IR-3 Visa Law and Legal Definition
IR-3 visa is an immigrant visa category for international or intercountry adoptions. An IR-3 visa is issued to a child adopted outside the U.S. when the adoptive parent, if a single parent or both parents, if a married couple saw and observed the child prior to the adoption, and the adoption is completed in the foreign country.
‘IR’ means ‘immediate relative.’ The IR-3 visa classification shows that the orphan has been adopted abroad prior to the issuance of the immigrant visa. Before issuing an IR-3 visa, the adjudicating officer must be satisfied that the adoption was both legal in the country where it occurred and valid for U.S. immigration purposes.
Under federal laws, children who are issued IR-3 visas do not require adoption or re-adoption in the U.S. However, the state laws of one’s state of residence may require a re-adoption procedure.
