[rkwolfe]

Hi All,

Does Anyone Know If It Is Possible To Adopt From India Even If Both Parents Are Not Of Indian Descent???
We Would Really Appreciate Any Info Or Advice.

Thanks, Kelley

[Emster]

yes, however, it is my understanding that you will have to expect to adopt a somewhat older child, because the Indian government gives each child a specific amount of time to be adopted by an Indian family first. If that does not happen, then they accept referrals of other families. The families I know who have adopted from India got their referrals when the children were over a year old and they came home at close to 2 years.

[snaps]

Good friends of ours adopted from India. She is from India originally and he is Caucasian. Their daughter was about 1 year old when they finally got to bring her home. PM me if you want to know the agency they used and I will find out for you.

[watermelon0719]

I believe what you're saying is that neither of you is from India, correct? If so, I have to agree with Emster. You would be able to adopt, but should be open to an older child (2 years and up) and/or special needs. If you adopt a special needs child, you could be eligible for an infant. India tries very hard to place its children with Indians, especially Indian passport holders. If there aren't any Indian families in India willing to adopt the child, they then open the child up to NRI (Non Resident Indians) families living abroad. If no NRI's want to accept the child, then they search for another month to find an Indian family in India (again) that would be willing to adopt the child. And then finally, the open the process up to International families. Hope this makes sense! Good luck!

[sak9645]

At least some reputable agencies in the U.S. ARE placing children who come home from India as young as one year old.

You can get a list of American agencies accredited by India by going to the website of CARA, the Indian government's Central Adoption Resource Agency. Go to http://www.cara.nic.in/carahome.html. Click on "Associated/Recognized Agencies." Then click on "Enlisted Foreign Agencies" and scroll down until you get to the agencies listed for the U.S.

You can also get a list by going to the website of the Joint Council on International Children's Services at JCICS2.

Sharon

[lswimmer]

Most definitely yes. We have a wonderful little boy with us who just turned two. We learned that many adoption agencies don't pursue adoptions to non-Indians because of the amount of paperwork. But don't let that deter you. We did not find it insurmountable. We had a referral at 15 months and brought our boy home at 21 months.

I wish you well.

[tomshell]

We recieved a referal for a 4yr old girl within three months. We will travel in the next couple of months with the whole process being less than one year.

My wife and I are both US born, white and we have three children. This is our first adoption. The paperwork for India is significant, but as with anything else worthwhile, you just forge ahead and get it done asap.

[denise marie]

My Dh and i are both US born and we completed 2 adoptions from India.Although we adopted an older child..6 at referrel 7 at comming home and a special needs child..came home at age 4.The agency i worked with babies are about age 2 when arriving home.
Mom to 5 awsome kids

[Petsitter]

Would anyone be willing to PM me with agency recommendations? DH and I are NOT Indian and are hoping to bring hom a little girl 18-32 months old.

Thanks!!

[makarios79]

Originally Posted by Petsitter

Would anyone be willing to PM me with agency recommendations? DH and I are NOT Indian and are hoping to bring hom a little girl 18-32 months old.

Thanks!!

me too please

[Joliey]

Originally Posted by Petsitter

Would anyone be willing to PM me with agency recommendations? DH and I are NOT Indian and are hoping to bring hom a little girl 18-32 months old.

Thanks!!

Our last adoption will be from India. We are hoping for a SN child with a heart condition. Please PM with agency recommendations as well. We are now awaiting our referral from China but India will be our last adoption and we would like advice on reputable agencies.

Thanks,
Yoli

[msdizzydolores]

Could someone also PM me who resides in PA and has adopted from India?

Thank you.

[Anu Subramanian]

In choosing an agency, does it *have* to be in the State that one lives or does that just work better in terms of logistics (for home study, paper work etc)?

[sak9645]

Korea is the only country that requires Americans to use an agency licensed their own state of residence for their placement, except in the case of certain children with special needs. All other countries allow Americans to use an agency located in any state, as long as they have a homestudy done by a provider in their own state.

If you happen to live in a state where there are several agencies working in your country of interest, I would recommend checking them out first. There are some advantages to using a local agency -- for example:

1. Some efficiencies in having homestudy and placement done by the same entity.
2. Ease of sending documents back and forth.
3. Ability to get to know staff well, and to have them understand your concerns and interests.
4. Ability to set up an in-person meeting if you have a problem or concern that you'd prefer not to handle by phone or email.
5. Ability to access post-adoption services such as counseling and cultural programs for adopted children.

However, if no agency feels right for you, by all means look out-of-area. Having an agency that is a good fit for your needs is far more important than having an agency located close to you.

Most good international agencies are totally comfortable working with out-of-state clients. They may well know and be able to recommend good homestudy providers, and they are almost certain to communicate well by phone, fax, and email.

Sharon

[wannabamom]

Hi Anu,

WE chose an agency thinking that way too, that it would work better because it was in our state, but in retrospect, we found the other way (i.e. the bigger agencies are better even though they were far away from us ). You'll have to think about the number of agencies they have affiliations with in India, etc... and then decide.
Good luck,