US immigrant status for my adopted daughter

[Eggmeng]

I read the thread on how a foreign father gains parental rights, but I didn't see an answer to my particular situation. So with apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere, here is my question.

Seven years ago my daughter was born out of wedlock to my Thai business partner and a Thai man. He was asked by the mother to leave three months after her daughter's birth, and she does not carry his name. She has not seen him since.

The three of us live together and my daughter knows me as her father. I am not married to her mother and as our relationship is platonic we don't intend to marry.

My daughter goes to an international school and is fully bi-lingual. Our hope is that when she reaches adolescence she and I can move to the States so she can go to school there. Her mother will likely remain in Thailand, run the business, and come over to the US for visits.

Assuming I can be recognized by the Thai authorities as the legal father with both mother and child's consent, will this be enough for me to get my daughter the US immigrant status she'll need to live and be schooled in the USA?

Edited October 19, 2013 by Eggmeng

[Swiss1960]

I don't know about US immigration laws, but I would assume your primary hurdle to look into is what you write "Assuming I can be recognized by the Thai authorities as the legal father..."

a ) Is the biological father registered as the legal father? Then you definitely would need his consent to an adoption... which might prove difficult for many reasons, i.e. does the mother know how to reach out to him or how much money he will ask for to give up his rights as father

b ) Can you adopt a child in Thailand without being married to the mother? That is something you would need to talk through with a lawyer...

Only then I would start to deal with how you can get the Thai adoption papers legalized with the US authorities...