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Disadvantages to International Adoption

There are some disadvantages to international adoption. Children adopted internationally are not infants. The children who are adopted are usually under one year of age, but can be as young as three or four months of age depending on which country the parents are adopting from. There may be little information about the child's birthparents.

Although the child's medical history will be accessed during the adoption process, little medical information about the birthparents may be disclosed. Also, the birthmother may or may not have had good prenatal care (risks are different for varying countries). Also, the child will usually not be able to trace his or her birthparents (depending on the records maintained by the specific country).

Children who have been living in an orphanage are at risk for developmental delays, though they generally catch-up once they are placed in a loving home. Most, but not all, countries require travel to the country to complete the adoption. Depending on the country, parents may need to travel multiple times and/or stay for weeks. Adopting parents should be aware that international adoptions are paperwork intensive, which although not difficult, can be time consuming and frustrating.

Advantages to International Adoption

There are many advantages to international adoption. There are many children in many countries, both healthy and special needs, who are in need of loving families. In international adoption, once an approved homestudy is completed, the parents are pretty much guaranteed to have a child. The parents will be matched with a child either by the agency, by adoption professionals in the country of adoption, or once the family visits the country they want to adopt from.

The time period for international adoption is typically more predictable than with domestic adoptions. Once a family is approved and begins working on their dossier, they have a good estimate of how long their wait will be for the country they have chosen. Families who adopt internationally also have a good estimate of what their costs will be.

Most adoption agencies will have an updated fee list available at the start of the adoption process, so the family will know what they will be paying. The risks associated with the birthmother are also considerably less for international adoptions. The children who are available for adoption must be orphans and will generally be living in an orphanage before placement. Once a family is referred to a specific child, therefore, they are more or less assured that child. China, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Russia, Korea, Vietnam, and Ukraine are the most popular countries for international adoptions.

Single Parent Travel

Some countries will allow only one parent to travel, while others require that both do. Travel requirements depend upon the state of the adopting couple and the country they are adopting from. The country may be China, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Korea, or Vietnam.

Adopting parents should address travel concerns with their adoption professional to gain an understanding of their adoption situation. Countries that require more than one trip from parents may allow for one parent to leave the country earlier as long and he has completed the necessary steps. If the country allows one parent to travel alone, the couple must complete some additional forms, which can be given to the couple by the adoption agency.

Changing the Child's Name

Medical Issues in Internationally Adopted Children

Medical issues are not uncommon with international adoptions. In many foreign countries, children are available for adoption due to abandonment, extreme poverty, the death of one or both parents, or some type of family problems such as drug abuse, alcoholism or child abuse. Children from third world countries are especially susceptible to a number of diseases.

The most common medical issues in internationally adopted children are malnutrition, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, minor congenital defects, tuberculosis, reactive attachment disorder, sensory integration dysfunction, hepatitis A, B, or C, and HIV/AIDS. Children who have been living in institutions are also at risk for developmental delays. Many of these health concerns are minor and can be treated in the United States. Parents can assess their risks when they receive the referral of a child.

It is important to note that sometimes information about the child's biological parents' medical history is available and other times it is not. Physicians who specialize in adoption referrals as well as adoption professionals can help adopting families prepare for and understand potential health risks related to their specific child. Adopting parents should also consider that health problems might emerge at any time in a person's life, whether he is adopted or not.

Requirements for International Adoption

Parents who want to adopt internationally must comply with laws in the country in which they live as well as the country from which they want to adopt. Currently, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Guatemala, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Korea adoption programs are the most popular in the U.S. Each country has varying restrictions regarding age, financial status, evidence of marital stability (required number of years married), how many other children a family has, and whether or not single parents can adopt (sometimes restricted by gender).

Some restrictions, such as age or single status, may be lessened for parents who consider adopting a child with special needs. When adopting internationally, the parents should become acquainted with the laws and regulations of the country that they hope to adopt from.

Travel Visas

Parents who are traveling to certain countries will need a visitor's visa. These countries may include, China, Russia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Vietnam or Korea. To obtain a travel visa, the adopting couple will need an official letter of invitation authorized by the government of the country they are traveling to. The parents will need to take this letter with an application and passport photographs to the appropriate office in the U.S. to have the visa processed.

Parents will want to choose the type of visa that is appropriate for their travel needs and it is highly recommended that the visa has “adoption” listed on it as the reason for travel. The adoption agency will be able to advise parents on the type of visa that is right for their trip.

Re-Adopting in the United States

The necessity for re-adoption depends upon the type of visa the child obtains before entering the U.S. Children who are issued an IR-3 immigration visa are not required under Federal law to readopt the child. Individual state adoption laws, however, may require parents to re-adopt. Re-adoption is necessary for children entering the country with an IR-4 immigration visa, in which the adoption is not completed in the other country.

Many parents choose to have their child re-adopted in the U.S. regardless of whether or not their state requires it. Re-adoption allows the parents to have an U.S. Judgment Order for Adoption so they will no longer have to produce the foreign Judgment or translation. Additionally, parents will be able to obtain a U.S. birth certificate with their names as the parents and allows for the child's name to be legally changed in the process.

Choosing a Country

The first thing for adopting parents to consider when adopting internationally is comfort level. Parents should think about which nationalities they are comfortable with (with having a child of that descent) and which ones they are not.

Parents should also consider the culture of the country they want to adopt from. They should be comfortable visiting both for the adoption process, and possibly also when the child gets older. They need to assess how they feel about incorporating their child's culture into their own (some countries want to know that the child will be exposed to aspects of their culture).

Research is important in finding the international program that best fits the adopting couple. Adopting parents should look into what countries specific agencies work with (most have certain countries they have created programs with) and information about what types of children are available from certain countries. China adoption, Guatemalan adoption programs, Russian adoptions and Kazakhstan adoptions remain some of the most popular programs for international adoptions in the United States. Parents should also research countries they are interested in for legal procedures, travel information, and restrictions for adopting parents.

When to Take the Child to the Pediatrician

Children who are adopted internationally should visit the pediatrician within two weeks of entering the United States. Parents will want to have the child examined for any acute illnesses or chronic conditions that may need immediate treatment. Since the medical history may be sparse for internationally adopted children, it is important for parents to have them completely assessed.

All adopted children should have a complete physical examination and should have their medical history reviewed. They should complete age-appropriate screening tests, and be assessed on their growth and development. Internationally adopted children may also need to be tested for infectious diseases that may be common in their country of origin.

Additionally, the doctor should make sure the child is up-dated on all necessary vaccinations. Sometimes children in foreign countries are not immunized or are underimmunized. In other cases, the records kept by the country may be inaccurate to the immunizations or the dosage of the immunizations that the child has had. Having another group of vaccinations for the child is typically safe and bypasses the need to test the child for previous vaccinations.

Selecting an International Adoption Agency

Adopting parents should select an adoption professional that they feel comfortable working with. You will be working with this person for many months, so it is important that you get along and also that you feel right about your choice. The international adoption professional will discuss and assess risks of the adopting couple, prepare the homestudy (or refer to an agency that completes homestudies), provide guidance through the paperwork process, assist with the referral of the child and provide post-placement reports. In some cases, agencies may offer parenting classes and post-placement services.

Parents should decide what type of international adoption agency they want to work with. Larger agencies tend to offer a greater number of programs, while smaller agencies offer more personal assistance. Parents want to be sure that the agency is helpful in regards to their questions and concerns. Adopting parents should research the international adoption process and agencies they are interested in working with. They may ask family or friends who have adopted internationally which agencies they have used. They may also look at international adoption agencies in the phonebook or the Internet. Adopting parents may want to call agencies that appeal to them for more information.

Once parents have identified a couple of adoption agencies they like, they should research information about the agency through the state licensing department or the Better Business Bureau to gain information about professional practices and complaints. Parents should also see if the adoption agency is accredited by a national organization, such as NCFA or JCICS, which will ensure services beyond the minimum state requirements.

Parents may want to know how long the agency has been practicing and how familiar they are with international adoption. Finally, adoptive parents who know which country they want to adopt from should investigate the program and relationship the agency has with that particular country. The most popular countries for international adoptions are China, Russia, Guatemala, Korea, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Ukraine.

International Adoption Fees

International adoption fees can vary depending on the country the adopting parents choose to work with. International adoptions can cost between $7,000 and $35,000. International adoptions require a number of fees including application, homestudy (unless already completed through another agency), dossier, adoption program and post placement fees. International adoption fees will also cover translations and legal fees. There may also be additional country fees depending upon the country the parents select.

Some countries require that the parents make a donation to the child's orphanage upon the adoption of their child. This type of donation should be approximately $3,000 - $4,000. Adopting parents will also have to pay to travel to the country their child is from. Since travel plans are often last minute, parents should not expect to get bargain airfare rates. Additionally, parents must research the adoption process for the country they are adopting from since some countries require parents to make more than one trip.

Is International Adoption right for me?