January 23, 2017
In the Dominican Republic, CONANI is the central agency handling adoptions that provides the following services available under the Hague Convention: identifying a child for adoption and arranging the process, securing the necessary consent to termination of parental rights, performing background studies, monitoring cases after placement, and facilitating provisional child care if there are hindrances to the final adoption. For more information on CONANI’s services, visit their web site: http://www.conani.gov.do/.
Before contacting CONANI, the adoptive parents need to start this process with USCIS, www.uscis.gov. When the foreign adoption is granted, adoptive parents must apply for an immigrant visa, an IH-3, at an U.S. Embassy abroad.
With the file completed, the consular section can schedule the visa interview, during which the consular officer will review the I-800 (Hague) petition, verify that the child meets the U.S. definition of a Convention adoptee (Hague), and establish that the adoptive parent(s) have legal custody. In addition, the consular officer must check the visa medical report to see if the child has any medical conditions that might prevent him or her from traveling to the United States.
Finally, the officer must confirm that the child has the required travel documentation, such as a passport from a foreign country.
Do I need a P visa to work in the US?
B1 visa holders may pursue business interests, including consult with associates, negotiate a contract, buy goods or materials, or participate in professional conventions but, with few exceptions, they cannot pursue gainful employment.
Each athlete or entertainer wishing to perform at a specific athletic competition or at a specific entertainment show as a single artist or as part of a group needs a P visa. An applicant can only work on a P visa for a defined period of time and cannot stay in the United States on a P visa beyond the specific activity that the P visa was requested for.
It is important to remember that with a P visa, the visa holder can only work on the specific assignment or competition petitioned for in the application, and cannot secure additional employment outside the scope of the petition while in the United States.
