| Procedure: The procedures for completing an adoption from China are fairly straightforward and are generally easy to understand. The Chinese government has been very consistent and cooperative throughout the adoption process. China has instituted a centralized and well-structured adoption process regulated by the central government. The result of this process is a defined program that is easily understood, predictable, and generally manageable. The adoption process from start to finish generally takes between 12 and 13 months. The people of China are excited and happy to see children being adopted by parents in the United States.
Program History: Adoptions of children from China have increased dramatically since 1992 when China opened its doors to international adoption. Adoption programs from China have been the fastest growing and most successful international programs available today. There are many reasons for this. First, the Chinese government views adoption as a humanitarian aid effort and has been very supportive and cooperative. Second, the China adoption program has been more stable than most other international adoption programs and regulations have been consistently applied. This stability has resulted in a program that families can count on. Third, adoptions from China are one of the most inexpensive international adoption programs available. Fourth, there is a need for loving families for waiting children and there are waiting children available. Finally, the health of the children from China has been exceptionally good relative to other areas of the world where adoptions take place, including the United States. The Children Who Need Families: The large number of children needing homes is staggering. All have been orphaned, abandoned, or have been placed in the orphanage due to poor economic conditions in their family. The youngest ages of children available have been ranging from 6 months to 12 months old at the time of referral and both boys and girls are available, although 95% of the available children are female.. The average age of children at the time of referral has been approximately 12 months of age. With the exception of the rare occurrence of twins or identified siblings, at this time, China is placing only one child at a time with adoptive families. When a child is assigned, generally, photograph(s), a general health report, results of certain blood tests (including a test for Hepatitis B and HIV), and in most cases, brief written descriptions of the children are provided. Health of The Children: Overall, children from China continue to be among some of the healthiest children available through international adoption. Most child assignments have involved healthy children. To date, HIV/AIDS has not been an issue nor have the typical sexually transmitted diseases been present. Women in China have had a history of taking care of themselves during pregnancy, receiving pre-natal care, and being careful about their health. While children often have or develop minor medical conditions such as colds, respiratory or ear infections, and rashes, their overall health as compared with children being adopted from other countries has been superior. As with any developing country, however, conditions in the orphanages are not as we have in the United States, and many times, the child may be malnourished and may have developmental delays as well as attachment issues. Hepatitis B is common in Asia however national statistics show that only approximately 5% of Chinese children adopted by U.S. citizens have later tested positive as carriers of Hepatitis B. Surveyed families who have completed adoptions and agency statistics indicate a reported Hepatitis B rate much lower than the nationally published experience rates. Once the children receive the attention of a loving family and appropriate nutritional, medical, and developmental care, most children catch up quickly and thrive. |
| Adopting from China |
 |
| (Home) |
| Journal The Paper Chase Referral Travel Pictures Our Story Why Adoption Choices in Adoption Adopting from China Favorite Links Here's Hope! Who is Jesus? |
| Requirements Age: Family: Financial: Process Length: Stay in country: |
| Requirements may vary from agency to agency. Parents with or with out children aged 30 - 55 may adopt. Parents aged 30 - 45 will usually be referred a younger child, while those above 45 may be referred an older child. No more than 4 children already in the home. There is an anual income requirement of $10,000 per member of family. Our agency used our life insurance benefits and Pats 401K account balance to help us meet this requirement. However, I have heard that some agencies rely on income only to meet this requirement. 6 - 7 months plus 2 months waiting time to travel once dossier is received in China (It takes 3 - 4 months to put your dossier together depending on how back-logged your states BCIS dept. is) 10 to 14 days |