I recommend that parents look at all open countries. Assess needed travel (as length of time in countries varies in the number of trips needed and length of stay, etc.), time waiting before travel after submitting dossier, the country’s qualifications and the type of children available for adoption. There is no best country for all. For us, traveling to Ukraine and living there for sixty-one days was not an issue, but for families with other children it may be more challenging, although we did have the option to make multiple trips versus a longer stay. We did not qualify for some countries due to medical history. Country laws and restrictions are constantly changing.
With Ukraine, since you cannot pre-select a child, we did not get any information on a child before traveling, but other countries will give full profiles and match a family before traveling. For us, since we were adopting an older child, Ukraine worked well, as we could meet the child and see her personality before saying yes or no to adopting the child (it worked for us—before we met our girl, we met a girl who neither of us connected with so we declined the referral and got a referral to our child). Ukraine allows three referrals (allowing a family to meet up to three children) before sending a family home. Also, Ukraine was good for us as we were open to a child with special needs so we were able to adopt a younger child (under five). For families who are not open to special needs and want a younger child, Ukraine would not be best.
Note that this parent was interviewed prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that erupted in 2014. Such incidents adversely impact adoption programs, adding to the unpredictability of intercountry adoption.
BEING MATCHED WITH A CHILD
Prospective parents interested in intercountry older child adoption may be able to begin the process of searching for a child before they even choose an agency. There are numerous photo-listing sites featuring older foreign children and children with special needs waiting to be adopted. Some of these sites are affiliated with agencies while others are simply photo-listing services. Be careful when using sites run by consultants or independent adoption facilitators. Find out how they get access to the photo listings and whether you can work with an agency to adopt a child found on their site (more about intercountry adoption facilitators in the next sections). Like domestic photo listings, you should be able to search for children by location, age and other characteristics, including whether they are part of a sibling group.
Be aware that, according to Hague Convention rules, adoptive parents cannot choose the child they will adopt; they can indicate an interest in a specific child but the match usually will be made by professionals in the child’s country of origin.
More commonly, families receive referrals to children eligible to be adopted. Your agency may direct you to their public or private photo listings or engage in their own matching process that involves looking at your profile and home study.
Prospective parents should learn as much as possible from the foreign agency about the child’s life, including her family history, care and special needs. Many parents adopting internationally complain they did not receive adequate information about their child’s background. Problems with getting accurate information include inadequate record-keeping, corruption, fraud or a straightforward lack of knowledge about how the child became an orphan on the part of the foreign government and/or agency. Some parents have even discovered that they did not receive an accurate birth certificate or correct information about their child’s date and location of birth.
THE PRE-ADOPTIVE PROCESS
The pre-adoptive process for domestic and intercountry adoption involves many of the same elements including the application, home study, pre-adoptive training, a background check and physicals (see the domestic adoption chapter for more information about the application) but there are additional documents you will need for intercountry adoption:
• A passport for travel
• I-800A form: Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Hague Country
• I-600 form: Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative (required for adoption from non-Hague countries)
LEGAL ISSUES
Once you have been matched to the child you want to adopt, you must find out what type of visa she will need to enter the United States and obtain a passport for her. Most children adopted by Hague Convention countries automatically become legal citizens of the United States but there are some exceptions. For example, if you are a citizen of the country from which the child is being adopted, procedures may differ. Also, when adopting from a non-Hague country, you may need to obtain orphan status for the child, and the process for entering the United States and gaining citizenship status for the child may be different.
Accredited agencies will help you complete the paperwork necessary for legalization and obtain a visa. If you are not using an agency you will have to hire an attorney experienced in intercountry adoption to assist you with the adoption process and to achieve finalization. Paperwork that renders the adoption legal is processed in Hague Convention countries prior to the child’s departure. Once the child is brought into the United States, he may not need to be re-adopted through the courts but sometimes parents do this. Please reference the Child Welfare Information Gateway factsheet on adoption from Hague versus non-Hague countries to gain a better understanding of the legal process governing intercountry adoption.9 Laws can sometimes change, so please also reference the Department of State’s website (http://adoption.state.gov/) for the most current information about the required paperwork and procedures for adopting a child from a foreign nation. You will also need to discuss with your attorney what the laws are in your state concerning re-adoption and citizenship for your child.
COSTS
Intercountry adoption is considerably more expensive than adopting a child through the US foster care system. Currently, you will pay between twenty and forty thousand dollars to adopt a child internationally. Costs vary according to the country’s program and the agency. For example, certain countries may require more visits and longer lengths of stay than others. Furthermore, certain countries require post-adoption visits and reporting by the agency. You also will incur higher legal fees if the adoption process is more complicated. Be sure to ask agencies you are considering working with what their fees are and what the costs are for a different country’s programs.
To help you pay for intercountry adoption you might apply for a loan or grant from a private organization that supports adoptive parents. You might also do your own fundraising through an organization or on your own through programs like Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/). One of the parents we interviewed said she raised money through Reece’s Rainbow, a private organization that specializes in special needs intercountry adoption, to help defray the costs of adopting their child from Ukraine.
In some states, parents who have adopted a child from another country, especially those who have adopted special needs children, will qualify for a one-time payment from the state. Call your state’s child welfare agency to find out if you qualify. Once the adoption is finalized, you may also apply for the federal adoption tax credit. The tax credit is more beneficial for families that fall in a higher tax bracket; be sure to ask your tax preparer how you may benefit.
Prior to adopting an older child, families should evaluate their support systems, noting in which areas they are lacking formal or informal support. Adoptive families should feel no shame in seeking out formal support and services. It is a typical need and families should seek help early and often.
Virginia Volante-Appel has over thirty years of experience as an adoption professional, including running her own agency and finding foster and adoptive homes for hard-to-place