I found this very detailed info on one of my many yahoo groups that I am a member of to find out everything that I can!
I thought that it gave so much great information!! This was written for someone who is just researching China adoption. I spend MANY hours reading and reseraching online before we decided on our agency.
The China adoption program is one of the most reliable and stable of
the international adoption programs, and China is the country from
which more U.S. citizens have elected to adopt from than any other
country since the year 2000. According to the USCIS immigration
statistics, U.S. citizens adopted 6,859 children from China in 2003,
7,033 in 2004, and 7,906 in 2005. Children available for adoption are
mostly girls, infants to 6 years of age. About 5% of the children
adopted from China are boys - some people request "only a boy" and
some people request "a child of either sex" and let China surprise
them. If you ask for a girl, however, you will almost certainly get a
girl. Older and special needs children are also available. The
children typically reside in orphanages, although some may have been
in foster care. To view the 2004 2004 USCIS Immigration Statistics, go
here:
http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/statistics/yearbook/index.htm
Travel required: At least one parent (if married) must travel to
China. Only one trip is required, lasting approximately two weeks. The
parent(s) go to their child's province of origin to pick her/him up,
and remain there for 5-6 days to complete China's paperwork
requirements to finalize the adoption. The new family then proceeds to
Guangzhou (formerly Canton) to complete all USA immigration paperwork.
If only one parent (of a couple) travels, the child enters the USA
under an IR-4 visa, and a "readoption" is required with the second
parent present to complete the adoption process.
(If adopting from a country other than the USA, for example, Canada:
the second half of the journey will be completed at the Canadian
Embassy in Beijing. Time required, and visa and re-adoption
requirements will vary from that given in the paragraph above.)
China requires two post-placement reports be completed by a social
worker (at six and 12 months). Additional visits are required if only
one parent of a couple travels and re-adoption is not completed in a
timely manner. Some agencies have tighter restrictions, and Illinois
recently enacted a law requiring a 30 day post-placement visit - this
is not sent to China, however.
Explore international adoption -- here are a sprinkling of sites:
http://www.jcics.org/ (Joint Council on International Children's
Services)
http://www.internationaladoptionnews.com/ (excellent info about
researching agencies, etc.)
http://www.ethicanet.org/
http://international.adoption.com/
http://www.comeunity.com/
Pick up a DVD copy of "China's Lost Girls" from National Geographic's
website or Amazon:
http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/
Read about adoption (China and your adoption agency will require a
certain amount of reading/study) -- here's a comprehensive reading list:
http://heartborn.org/reading.htm
Attend adoption seminars given by adoption agencies and other groups:
http://www.inciid.org
http://www.resolve.org/
Join your local chapter of Families With Children from China (FCC) and
attend Waiting Family Meetings, adoption seminars, and cultural events:
http://www.fwcc.org/
----------------------
There are over 100 agencies in the USA licensed to facilitate China
adoptions. For a complete list of agencies who are Joint Council on
International Children's Services (JCICS) members, go here:
http://www.jcics.org/Country%20Programs.htm#China
In terms of numbers of adoptions completed annually from China, the
largest agency in the USA is CCAI (Chinese Children Adoption
International) of Centennial, Colorado, which facilitates close to
1,000 adoptions per year; next largest is GWCA (Great Wall China
Adoptions) headquartered in Austin, Texas. Both of these agencies have
branches all over the USA, and ONLY facilitate China adoptions.
Other extremely well-known and respected USA agencies include: CHI
(Children's Hope International), Holt, Harrah's, WACAP, AHH, AWAA,
Bethany Christian Services, CAWLI, Dillon, FTIA, Gladney, Journeys of
the Heart, Lavida, Spence Chapin, Pearl S. Buck Welcome House, etc.
etc. You can easily look these up on the internet, then send an email
and request a (free) information packet. CCAI's video will make you
cry!! (I recommend you build a spreadsheet to compare fees and
services; a sample spreadsheet is available in the files of APC, the
adoptive parents China yahoo group (see link below)). Here are links
to some of the most widely recognized large agencies as noted above:
CCAI: http://www.chinesechildren.org/
GWCA: http://www.gwcadopt.org/
CHI: http://www.childrenshopeint.org/
Holt: http://www.holtintl.org
Harrah's: http://www.hfsadopt.com/
China's fees are set in concrete and mandated by their government, as
are the USA's USCIS (formerly INS) fees. China's agents do not expect
or accept cash bribes (unlike Russia and FSU adoption officials),
altho small gratuity-type gifts are appreciated.
China's government has ONE agency which handles all international
adoptions: the CCAA - China Centre of Adoption Affairs, in Beijing.
The requirements (age/income/number of children in the household) to
adopt from China are listed on the CCAA website (although the
translation is not always ideal). There are also unwritten general
guidelines, for example, CCAA typically prefers to refer twins to
families that do not already have children in the home, with parents
earning over $100,000 per annum... altho there are exceptions made to
these and other unwritten guidelines on a case-by-case basis. CCAA's
website (English version) can be found here:
http://www.china-ccaa.org/frames/index_unlogin_en.jsp
Note that US adoption agencies generally have more stringent
requirements than China's, to ensure the agency maintains a high
success rate for completed adoptions (no agency likes to have a
dossier rejected by China; it reflects poorly on the agency, not to
mention it is devastating to the prospective family).
--------------------------
YAHOO GROUPS
"Why China? Why not adopt an American child?"
The adoptive parent will be asked this question many times. Your stock
answer will vary depending on who is doing the asking, and will
benefit from careful consideration and reflection in advance. Many
parents choose some derivation of: "All children are equally deserving
of a family, regardless of where they were born. My daughter was born
in China." Joining an adoptive parents' group (such as the Yahoo
group A-Parents-China or APC) provides a place for discussion of this
and many other nosy questions you will be asked in the grocery
check-out line, at church, by relatives, etc. Other topics your agency
will require you to research and consider: issues confronting
inter-racial families, raising your child with an appreciation for her
birth culture, how to deal with abandonment questions/issues as the
child matures, medical/health issues, adoption disruption, etc. etc.
There are literally hundreds of Yahoo groups pertaining to China
adoption. The oldest, largest (over 17,000 members) and most active
online China adoption discussion group is a-parents-china, or APC for
short. The Files and Archives and Links are invaluable, and the Photo
gallery is wonderful!! Join this group here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/a-parents-china
If you are Single, absolutely join the Single-Adopt-China (SAC) Yahoo
group for advice and support:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Single-Adopt-China
-----------------------------
The Non-Special Needs (NSN) adoption process is often likened to
pregnancy. From start to finish, currently (Dec 2005) one can expect
roughly 15-18 months to bring home a child from China. The time will
vary considerably, depending on the couple's ability to complete the
requisite paperwork and the USCIS's ability to approve the coveted
I-171H or I-797C form (permission to adopt a foreign-born child). The
process can be broken into three parts:
1. Most people take 3-6 months to complete the "first trimester" or
"paperchase"... this involves a home-study as required by their State
of residence, plus the assembly, notarization, certification,
translatation, and authentication of all paperwork into an adoption
dossier.
2. Once the dossier is mailed to China and logged in at the CCAA, the
family enters the DTC (Dossier To China) or "second trimester" phase
(also known as The Wait, The Long Wait, The Interminable Wait).
During this currently 9-10 month period (two years ago The Wait was 14
months, six months ago it was 6 months, so clearly, this time frame
varies considerably), CCAA reviews the dossier in The Review Room, and
if all paperwork is in order, the dossier progresses to The Matching
Room where the parent(s) are matched with their child through what
many new parents feel is a mystical, magical, heaven-inspired process.
China adoptive parents often refer to The Red Thread legend to explain
the miracle that results in exactly the right child being matched with
exactly the right Forever Family: "An invisible red thread connects
those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or
circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."
--An ancient Chinese belief.
3. The Referral is then sent to the adoption agency - the parent(s)
receive the long awaited Call, and then the translated medical and
developmental information about the child -- along with (typically)
three photographs are presented (via Fedex or an in-office visit). The
parent(s) are given several days to review the Referral package and
decide whether to accept or decline the child they were matched with.
Most parents (95% or better) accept their Referral, which is then sent
back to China to generate the next two critical steps: TA or Travel
Approval, and CA or Consulate Appointment. This "third trimester" is a
frenetic time of activity, as the new parents await approval from
China to come get their child, obtain visas, make flight arrangements,
and pack pack pack!! Travel is generally 6-8 weeks after Referral,
and the in-country stay is generally about 12 days (not including any
tours arranged for before or after the adoption process).
------------------------
The Special Needs (SN) or Waiting Child (WC) adoption process has some
similar steps to the above process, but also some notable differences,
with generally a shorter timeline, as well. For more info on adopting
a Waiting Child, visit this website:
http://www.waitingchild.org/
and join this Yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WaitingChildrenChina/
------------------------
Adoption costs: China is one of the least expensive international
adoption programs (altho Africa and Haiti are MUCH less expensive than
China). Typically a couple adopting from China will spend $16-$19,000
for ALL costs including agency fees, orphanage donation (~$3000), US
and China government fees, plus travel. As a comparison, typical costs
for Russia, FSU countries, and Guatemala run $23-30,000. Domestic
adoption can run $5-50,000. The US federal government provides a
$10,000.00 tax credit for the year in which the adoption is completed
(there is a bill in the House which will hopefully increase this
amount). Some States also provide a tax credit and/or allowances, as
do some companies. Note that China adoption expenses are generally
spread over a 12 month period (or longer).
-------------------------
Age of children referred: China considers children under two to be
"infants". It is extremely rare for a child to be referred who is
under six months of age (the orphanage makes a nominal attempt to
locate the birth parents and posts a Finding Ad in the local paper,
and then must assemble and send in the child's dossier). Most children
referred are between 10-14 months at time of "handover" to the new
parents. Many parents ask for AYAP - As Young As Possible. In general,
younger parents can be expected to be referred younger children.
Agencies will usually tell a couple in their late 40's to expect their
referral to be between 12-24 months old, however, the CCAA often
assigns children differently from the expected way. That's where the
Matching Room magic comes into play.
-------------------------
NOW that is a lot of information!!!!!!!! WOW!!!
Here is a ticker to show how long we have been waiting since our LID! It has almost been a month already! So, here is to a quick wait.
Walt Disney World here we come! This weekend we bought our park tickets for the upcoming summer trip to Disney. We will be meeting the mouse in 4 weeks! My brother, sister-in-law, 3 nieces, nephew, mom, and dad will be going with us! We will be touring Disney with 7 children under the age of 7! I had to post this picture of Cinderella's Castle that I took last summer. The castle is one of my favorite things to photograph!
