Adoption Information: Nigeria
In a March 13, 2024, adoption notice, the Department of State (DOS) Continues to Advise Prospective Adoptive Parents to Reconsider Intercountry Adoptions from Nigeria. DOS recommends that prospective adoptive parents reconsider intercountry adoptions from Nigeria due to ongoing concerns about the ability to verify the origins of children being adopted, systemic fraud, and lack of oversight in the adoption process. These concerns may result in difficulty immigrating an adopted child to the United States. For the latest information on adoption from Nigeria, see the DOS’s Intercountry Adoption webpage for Nigeria, which also contains DOS adoption notices for Nigeria.
USCIS Processing
Although USCIS continues to accept and adjudicate Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition, and Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, for Nigeria, Please be aware that the ongoing concerns referenced in DOS adoption notices may negatively affect your ability to establish that a child is an orphan under U.S. immigration laws and is eligible to immigrate to the United States.
Applicants or petitioners with pending or approved Form I-600A applications or pending Form I-600 petitions may request a change of country to continue the adoption process in another country. For additional information, see our Change of Country webpage.