Primary Provider Services – Sierra Leone

If you have finalized the adoption of a child from Sierra Leone and need immigration assistance to bring them to the US, we can provide primary provider services. If you are an Illinois resident, we can also help with your international home study.

Families that have not completed an adoption are asked to contact an agency that offers placing services to identify and adopt a child from Sierra Leone. You may still act on your own behalf in your own adoption case if permitted under the laws of the state in which you reside and the laws of Sierra Leone. Although you do not need accreditation or approval to act on your own behalf, your actions need to comply with applicable law, and you will still need to work with an accredited agency or approved person to act as the primary provider in your case.

A primary provider helps to ensure that non-Convention adoption services are provided reflecting the same standards of practice and ethical conduct as in Convention cases. The Department strongly recommends working with an accredited or approved adoption service provider that will act as primary provider from the outset of each intercountry adoption case. Proceeding with your intercountry adoption case without an accredited or approved primary provider may delay or impede the completion of the case and may increase the overall cost of the case. Read the full State Department Universal Accreditation Act of 2012

ACI as your Primary Provider – Sierra Leone

Adoption Center of Illinois (registered as Family Resource Center) may be able to serve as the Primary Provider for your international adoption in the cases of parent-initiated and relative adoptions. ACI has been Hague-accredited since 2008. This accreditation allows us to act as an accredited Adoption Service Provider (ASP) for international adoptions. 

We do not have a Sierra Leone adoption program. Our services support families that have finalized a parent-identified or relative adoption and require the services of a Primary Provider to oversee the home study and immigration process.

Immigration Process

If you choose our agency as your Primary Provider, we will work with you and support you through the process. We cannot, however, guarantee that a visa for your child will be issued. The ultimate decision is made by the U.S. Consulate in Freetown. It is important for you to be aware of all of the information posted on the State Department Intercountry Adoption page for Sierra Leone.

International Home Study

In addition to requiring a Primary Provider, families must also work with a qualified Home Study Agency. Illinois residents may utilize ACI’s Primary Provider services and our International Home Study Services. These two services are independent and separate from one another and require separate fees.

Our non-Illinois families will also need an adoption agency in their state to complete the international home study. ACI can support you in finding a qualified agency in your area.

Fees

The fee for ACI’s Primary Provider Service for the adoption of ONE child is $6,450. This includes a $815 Monitoring and Oversight (M&O) fee paid directly to CEAS, the accrediting entity. Families who adopt more than one child will pay an additional $1,100 fee per child which includes the CEAS fee. 

Next Steps

Please review all of the following documents:

After reviewing all of the above information, please email Jane Turner jturner@adoptillinois.org and Pam Brown pbrown@adoptillinois.org with the following information:

  • Have you previously submitted an I600A or I600 application to immigration?
  • What date was your adoption finalized?
  • Is the child an orphan or relative? 
  • If relative, what happened to the child’s biological parents?
  • How old is the child (date of birth)?
  • Tell us about your child’s health
  • If you reside outside of Illinois, have you selected a qualified home study agency? Please send agency name and contact person information
  • Your contact information (full names and phone numbers)

Once we receive your answers to the questions above, we will notify you if we are able to proceed to the next step of reviewing your documents.

Document Review

Before we review your documents, we will request a $250 per child (non-refundable fee). You will need to email clear scanned copies of ALL your adoption documents in PDF format.  Documents for Primary Provider Checklist link is above.  If your documents appear to be in good order, we will then ask you to submit an application for our Primary Provider Services and pay the Phase 1 fee.

NOTE: If the document review stage has not progressed within 12 months from date of first contact due to lack of communication or not submitting required documentation, we will close your file. You can then restart the process at any time with newly scanned documentation and an additional $250 review fee per child.