[CarmJoeMom]

If anyone has any information on any 3 of these countries with IA, can you please PM me or even post here? I'm finding out a ton of info on all 3 programs and I know there are some ladies here that researched these countries. THanks

[Quesita]

My understanding is that Colombia is very difficult if you are not of Colombian ancestry. There are also age restrictions, and when I looked into it, I think someone over 40 would not be able to adopt a child under age 7.

El Salvador I have heard contradictory stuff. I have heard that a residency in-country is required, and I have heard that some people have adopted from El Salvador without the residency.

Mexico is complicated. Preference to paps of Mexican ancestry. If I remember, no singles. Complicated system that supposedly makes Guatemala look easy, unless your agency has a relationship with an orphanage, which I think lets you cut out a bunch of steps in the process.

Please feel free to correct me if anything I have posted here is not correct.

[kzwief]

I was reading about a pilot program our agency is starting with Mexico. Basically they are going through an orphanage with children over the age of three. You would need to make 2 trips. The first trip would be a couple weeks after referral and would be for 2-3 weeks. Then your second trip would be another 1-2 weeks. I'll PM you their information, but at this time I don't know if they are accepting families. If they are it may be on a limited basis for now because it is a pilot program.

[vjpgreene]

We adopted our son from Colombia in 2003, just before the whole program changed. You CAN adopt even if you do NOT have any Colombian heritage, although people with Colombian heritage do get preference. There is (and always has been) an age restriction - for first-time adopters the average age of the adoptive parents cannot be more than 40 and they REALLY want the mother to be under 40. Both adoptive parents have to stay in Colombia for about 2 weeks and one parent has to be prepared to stay in Colombia for up to 8 weeks (and sometimes more - You do have your baby during this time, though) The reason for this is because none of the court stuff gets started until you get to Colombia (it's kind of like having to stay in Guatemala through PGN). During your stay you have the option of staying at a 'residence' where other adoptive families are also staying. Also, adoptive parents do NOT have the option of specifying a gender.

The big change in the Colombia Program is that Colombia started making adoption free for Colombian families so fewer babies are available for international adoption (Colombia has a fairly big middle class, unlike Guatemala). The big part of your wait is the wait for a referral since with Colombia you get your referral and travel to Colombia witin a month or so. I'm not sure how it is now, but in 2003 a referral was typically for a baby 2 to 4 months of age. We started with the Colombian program for adoption #3, but then switched to Guatemala when a referral unexpectedly came up. We were expecting to wait 2 to 3 years for a referral for Colombia (We started #3 in 2006).

I actually enjoyed my stay in Bogota. This was our first child and I was TERRIFIED, but I had a LOT of support from the other families staying at the residence, which was great. Also, all of my meals were prepared for me, the staff at the residence did laundry and sterilized all the baby bottles and they offered babysitting services. And Bogota is a beautiful city and was more like a European city. It was pretty safe when we were there in 2003 but I've heard it's even safer now, although the staff at the residences and the adoption agency staff take your safety VERY seriously.

Anyway, that's my condensed view of the Colombia Program. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. If you don't mind the wait, I would definitely recommend the Colombia Program.

Vicki
DH
DS - Daniel (adopted from Colombia in 2003)
DD - Camey (Adopted from Guatemala in 2005)
DS - Cristian (Adopted from Guatemala in 2008)

[cjrogers]

I PMed you about the Mexico Program that my agency (and presumably kzwief's agency also). They are only accepting folks who had failed GT adoptions. And it is a breeze compared to Guatemala. There have been 3 successful families so far and 12 awaiting referrals.

[cjrogers]

Also: Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Brazil and Peru are options. It is much more difficult, it takes longer, older or special needs children, etc., fewer agencies because of the expenses, length and because many of these fail. It's not economical or feasible for even the most philanthropic agencies.

There are a few agencies that I know do Nicaragua well and I've seen one or two successful Panamanian adoptions as well - parents bringing home 2 or 3 year olds. Keep searching and don't give up...

Obviously, no coincidence that GT was so popular. It's hard to adopt infants through ICA.

I really hope that the revamped system allows for adoptions. But keep in mind, there will definitely be fewer babies, because there won't be a financial incentive for "firstmoms" or any others previously involved in the process.

[MomtoJABE]

My husband has been going on mission trips to Honduras for several years with a ministry based out of our city.

It is all but impossible to adopt from Honduras. We looked into it before beginning in Guat and several families from our church have tried going through the legal system and govt many times. Honduras definately makes Guat look easy.

[dmg0703]

Just to chime in about Colombia, as we were looking at this country for our 2nd adoption

The wait for a referral is VERY long. We've looked into a few agencies and they've all said 2-3 years for an infant. There are only a few agencies that are licensed to work with Colombia, from what I understand. Many times the children come in sibling groups and the children in the groups may be older. From what I understand, the children are generally well cared for and the citizens of Colombia have a generally favorable opinion of adoptions. Best of luck!

[CarmJoeMom]

Yes, we are looking into Colombia and have it narrowed down to 3 agencies, but we are petrified at the waits Everything else about the program we love, but I am just so afraid of waiting 2-3 years for the referral And maybe by the time its our turn, it may be 3-4 years!!!!!! That seems like an awful long time. And I'm pressed between waiting for April to start our dossier (to see what happens in Guatemala) and just starting now. Decisions decisions.

[2xaround]

Jackie,

Things are ever changing with IA. I think the majority of us hopes that Guat reopens, however, there are no guarantees that if it does open the wait won't be just as long. There are just so many unknowns.

I don't know if you have decided on an agency yet, but some of the Colombia agencies also have Guat programs. You may want to talk to some of these agencies because it's possible that you could begin collecting your dossier documents for Colombia now and if Guat reopens, you could switch later. Granted, it may cost you a bit more to make the switch, but at least you could be moving forward. I know that many of the dossier documents are the same for both countries. Anyway, it might be worth discussing this with some of the agencies.

[faith_in_him]

Hi, I too am interested in Mexican adoptions.
Could you please tell me the name of your agency?
Have you been happy with them?
Do you have any advice?
Thank you.

[mommytoEli]

Originally Posted by faith_in_him

Hi, I too am interested in Mexican adoptions.
Could you please tell me the name of your agency?
Have you been happy with them?
Do you have any advice?
Thank you.

be sure to pm this info

[dawnrenee58]

FYI - On Nicaragua adoptions, there is no reason or need tohave an agency. All you need is a lawyer down there.
There is a good site for Nica adoptions. It is adoption.meetup.com/99. you need to be a member to see stuff, but it has tons and tons and tons of info. I think Nica adoptions will go way up in the next few years!

[CarmJoeMom]

Everywhere I read says you need to live in Nicaragua for adoption ???

[devildogwife]

Originally Posted by CarmJoeMom

Everywhere I read says you need to live in Nicaragua for adoption ???

Not live there permanently, but you need to be able to live there for a few months to foster (from what I've learned).