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USCIS Income Requirements for Approval to Adopt Internationally

Adopting internationally is a complicated (but worth it!) process.  Part of this process is to apply for and be approved to bring a foreign-born child into this country.  The US Customs and Immigration Services Office (USCIS) in your state is responsible for approving either your I600A or your I800A application (depending on the country you hope to adopt from).

Before you even begin the international adoption process, it is essential to confirm that your family’s income not only meets the foreign country’s income requirements for adoption, but also our own USCIS requirements.   USCIS uses the US Poverty Guideline to determine whether your income is sufficient enough to adopt and care for another child.

Based on the total number of people in your household, including yourself, your spouse, all of your dependent children, AND the child/children you hope to bring home, you must meet a minimum of 125% of the US Poverty Guideline for the total number of household members.

Please note that active members of the military must only meet the 100% level.

Please also note that if you have adopted domestically, ADOPTION SUBSIDIES DO NOT COUNT AS TAXABLE INCOME.  These can NOT be counted towards your income for USCIS.  That subsidy income CAN be counted to meet the requirement of the foreign country, but not for USCIS.

The following are the 2024 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia:

Size of Family Unit                     Poverty Guidelines               125 Percent

2                                                       $20,440                                  $25,550

3                                                       $25,820                                 $32,275

4                                                       $31,200                                  $39,000

5                                                       $36,580                                  $45,725

6                                                       $41,960                                  $52,450

7                                                       $47,340                                  $59,175

8                                                       $52,720                                 $65,900

Updated 4/22/2024

Our Mission Statement: The mission of Reece’s Rainbow is to advocate and find families for orphans with Down syndrome and other special needs by raising funds for adoption grants and promoting awareness through an online community, media communications, and other events.

Greetings and welcome!  My name is Andrea Roberts.  I am the mother of a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome, and a passionate advocate for other children around the world who were born with that extra 21st chromosome.

Like many unsuspecting birth parents, my husband and I grieved for quite some time after Reece’s birth in April of 2002.  The life we had envisioned for ourselves and our first-born-son was turned completely upside down, and we felt very much alone.  We were so blessed to find help through the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and Parent-to-Parent of Georgia.  Our faith that God had given Reece to us, and us to Reece, for a purpose, carried us through our darkest hours.

Reece’s Rainbow was started in 2004 as an outreach program serving new families with babies with Down syndrome at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA.   The nurse who attended me post-partum with Reece, Mrs. Kim Wood, RN, called me one day out of the blue and asked if she could use Reece’s name for her hospital service project.  She asked if I would come talk to new families and share everything I have learned with them before they were discharged from the hospital.    I was moved, honored, and terrified.  Would I be able to face a new grieving mother?  Would I be able to HELP and not break down again?  YES.

 Since that time, we have met countless numbers of new “colors” of Reece’s Rainbow.  We have made so many wonderful friends, and our life has been blessed in a million ways.  Our network of friends and families continues to grow.  But the one constant is REECE…the beauty and innocence that a child with Down syndrome brings to the world is truly one of Divine nature.   God has led me through some very difficult times, but waiting on the other side of that “rainbow” for me was enlightenment, empowerment, compassion, mercy, and a tremendous “calling” to reach out to other children like Reece who were not as fortunate as he to have a loving, supportive family to grow up in.

 In 2006, the program expanded to include promoting the international adoption of children with Down syndrome.   By raising money to offer adoption grants on waiting children, we are able to give adoptive families the extra financial help they need to bring a child with Down syndrome home from a miserable existence in overseas orphanages.

Our Sponsorship Program provides a unique opportunity for anonymous donors to contribute to the adoption journey of our families.  These children are viewed as outcasts with no ability to learn or be functional members of society.  They languish in mental institutions, hidden away from the world in shame.

Even if you are not able to adopt a child at this time, you truly can change the course of a child’s life by helping adoptive families afford the costs of international adoption.  $20, $50, $1000….whatever you have goes into a grant, held for ANY family adopting a child with Down syndrome.  Click here to learn the many ways you can help!

Families interested in adopting should visit our New Family page for more information on our country programs, our waiting children, the costs, and the process in general.

From these humble beginnings, Reece’s Rainbow has been powered by the grace of God and thousands of passionate advocates.

I can say with great confidence that if we had a full grant for every child on our website, there would BE no children on our website.  There are hundreds of families in the US and Canada who would give their left arm to bring one or more of these children home.  The money is the ONLY thing standing in their way.

If you have questions or would like to discuss adopting or donating, please do not hesitate to contact us!   Thank you VERY much for your financial support, your prayers, and for sharing our organization with everyone you know.

You don’t have to adopt to make a difference!

	A new fundraising program is being launched for anyone who likes to run/walk in 5K/10K/30K events!  The program is called “One Step Closer to Home”, and provides you with a fabulous new graphic and opportunity to raise awareness and donations for Reece’s Rainbow. If you’d like to organize a full RR event, or just run in another race with our logo, please contact Kelly Mokashi. To check out T-shirts, mugs, and other items at our Cafe Press store, click HERE.
	The Guardian Angel Project is a new effort to increase awareness and raise additional grant donations for our “Other Angels“, those children with other special needs who are also waiting for their forever families to find them. Learn more
	Connecting the Rainbow – An Outreach Program for Birth Families of Children with Down Syndrome Abroad.  The primary focus of Reece’s Rainbow is to raise grant funds and promote the international adoption and rescue of children with Down syndrome in particular.  However, our long term goal is to eliminate the need for Reece’s Rainbow by serving as a catalyst for social change abroad.
	Being an orphan warrior for a child costs nothing but your time.   Any of our 0-5  children (Down syndrome, HIV+, or “Other Angels”) are eligible to have warriors.    Use Facebook, email, your blog, any other way you can to help your chosen child find their “forever family”.   Learn more
	Be a Prayer Warrior for one of our waiting children.  Prayer is FREE and can be even more powerful than an adoption grant in finding an adoptive family, helping with fundraising, and seeking God’s favor in the health and well-being of each child as they wait “at the end of Reece’s Rainbow” for their forever family.   Learn more
	Donate to the Voice of Hope Fund.  Reece’s Rainbow is a totally non-profit organization.  We function solely on private donations to fund the monthly operational expenses that we have. Donations to this fund help us with critical operational and marketing/advertising expenses. It doesn’t feel as warm and fuzzy as donating for a child’s grant fund, but it is much needed!  Learn more