There is a growing trend in America for couples seeking to adopt children to look beyond our nation’s borders. Last year, U.S. couples adopted roughly 5,000 children from China, 4,000 children from Russia, and 1,700 from South Korea.
International adoptions are done primarily through international adoption agencies. Because each country has very specific rules and requirements for adoptions, it is best to contact an attorney who handles international adoptions to guide you through this process.
Couples are choosing international adoptions for many different reasons. Primarily, there are thousands of orphan children who need families. Additionally, cost and timing are more predictable in the case of international adoptions. Finally, because children in other countries are almost always in the custody of adoption agencies, there are rarely complications with birth parents.
As in domestic adoptions, couples need to complete pre-adoptive home studies and criminal background checks. There are many state and federal forms which must be completed, and several types of documents required by the child’s native country before pre-adoptive parents can be approved.
Once a child is referred, couples must take great care to see that medical and family information are provided to them. After a child is chosen, it is usually required that at least one of the parents travel to the foreign country to complete the adoption process. Once the child returns to the United States and the paper work is completed, not only will the child have a new family but he or she will also become a U.S. citizen.
If you have any questions about adoption or family law, please contact us.
— Amanda Davidson