placement. The process consists of several steps described below:

Apply (online) to Holt International
Holt staff carefully reviews the information in your application to determine that you meet U.S. and Haitian adoption requirements before you begin the adoption process to ensure you will be able to successfully complete it.
Approval takes 3 – 4 days

Complete a homestudy and parent education
• Once your application is approved, Holt will assign one of our social workers to conduct your homestudy assessment if you live in a state where Holt has a branch office. If you live in a state where Holt does not have a branch office, you can select a co-operating local service agency from a list we provide. The homestudy process will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about adoption, help you determine your ability to parent an adopted child, and allow your social worker to learn more about you. After your homestudy report is complete, it will be sent to Holt for review and approval by the Director of Services for the Haiti program.

• Holt’s Adoptive Parent Preparation Courses introduce topics for you to consider that are known to be significant to the intercountry adoption experience. The courses cover topics such as what it means to become an inter-racial family, dealing with multiple losses, bonding and attachment, and more. After completing the courses, you will have a deeper understanding and be better prepared for what it means to be an adoptive family.

File for USCIS approval
Approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is required in order to bring a child from another country into the U.S. as an immediate relative. Holt staff will assist and guide you through the steps of obtaining USCIS approval.

Prepare a dossier
A dossier is a compilation of documents you prepare in a specific fashion for submission to the Haitian government. Holt provides detailed instructions for how to complete each document in the Adoption Guidebook you receive when you begin the process. A few of the dossier documents will need to be translated into French and authenticated by the Haitian Consulate in the U.S. prior to sending the dossier to Haiti. Holt staff is always available to answer any questions you might have as you prepare your dossier.

Holt sends dossier to Haiti
Upon completion your dossier will be sent to Haiti. The rest of the dossier documents (not requiring authentication by a Haitian Consulate in the U.S.) will then be translated into French by Holt staff in Haiti. The dossier will then be ready for legal processing as soon as a child is matched with you.

Holt refers a child to a family
Families receive photos of the child and a preliminary child study report explaining how the child came into care, why inter-country adoption is necessary for the child, information on the child's development, and all medical information known. Families are encouraged to review the referral information with a medical professional before making the formal decision to accept the referral. Families typically receive a referral within 2 - 6 months of approval of their home study.

Legal processing of case through Haitian adoption system
Each case will go through the following Haitian Ministries prior to final approval: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IBESR (Haiti’s Social Service Department), Parquet (Civil Court system), Ministry of Justice & National Archives, Ministry of Interior, and then issuance of the child’s Haitian passport. The time frame to go through this system is an average of 24 months.

Family’s first trip to Haiti for DHS interview
Once the child’s passport is obtained the adoptive family’s first trip is planned for their U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interview in Port-au-Prince to file the I-600. This is a 2 – 3 day trip. After the interview DHS will formally approve and forward the file over to the U.S. Consulate.

Family’s second trip to Haiti to travel home with their child
After the U.S. Consulate reviews and approves the file, Holt Fontana staff makes an appointment for the child’s visa interview and obtains the child’s visa. The family’s second and final trip is then coordinated. Families will typically spend 4 – 5 days getting to know their child and Holt Fontana staff and then returning back to the U.S. with their child. The time frame between each trip varies from 4 – 6 weeks.

Family returns home
Complete a post-placement report 2, 4, and 6 months after child’s arrival date. Continue to submit post-placement reports annually until child turns 18 years of age.

Finalize the adoption in the U.S.
according to state law where you reside