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Does a California Adult Adoption lead to USA Citizenship or USA “green card” status for foreign citizens?

Posted by John J. Pearson, Esq. | Mar 26, 2026 | 0 Comments

Does a California Adult Adoption lead to USA Citizenship or USA “green card” status for foreign citizens?

California Adult Adoption does not lead to USA Citizenship or USA “green card” status for foreign citizens. The important word here is “Adult,” and its definition under California Law. California Family Code section 6501 states that an adult is at least 18 years old, while California Family Code section 6500 states that a “minor” is a person under the age of 18 years old.  In a California Adult Adoption case the Adopting Parent(s) and the Adult Adoptee are by definition at least 18 years old. However, under current USA immigration law, adoption only gives citizenship to foreign born minors adopted while they still under the age of 16 years old. California Adult Adoption does not prevent Adopting Parent(s) from adopting foreign born Adoptees and it does not prevent Adult Adoptees from being Adopted by foreign born parents, but it will not give any benefit for USA immigration purposes. Unfortunately, unethical attorneys and legal consultants will often deceive people into believing that a California Adult Adoption lead to USA citizenship or USA “green card” status for foreign citizens.

About the Author

John J. Pearson, Esq.

John J. Pearson, Esq. (California State Bar Lic. 187956) has been a California attorney for over 28 years.  Approximately a decade ago, Mr. Pearson started to notice that that Family Courthouse was flooded with people who had their Adult Adoption cases rejected for filing by the Court Clerk due to some minor technical deficiency. At that point, Mr. Pearson resolved to meet the legal need for a simple and cost-effective law office that dedicates itself to ONLY California Adult Adoption cases. Welcome to Adult Adoption Attorney! 

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