CONGRESS RAISES THE AGE AT WHICH AN IMMIGRANT CHILD MAY BE ADOPTED

H.R. 2886, a bill provides an important modification of the definition of a child under the Immigration and Nationality Act.  The bill was introduced by Rep. Stephan Horn (R-CA) and co-sponsored by Reps. Bill Barrett (R-NE), Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Tom Bliley (R-VA), Patsy Mink (D-HA), Martin Frost (D-TX), Howard Berman (D-CA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Thomas Barrett (D-WI), and Max Sandlin (D-TX). The measure passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority of 404 - -0. 

Under current law,  for an adopted person to be considered a child and, hence, eligible to immigrate, they must be adopted before age 16.  This bill would allow a person under 18 to be considered a child if they were adopted with or after a sibling who was under 16 or under at the time they were adopted.  One of the primary purposes of the bill is to allow US families to adopt a sibling to avoid splitting children apart.  Adoption of older immigrant children is as rare as adoption of older US born children.  Of 11,316 immigrant orphans adopted in fiscal 1996, only 351 were age 10 or older.

Given the overwhelming support for the bill in the House, the Senate is almost certainly going to give its approval.

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