USCIS has announced it will permanently close its field office in Seoul, South Korea. The last day the USCIS Seoul field office will be open to the public to accept new applications or petitions is August 16, 2019.

Effective August 17, 2019, the USCIS Seoul field office will no longer accept or process new Forms I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, or Forms I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative. 

On and after August 17, 2019 you may continue to file a Form I-600A application or a Form I-600 petition by mail with USCIS lockbox facility in Dallas. The USCIS National Benefits Center will process the application. Additionally, you may file a Form I-600 petition in-person with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or consulate in the child’s country of origin.

Additional information is available on the USCIS Seoul Field Office website. Questions about your pending Form I-600A or I-600 may be directed to USCIS’s National Benefits Center (NBC) at NBC.adoptions@uscis.dhs.gov. If you have questions about any other petition or application pending with USCIS, you may create and send a secure message through a USCIS Online account.

If you have a pending Form I-600A, it will be processed by USCIS. If you have a pending Form I-600, it will be processed by USCIS or Department of State.

USCIS’ website provides detailed instructions for those with pending cases. During the transition period, we recommend you remain in frequent communication with your Adoption Service Provider (ASP).  

The Department of State is in the process of updating the Country Information page for South Korea. Please continue to monitor adoption.state.gov for updated information as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at adoption@state.gov.