Q: My neighbor is an 18 year old female who was adopted from Russia when she was about two years old. She lives in Avon OH

A: She will need to retain a lawyer to properly determine the best options for her. She may or not be a U.S. citizen and there are many factors to consider when determining which process she should take.

A: She should really sit down with an attorney and discuss this.

An adopted child for U.S. immigration purposes is one who satisfies is all of the following:

legally adopted under the age of 16 years

in the legal custody of the adoptive parents for at least two years; and

has resided in the physical custody of the adoptive parents for at least two years.

It is important to understand that parents do not have legal custody until they assume responsibility under the laws of the state and under the approval of a court of law or other government entity. This is true even if the child was residing with you before legal custody was granted.

A child who is an adopted child becomes a U.S. citizen when the following criteria are met:

At least one parent is a U.S. citizen, either by birth or naturalization.

The child is under 18 years of age; and

The child is lawfully admitted to the United States as a permanent resident and is in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent.

Once the child has met all of the requirements for automatic acquisition of citizenship, he or she is a U.S. citizen but it's a good idea to apply for a certificate as evidence of this.