[pgruodis]

The way things have been going the last year, I no longer believe China is "stable & predictable"...which was the main selling point of the program for years.
I have read credible predictions of wait time between 2years and 4years. That is plain crazy.
As to stability, anyone looking at China needs to ask themselves if the program will even be around for much longer.
Fewer children being referred...wait times growing exponentially...do the math.
We have been in the "program" for 13 months...as each month passes, we actually get further from a referral. Nearly everything we have done has expired, and may expire again...and again.
People are jumping-ship in large numbers...why would anyone want to get in now?
Many people come here looking for information on this Huge decision...and agencies are clearly being vague or dishonest.
Here is my question...Those of you who are already in the process and logged-in, would you still recommend the China IA program to a friend? I am not asking if you will stay in the program, or your personal reasons for choosing China. Simply, if a friend was considering adopting from China, would you recommend it?
I personally would not.

[cindymms]

I have had a friend look in to it and my answer was:

Not unless they were interested in adopting a SN child.

Cindy

[ElectricGypsy]

I would definitely still recommend IA from China to anyone that asks my opinion. I would also make sure to tell them the pros and cons (including the current known wait times) and they can make the decisions for themselves on what the right thing is for their family. To me, 2-4 years may seem like a very long period of time, but for others it may not be (some families may welcome the time to save the money, work on goals they may have, travel and make arrangements etc before welcoming their child). Since I can't make decisions for other people, I can only share my experiences, educate them as much as possible on the current information and let them make their own decisions.

[PiperH]

We agree with Electric Gypsy. It really does depend on the situation. You definitely want to make sure they know everything that is known about the process, and let them choose. If someone wants to sign up for this wonderful, frightening ride, we welcome the company.

Sometimes what other hope do you have?

We're trying DHS, for nearly three years now, and other than our social workers changing due to switching jobs or burn out (we're on our fourth), nothing has happened; domestic adoption seems less predictable since you have to wait in line and rely on someone to pick you and any agency we've looked into has wanted a lot of money and all of it upfront (we also fear the birth parents changing their minds); no other international program seems any more stable than China right now.

We'll hold on to hope and to China for now. Nothing else has cropped up out there that seems anymore stable. And nothing in life is predictable.

We do understand the frustration, though. Every day.

[Lissa]

I personally had a great experience with China. I love China and while there are slowdowns and delays...yes I would still recommend the program. I would be honest. I would let people know what wait times are like, the recent changes made etc. I would make sure anyone I talked to knew that international adoption...adoption in general...is a no guarrentees situation. But yes I would endorse a Chinese Adoption. That ultimately is why I am here a year and a half after bringing home Lydia.

[specialk4b]

Ooo, good question!

I think it would depend on my friend's circumstances. While the wait is sure to be long, it's probably more predictable than many other countries. With some other countries, the average wait may be shorter, but there is greater variability, including the possibility of a failed adoption.

[cungar]

Absolutely. Anyone who's looked around knows that even though the wait is longer, China has one of the best if not the best international adoption programs. We felt totally welcome by the adoption officials in China and from what I've heard, not many countries are like that.

[jasonsmom]

I would recommend China. Yes, the wait is very, very, very long but so are many other countries, I've talked to many others who've adopted or are adopting from other countries and each country has its own set of issues. China still seems very predictable in terms of process and what to expect outside wait issue. I loved China and would definitely recommend it.

Paula

[sakelley]

I would also recommend China to a friend. Even though the wait is longer, it is still a stable process (compared to other IA countries). Our experience was wonderful, the trip was amazing, and most importantly, we ended up with a wonderful, loving, beautiful little girl. And I agree with Cungar, the adoption officials treated us very well, unlike what I have heard from close friends about their experiences in some other countries.

[Trace7]

Originally Posted by ElectricGypsy

I would definitely still recommend IA from China to anyone that asks my opinion. I would also make sure to tell them the pros and cons (including the current known wait times) and they can make the decisions for themselves on what the right thing is for their family. To me, 2-4 years may seem like a very long period of time, but for others it may not be (some families may welcome the time to save the money, work on goals they may have, travel and make arrangements etc before welcoming their child). Since I can't make decisions for other people, I can only share my experiences, educate them as much as possible on the current information and let them make their own decisions.

Agree completely!

[ttcasey]

Okay this is my two cents. My DH and I made the decision that instead of having a third child that we would adopt. The next decision was where and either a girl or boy. We have friends that have adopted from China (and have two bio children like us) so we spent a lot of time with them reviewing the process, the country, wait times, etc. We also have friends that have adopted from Russia, but they wanted to adopt a boy. When we first started we were told that the wait time from LID to referral was about 8-12 months. When we were logged in, we were told expect 12-18 months. Now, who knows how long the wait will be. We are not getting any younger and if we had to make the decision over again and if the wait times were expected to be 23-36 months I think we would have gone to another country. I know there is a little girl out there that is waiting for us, and we as a whole family are waiting for her. However, my older daughter who will be attending college in 2 1/2 years really wants to know her little sister before she heads off.

So, if one of my friends asked me if China was the way to go for IA. I would go through the timeline, tell them to expect changes, delays, paperwork challenges, fingerprint and SW updates. And then have them make the decision on whether they can take the wait.

I am not negative against the China adoption, I really can't wait to meet my new little girl, I just wish it would happen within a timeframe that was expected last year.

Each person has to take in the facts and go from there. Rumor Queen has a lot of statistics that can be reviewed to help make that decision.

[mic2005]

I would recommend China to a friend also. As stated before I would make sure they knew about the wait times and I would suggest they research different countries they also may be interested in. I feel that China is stable as someone stated before compared to other countries. If you look at the different countries they all have issues. At least with China everyone is treated the same meaning you get in line and wait.

I am with a China only agency I really like them but I might suggest that they choose a multi-country agency. I don't think China will close but it would be nice to have a fall back.

I think that because China was so predictable and had short wait times it caused many people to choose adoption from China instead of other countries. Now were seeing people going to other countries. For example Vietnam is seeing a big influx of applications. I don't know a lot about the process for that country but I can see issues coming up soon with so many applications.

It seems IA goes in cycles if you look at the big picture over time. That doesn't help us who are waiting now!

[sak9645]

I am not in process, as my daughter is home.

However, I would still recommend China to anyone who clearly meets the criteria. It is still one of the most stable and organized programs around, served by many reputable agencies. The care tends to be decent, on average, and ripoffs are non-existent.

I strongly believe that wait times will come down. China will NOT let things go to a three or four year process.

What I DO think, is that the definition of a NSN child will change. People who adopt through the NSN program will need to be open to children with already-corrected medical issues and children with very minor issues such as extra toes, birthmarks, a droopy eyelid, etc. Such children are often put in the Waiting Child program now, but China has signaled that they won't be in the future. China has come to realize that Americans don't consider these problems to be special needs, as Chinese citizens might.

By putting these children into the NSN category, along with children who are totally healthy, China will increase the size of its NSN pool. Right now, China is projecting that the number of true NSN children will decline, but adding back the children with minor special needs will probably bring availability up enough to reduce wait times to manageable levels.

I'm just a Mom, and I don't have an "in" with the CCAA, but this is my considered guess as to what is going on.

Sharon

[pgruodis]

It is my understanding the there is a set number of children that China will allow for IA, and this number included both SN & NSN, so unfortunately increasing one would only decrease the other.

[lovemybulldog]

Originally Posted by sak9645

What I DO think, is that the definition of a NSN child will change.

I know not everyone will agree, but I seriously hope this happens. I think too many kids are subject to the scratch and dent pile and miss out on loving families simply because of the stigma of healthy vs. special needs. This is just my opinion. Please know that I don't it against anyone for requesting a NSN child. I think there should be "shades" of SN to ensure that families still have the ability to request a NSN healthy child if that is what works best for their family.

I would definitely recommend China, but like others have said, it really depends on what that person's circumstances are. Some families are fine with a wait, although rather not, it does allow time to save, get mentally ready, travel, etc. Other families want a child yesterday and are sometimes in situations where it doesn't fit in their family dynamic to hold on for 24-36 months.

I would present the facts of the China IA program, including the fact that once your paperwork is in line, you can be almost 100% sure that you have a place in line, don't have corruption to worry about, accredidations and Hague to worry about, lawyers to hire, etc... There is also one trip and not 2 or 3... there's typically not 6 months to a year or more between referral and travel, etc. etc. etc. These are just the things that stuck out for me, and I know they aren't hard and fast rules for any given country, but they put China at the top of the list for us, however, I know there there are also other good programs to consider. China certainly isn't the only one worth a look.

RQ did a post recently on other countries. It was quite an eye opener.