[Haiti_Mary]

I am nearly 20, and want to adopt from Haiti. I am willing to live in Haiti, because there is a specific little boy who has my heart. I've planned on adoption since I can remember, but am I dreaming to think I may be able to eventually get my now 2 year old out of Haiti? I am currently single, but my FH is younger then me so neither of us will be 30 before baby is quite a bit older. Any experiences with the leniencies of government? I know that the orphanage would let me try regardless of age as long as it had a chance of going through...

Thanks for any insights or links to documents concerning the laws. I understand that agencies vary on their age policies.

[monami7]

The youngest I have heard of is 28. I think that if you are that serious it may be worth a try. But there is no way to know for sure. I believe that the official rule in Haiti is 28 but I could be wrong. My Dh and I were 35 and 31 when Lilly came home. Good luck.
Heidi

[sak9645]

Remember that, if you are single, the USCIS will NOT approve an I-600A or I-600 if you are under 25. Therefore, you will not be able to finalize an adoption or bring home a child, since the foreign country will want to see proof that he is eligible for immigration into the U.S. before allowing the adoption and the U.S. will not issue a visa to the child.

This is true, regardless of the country from which you adopt. Married people can get USCIS approval if they are under 25, as long as they have an approved homestudy. However, relatively few foreign countries allow married couples under 25 to adopt.

Also, remember that, if you decide to marry your boyfriend now, many homestudy agencies will insist that you wait at least one year before adopting. In general, homestudy agencies, placement agencies, the USCIS, and foreign countries want to see people with stable life situations. If you are married and get divorced, they want you to spend time living as a single before you adopt. If you are single and get married, they want you to spend time living as part of a couple before you adopt.

In addition, do not expect any orphanage or agency to "hold" a child for you too long. Children should have the opportunity to be adopted into a good home as quickly as possible. If you are not paper-ready, with a homestudy and USCIS approval, and another good family wants to adopt the child you are considering, that family will and SHOULD be granted permission. Healthy infants and toddlers generally get adopted pretty quickly, although it may be somewhat harder to find homes for boys.

My feeling is that you should NOT let yourself fall in love with a child if you are not ready to adopt. If you see a healthy infant or toddler on a photolisting, remember that the agency representing the child will not even accept an application from you if there is no chance that you can complete an adoption in a reasonable time frame -- for example, because you are under 25 and single.

Sharon