[embracegrace]

Hi! I'm new to this board. My husband and I have been married for six months. I'm 36 and he's 33, it's the only marriage for both of us. (Took stinkin' forever to find each other, but blissfully happy now that we have). International adoption is part of our plan for our family.

We are already an international family. My husband is a Dutch citizen. He's been in the US for 4 years on a work visa, and is now in the process of getting permanent residency based on marriage. He will retain his Dutch citizenship.

I am not working, and am in process of apply for Social Security disability. I sustained a traumatic brain injury 4 years ago. I can no longer work full time though I function quite well. I am no longer on meds, though the meds I was on for three years to speed my recovery are the same as are prescribed for mental illness and/or depression.

Will either of the above prevent my husband from adopting internationally? That is,

1) do both parents have to be US citizens? (If not, which countries allow only one parent to be a US citizen?)

2) will being on disability disqualify me from be eligible to adopt?

3) will my head injury (and/or the use of meds) prevent me from being able to adopt?

Thank you!

[amyfk]

Hi,

While I dont know the answer if youre eligible or not. You may want to call a few prospective adoption agencies that you would potentially be interested in using. I would call them and ask to speak to them about the same issues that you mentioned here. They should give you an idea. If they dont have the answer, I would assume they will get back to you. Also, keep in mind that different countries have different eligibility requirements, so although you may not be accepted in China, you may be accepted in Vietnam, per se.
Best of luck.
Amy K, NJ

[sak9645]

From the U.S. point of view, as long as one spouse is a U.S. citizen and any non-citizen spouse has entered the U.S. legally, you can obtain an adoption visa for a child if your family otherwise qualifies for USCIS approval of your I-600A. And your state will have no problem with approving a homestudy where only one spouse is a U.S. citizen, as long as the family meets all homestudy requirements.

Most foreign countries will not have a problem placing a child with a family where one spouse is a U.S. citizen and one spouse is not. The only country of which I am aware, which will not usually place a child with families where the two spouses do not have the same citizenship, is Kazakhstan. Some families have been turned down because the Kazakhstani officials have concerns about what would happen to the child in the event of a divorce.

I am not sure whether being on disability can disqualify you from adopting. Contact a homestudy agency in your state and pose the question. You cannot be on public assistance if you wish to adopt, but I'm not sure that disability payments are treated the same as welfare payments. Plenty of people with disabilities adopt, but whether or not they receive Social Security disability payments is unclear.

You will have to prove that you earn more than 125% of poverty level income for a family of your size, in order to be allowed to bring a foreign child to the U.S. I presume that, if your husband is able to work full-time, you should be able to meet this income requirement easily. Some countries, and some agencies, may also have income requirements, so you will need to check as you begin to consider countries and agencies.

As to whether your TBI will disqualify you from adopting, a lot will depend on what your doctors say on the medical reports required for your homestudy and your dossier. In general, your doctors will need to be confident that your life span is likely to be normal, that you will be able to cope with the challenges of parenting an adopted child, and that the child will not be unsafe if placed in your care.

Some homestudy and placement agencies may want a good bit of medical documentation, because TBI can have some subtle or not so subtle effects on personality and behavior. As an example, some, but not all, people with TBI have problems with emotional stability, impulse control, normal inhibitions, and so on. Some people with TBI may also have difficulty with memory and other intellectual functions. Emotional and intellectual problems could have an impact on a person's ability to parent.

Even if an agency is willing to accept you, there may be some countries that will consider TBI a disqualification. Some countries are fairly strict in terms of medical requirements, while others are less so, or make decisions on a case by case basis. You will need to discuss your situation with agencies, as you begin to choose a country.

As to the fact that you take medications that are also used for depression and mental illness, a lot will depend on what your doctors say and on how a homestudy is worded. Some countries are very strict about the use of medications, and they may or may not want to distinguish between the use of a medication for symptoms of TBI and the use of that medication for other problems. Again, this is something you need to talk about with agencies.

I'm sorry that I cannot be more helpful. I am a bit familiar with TBI because of some work I did for a rehabilitation hospital with a TBI program; however, I have no personal acquaintance with anyone with TBI who has attempted to adopt.

Sharon

[montekarmelo]

I want explain my experience in Kazajstan. In our blog you can see the evolution.
Doctor Floyd en Kazajstan