Welcome to the wonderful world of International Adoptions!

It is our mission, at A Chosen Child, Inc., to improve the quality of life for children all over the world through humanitarian aid and adoption programs.

What foreign adoption programs are available through A Chosen Child, Inc.?
A Chosen Child, Inc., has developed partnerships with nationally recognized agencies in order to provide enrollment into well-established programs throughout the world. In addition, A Chosen Child, Inc., is incorporated and licensed in Nicaragua and has facilitators in other foreign countries. The following programs are currently available:

China
Abandoned Asian infant girls are generally available. However, toddlers and school age children, including boys, may also be available. Chinese children are usually healthy with some limited developmental delays; however, some have identifiable special needs. The minimum age requirement for married couples or singles to adopt is 30 years of age. Single applicants cannot be more than 50 years of age to adopt. If the younger adoptive parent is between 30 and 45 years of age, the adopted child's age range at the time of referral will be approximately 8 to 12 months. If both applicants are 46 to 49 years of age, they will likely be assigned a Chinese child of 1 to 3 years of age. Adoptive applicants who are between 50 and 55 years of age will be assigned a child above 3 years of age. China Adoptive applicants who are above 55 years of age will not be eligible to adopt from China; although there is some flexibility on a case-by-case basis, especially for special needs children.

Guatemala
Infants, toddlers and school-age children of either gender are generally available, including sibling groups from time to time. Guatemalan children usually have full or part Mayan Indian ethnicity with varying skin tones. There are two types of Guatemalan adoptions:

1. The Birth Parent Relinquishment Program is the means by which most children under 1 year of age become available for adoption. The programs have successful birthmother plans in which prenatal care is made available, as needed. The parental rights are often relinquished at birth (the children are generally placed in the orphanage or private foster care at that time). This enables children to join their adoptive families at an early age. Older children also may become available through the relinquishment process.
2. Abandonment Decree adoptions essentially involve children older than 1 year of age, due to the length of time involved in securing an abandonment decree. These children are abandoned or otherwise have no known biological parents.

Couples who have been married for at least 2 years and single women can be accepted. There should be no more than 45 years of difference between the youngest adoptive parent and the child. There is some flexibility with older children. Sibling groups are sometimes available.

Child assignment typically occurs within 2 to 8 months from application into the program. The in-country process, from child acceptance/Guatemalan dossier submission to travel, was typically 6 to 7 months. Due to some governmental instability, processing time frames cannot be accurately quoted, but typically take approximately 12 months.

Kazakhstan
Infants, toddlers and school-age children are available. Most are healthy, though some have minor health problems and some have more complicated disabilities. A Chosen Child, Inc., is usually made aware of any serious health issues and has placed many children successfully with families willing to take on these responsibilities. Children are of Asian, Eurasian and Caucasian ethnicity. Children are tested for Hep B and HIV. Currently, families cannot adopt 2 unrelated children from Kazakhstan at the same time. Sibling groups and twins are available for adoption in some cases, but are rare. Couples and single women are eligible to adopt from Kazakhstan. There should be no more than 45 years of age difference between the youngest parent and the child. Families should be open to a child of Asian, Eurasian or Caucasian decent. The wait for a child of less than 18 months of age usually takes 4 to 10 months (4 months for a boy; up to 10 months for a girl). The time in the country is typically 5 to 6 weeks or 2 trips (1st trip-approximately 2 weeks, 2nd trip- 4 to 5 days). Families travel 1 to 3 months after accepting a child referral.

Nicaragua
Toddlers and school-age children are available. In Summer 2003, A Chosen Child, Inc., was incorporated and licensed in Nicaragua. Due to an exhaustive rewriting of Nicaraguan adoption laws, this program is currently closed and is not exprected to reopen until 2006.

Russia
There are children from approximately 6 months old to 15 years old waiting for adoption from Russia. You can expect a more rapid referral for a toddler, school-age child or sibling group than for an infant. The children who come home from Russia are ordinarily fairly healthy, most only exhibiting typical developmental delays associated with orphanage life. These delays usually diminish rapidly once the children are home, and they begin to thrive in their new families and surroundings. A Chosen Child, Inc., is aware of health issues of the children, and all children undergo rigorous medical testing, which are presented to the adoptive parents. Although most children are healthy, there are children waiting that have minor to acute health issues and special needs.

Families applying to the program who have a completed Home Study and INS approval often can experience a quick adoption process. The Russia Program accepts couples and single women, with no more than a 45-year difference between the child and the youngest parent. Couples interested in the Russia Program must be married for a minimum of 2 years. One parent must be a U.S. citizen.

Right now there are children of all ages waiting for assignment. The waiting time for a child of either gender, under 18 months of age, is usually 2 to 6 months from the time of registration in Russia. The family will make its 1st trip to Russia to officially meet and accept the child. This trip usually lasts 4 to 5 days. The family then returns home while the dossier is translated and a court date is being established. The 2nd trip usually occurs later, and the child comes home with the family at the end of this 10-day visit.

Can we get a newborn infant?
Generally, no. The length of time necessary to process a child for international adoption, including immigration paperwork, normally results in the child being at least 6 to 8 months old when the adoption is completed, depending upon the country. The average age varies from country to country, with particular requirements that an adoptive parent must meet in order to qualify for a very young child.

What kinds of costs are involved?
International adoption programs—including U.S. and foreign immigration processing, foreign and U.S. adoption proceedings, foreign travel to obtain custody of your child, and all required or suggested fees and “donations”—ordinarily cost between $25,000 and $35,000, depending upon the country, and is less costly for older or special needs children.

Are the children healthy?
Most foreign children are reasonably healthy, although some may have temporary developmental delays caused by lack of effective stimulation in foreign orphanages. These are generally reversible with adequate stimulation in a loving environment. It is important to seek the medical expertise of doctors familiar with foreign adoptive children and to fully research the risks involved prior to proceeding with your adoption. A Chosen Child, Inc., can provide you with referrals to U.S. physicians who specialize in reviewing referrals of international adoptive children for a reasonable fee. Medical records from most foreign countries cannot be relied upon in the same way we rely upon those records in the United States. Omissions and inaccuracies are typical.

How long is the wait?
From the time you initiate processing the immigration paperwork until the first time you tuck your child into bed in your home will range from 8 months to 18 months, depending upon the country.

Why would someone elect to process an international adoption versus a less expensive domestic adoption?
Some adoptive parents are circumstantially or emotionally better suited to international adoption. The following types of adoptive parents should strongly consider international adoption:

a. Couples where one or both parents are over 42 years of age.

Why? Many agencies won’t accept you if both parents are over 40 years of age, and even a well-meaning private intermediary may not be able to convince a young birthmother that you are the ideal choice over other younger couples.

b. Couples who have repeatedly been passed over by birthmothers in favor of other couples.

Why? Perhaps there is something in your profile that birthmothers are having difficulty with for superficial reasons or your agency or intermediary isn’t properly matching you.

c. Single adoptive parents.

Why? It is difficult to compete with couples seeking to adopt when biographical profiles are presented to the birthmother and many agencies won’t work with you. Most international programs accept single adoptive parents. However, some countries limit the amount of single parent adoptions that are processed each year.

d. Adoptive parents who prefer to adopt more than one child at a time.

Why? Most foreign countries encourage the adoption of multiple children, including sometimes twins and sibling groups. When adopting more than one child, the costs and expenses are dramatically reduced for the additional child(ren).

e. Adoptive parents who are emotionally not able to deal with the risk of a “failed adoption.”

Why? In domestic adoption, the risk is ever present that the birthmother may not sign the adoption consents/surrenders after the baby is born or might challenge the adoption after placement. This is exceedingly rare in international adoption, and this security may be worth the additional financial investment for some families.

f. Adoptive parents who already have either a biological child or children or a previously adopted child or children and have a specific desire relative to gender and/or age spacing.

Why? International adoptions provide for greater opportunity for selecting gender and spacing by age.

Please be aware that program requirements are always evolving on the foreign side. You may encounter some policy and procedural changes during the course of your preparation to receive a referral, and during the processing of your case following acceptance. These may include but not be limited to various changes or losses of paperwork, legal processing and restrictions placed on the program by the foreign government. A Chosen Child, Inc., will keep you advised and assist you in the event of any changes, but cannot control or prevent delays that occur as a result of these changes.

An important component of adoption programs at A Chosen Child, Inc., is humanitarian assistance. Families are encouraged to participate at whatever level of involvement they can offer. Their selfless efforts on behalf of these children have made a difference for both the children adopted and the ones still residing in their birth country.