-How successful are International adoptions?
-What is the average age of children who are adopted internationally?
-How difficult is it to adopt internationally?
-Is it possible to do a private international adoption?
-Who should we contact (domestically or in Hungary) to begin the adoption process?
-How successful are International adoptions?
1. Over 20,000 children will be adopted from overseas by U.S. citizens this year (2002) alone. The vast, vast majority of these adoptions will be successful. That is, the children, whose adoptions were legal and ethical, will remain with their adoptive parents, and both parents and children will do well.
Certainly, there will be a few failures every year, and these will be hyped by the media. In some cases, families will experience scams or fallthroughs that prevent them from completing an adoption, just as those adopting domestically do; however, it is generally possible to recognize and avoid a scam, and if you go with a good agency, you will usually get referred another child if you experience a fallthrough. In other cases, there will be a disruption (the need for a replacement family for a previously adopted child), usually because the child had medical issues that the parents could not handle, or because the parents were not well prepared for raising an adopted child.
2. Each country is different with regard to the age of children available. It is fair to say that it is uncommon for a family to bring home a child who is much under six months of age, however. One reason is that the foreign country often has rules requiring the placement of a child on a registry so that prospective parents living within the country are given first priority. Another is that the process of legal adoption in a country may be long. And a third is that the process of granting the child an adoption visa to enter the U.S. can take a while, because the U.S. government wants to ensure that the child was not bought or stolen and meets the requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act; it also wants to ensure that the prospective parents are not likely to abuse or neglect the child, or to place the child on public assistance.
3. It is not particularly difficult to adopt internationally, but the procedures, complexity, and time frame will vary by country. Just as with domestic adoption, the first step is always having a homestudy done by a provider in the prospective parent's home state. The next step is obtaining the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service's approval of the parent's qualifications to adopt. The third step is usually preparation of a dossier of documents to satisfy the foreign country's legal requirements. At that point, there is usually a wait for a child to be assigned. Then, the parent will have a right to accept or refuse the assignment. When the parent indicates acceptance, he/she will usually travel to the country to complete the adoption formalities there. Then, the parent and new child will go to the U.S. Embassy in the country to obtain an adoption visa. At that point, the parent and child will travel home. (In some international adoptions, the adoption can be finalized before the parent travels, or the child can be escorted home.)
4. Some countries allow private adoption and some do not. Frankly, private adoption is risky, and may wind up costing as much as or more than agency adoption. It can work if the prospective parent is very familiar with the foreign country's language, laws, and adoption system; if he/she also is familiar with U.S. immigration law and state law; if he/she has a medical background so he/she can understand the health situation of a given child; and so on. Because of the complexity of the process and the need to ensure that a person is able to parent a particular child, it is generally a good idea to work with an organization that is licensed (thus, regulated in case problems arise); not-for-profit; and experienced in adoption from that country. By private adoption, I mean that the actual placement is not made with the assistance of an agency; the family will need a homestudy by a licensed provider in all cases.
5. To start the process, a family should select a country, and possibly a backup country in case the first country closes or changes its requirements for adoptive parents. Obviously, the family will need to know that it qualifies for adopting from the particular country. The prospective parent should arrange for a homestudy by a provider in his/her state; the homestudy provider should be familiar with the requirements of the state, the INS, and the foreign country. He/she should also download the I-600A from the INS website and begin to fill it out; the I-600A will ask for a copy of the homestudy report and will want to know what agency, if any, is being used; however, it can be submitted without this information, with the other material to be submitted later. He/she should research agencies carefully and then select one; a good place to begin researching agencies is the "Report on Intercountry Adoption 2002", published by International Concerns for Children, a non-profit family support group; it can be purchased by e-mailing ICC at
icc@Boulder.net or calling 303-494-8333. When choosing an agency, the prospective parents should check references very, very carefully, and also contact the state in which an agency is licensed, as well as the Better Business Bureau, for information. The agency will lead the family through the rest of the process.
I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to contact me at
sak9645@starpower.net if you want further information.
Sharon