Art. 1281.5 Prior approval of adoptive placement

Before a child from another country can be adopted and placed in a home in Louisiana, the adoptive parents have to get approval first. This means they need a certification for adoption that follows the rules laid out in Articles 1171 through 1173. They also need approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency that handles immigration matters.

In simple terms, adoptive parents can't just bring a child into their home and start the adoption process afterward. All the paperwork and approvals have to be finished first. This protects the child by making sure the home has been checked out and approved, and it makes sure the adoption will be recognized as legal under both state and federal law.

If someone skips these steps and brings a child into their home before getting proper certification and USCIS approval, they are not following the correct legal process. This could create serious problems for finalizing the adoption later on.