International Adoption

Adopting a Child Internationally

If you are wondering if international adoption is right for you, then you should
consider these issues:

Adopting from another country often means adopting a child of another race

The family would then be an interracial family, which presents special
responsibilities. The family must incorporate the child’s culture
and parents must cope with racism in this country.

The background and health information about children from other countries is often incomplete and may be unreliable. Families must be willing to take the risk of adopting a child that may have undiagnosed medical, emotional, or behavioral problems and remain committed to parenting that child.

Criteria for adoptive parents and time frames are often subject to change as countries review their policies or temporarily put adoptions on hold.Some families choose international adoption because there is no legal risk (i.e. the birth parents’ rights have already been terminated). There is also little or no contact with the birth parents.

THE PROS & CONS OF DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION
Domestic Adoption Most adoptions in the U.S. are semi-open and some are fully open adoptions. Families must be willing to meet with birth parents and send ongoing pictures and letters to them. Families are usually chosen by the birth parents that look at adoptive parents albums.

Pros:
Primarily newborns are available for placement through private agencies

Sometimes better/ more complete medical history is available

More background history about birth parents is available

Cons: Sometimes the waiting time can be longer, as families have to wait
to be “ chosen”

International Adoption
International adoptions are mostly closed adoptions (little or no contact between birth and adoptive parents). Children are either cared for in orphanages or cared for by foster families until adopted.

Pros:
Usually shorter waiting times; placement agencies can tell families how long it Will take to receive a child referral

Children of all ages are available

Cons: Youngest children are 6-12 months old
More paperwork- families need to complete immigration documents and put together
a dossier (i.e. a packet of documents to be sent to the foreign Country)
Children’s medical histories may be incomplete and little or no information on Birth parents

Sometimes foreign countries may put their adoption programs “on hold”, so Families might need to switch to a different country

Travel to the country is usually required (but not for Korea, Guatemala, or Samoa)

Older children may experience “orphanage syndrome” or attachment
disorder Requirements of the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
(CIS) When adopting from another country, parents must also complete forms with
the CIS. During the course of the home study, clients need to send in their application
to CIS. Once the study is completed, CT-AFS will send a copy to CIS. Your approval
comes a few weeks afterwards. To obtain the CIS application, clients should download
the forms (I600 or I600A) from the CIS website www.uscis.gov or call 1-800-870-3676 and ask that an adoption packet be mailed to them. If assistance is needed in filling out the forms, clients may call the CIS help line at 1-800-375-5283. For more complex questions, your CT-AFS social worker can contact CIS for assistance. The application fee is approximately $685 for two parent families.

Countries from which We Assist Adoptions:

Korea

Russia

Vietnam

Taiwan

Thailand

Kazakhstan

Ukraine

India

Guatemala

CT-AFS has a network established with several other agencies
that provide placements from these countries. In such situations, CT-AFS
provides your local services,
such as home study and post-placement supervision, while
the placement agency places the child into the home.

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Agency News

Sep 16, 2009 - Families Needed:
We are now looking for Connecticut parents to adopt infants of all races, including African-American, through private domestic adoption. The waiting period has become much shorter over this past year, so domestic adoption has become a more viable option for many. As always, we are also seeking families to adopt CT state foster children through our grant-funded program "Project CT's Child".
May 1, 2009 - Check out the Heart Gallery
If you are considering adopting a child from the state foster care system, please visit the "Heart Gallery", a moving exhibit featuring portraits of waiting children. We can help you adopt these and other foster children. You can view these photos at: www.heartgalleryct.org
Apr 17, 2009 - Visit Us on Cable TV
If you live in Southeastern CT, please check out our public access TV show "Families in the Making". The schedule is listed on the section of this website titled: Visit Us on Cable.

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Child Adoption Resource Association :: Eastern CT: 2 Union Plaza; Suite 300; New London, CT 06320; 860-444-0553; director@adoptacarakid.org