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Ghana and the Hague Convention
Source: flickr.com.
Ghana is not party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption(Hague Adoption Convention). Intercountry adoptions of children from non-Hague countries are processed in accordance with 8 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 204.3 as it relates to orphans as defined under the Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 101(b)(1)(F).
The Ghanaian Department of Social Welfare has the sole legal authority to process adoptions in Ghana. The Department of Social Welfare Head Office has oversight authority for all adoptions throughout Ghana. Adoptions should be processed in the region of origin of the child. Except under special circumstances, children should not be transported to another region for the purpose of processing an adoption. There are no government fees for adoption in Ghana; however, adoptive parents pay for services rendered, such as court filing fees, the cost of obtaining official forms and reports, and legal fees, etc.
U.S. IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTIONS
To bring an adopted child to the United States from Ghana, you must meet eligibility and suitability requirements. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines who can adopt under U.S. immigration law. Additionally, a child must meet the definition of orphan under U.S. immigration law in order to be eligible to immigrate to the United States on an IR-3 or IR-4 immigrant visa.
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