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:dance: My husband and I are trying to adopt a very large sibling group that is available, which would make us a household of 12. Our social worker said she has to list us as "above poverty, at poverty, or below poverty" and looked at our tax return from last year and said that we would not be considered because we would be below poverty level for that many kids. The thing is, our tax return included a one-time capital loss on the sale of my mom's house my sister and I inherited several years ago (free and clear, so no out-of-pocket costs). Even without that though, our income would come up below poverty level on the chart for a household of this size, however, we have no mortgage on our house and we don't use credit cards. Subtracting average mortgage costs for our area from the poverty guidelines for a household this large, we find that we actually have more spendable income than a household above poverty level with these expenses. I really want to provide this sibling group a home. Any ideas or experience with this?
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I personally do not have experience with this, however I would think that you could speak with her supervisor and submit a family "budget" that would reflect how you would be able to support a family this large.I also would request that you could submit a "letter" explaining the information.Might not change anything, but will make you feel better about trying.Best Wishes and Good Luck!
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If the sibling group is from another country, you will have to meet USCIS minimum requirements, which are 125% of poverty level income for a family of your size. For 2016, a family of eight would have to have a minimum income of $51,112, and you would have to add $5,200 for each additional family member. Generally, the USCIS does not take into account circumstances such as no mortgage and credit card debt, though it does allow non-employed families with a certain high level of assets to use that instead of income, when calculating whether they can bring adopted children to the U.S.With domestic adoption, you would have to go by your state's laws and your agency's policies. In many cases,states and agencies WILL take account of circumstances that give you more disposable income than your actual income would indicate -- for example, if you own your house free and clear or are given free or almost-free housing because you are a clergyman or the dean of a college. Check with your state and with various agencies.Sharon
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