Who Can Adopt from Marshall Islands

The Jobo Stickdancers of the perform a traditional dance from Utrok Atoll.
Source: flickr.com.

In addition to U.S. immigration requirements, you must also meet the following requirements in order to adopt a child from Marshall Islands:

Residency

The Government of the Marshall Islands has no specific requirement or policy regarding the citizenship or residency of foreign prospective adoptive parents

Age of Adopting Parents

Any person 18 or older can petition to adopt a child; however, the petitioner must be at least 15 years older than the child to be adopted.

Marriage

Under Marshallese law, both married couples and single individuals may adopt Marshallese children. Marshallese law does not permit same-sex couples or individuals in same-sex relationships to adopt.

Income

There is no minimum income requirement for adoptive parents.

Other

Prospective adoptive parents must have a home study completed by a U.S. state licensed adoption agency. This can be the home study that U.S. prospective adoptive parents submit to USCIS as part of their Form I-600A filing. The home study must include the following:

1. Educational background and future educational plans;

2. Employment history, current status and any changes in the foreseeable future;

3. Income history and future projections, if available;

4. History of prior marriages, if any, including the basis for divorce, the age and gender of each child, the history of child support for and current relationship with those children;

5. History of current marriage, age and gender of each child already in the home, and detailed report of any prior adoption experiences;

6. Participation in any civic or religious activity of prospective parents;

7. Nationwide criminal background search in the prospective adoptive parent'(s) country of residence or country of citizenship; and

8. Original child abuse records search.

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