How can i adopt a child from china
Adopt From China | Chinese Adoption
“I can see God’s hands all over our journey–from the very day we first spoke out loud about adopting a child. He placed a special person in our lives who led us to All God’s Children International. The agency ushered us step-by-step through the process–and helped prepare our hearts and minds for what was to come. It surprised me how much the people we worked with wanted to know us, wanted to celebrate with us, wanted to be friends with us! We’re just in awe at how the past 18 months have unfolded and feel so blessed to be Charlie’s parents.”
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How to Adopt from China
Program Overview
Eligibility
Process
Program Overview
Eligibility
Process
Winter Celebrations
ADVOCACY EFFORTS
We meet with our partner in China each month. We remain fully committed to our families in the process of adopting from China. Our team recently participated in informational and advocacy meetings with the U.S. State Department and the National Council for Adoption.
SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
Our team invited all families in the process of adopting from China to a support call in December. We will continue to offer support calls and encourage families to reach out to the team any time they have questions or would like to talk.
PROGRAM UPDATES
We have not received any updates at this time, but we will reach out with any news as soon as we receive them.
CHINA ADOPTION OVERVIEW
Since 1994, Christian Adoption Agency, All God’s Children International has served orphaned children in China by elevating care and has placed over 800 Chinese orphans with their forever families.
We place children throughout China through China’s shared list of waiting children. As an International Adoption Agency, AGCI welcomes many returning families; 24% of China adoptions were returning AGCI families.
- Most children available for adoption are between two and four years old.
- 75% of children available for adoption are boys.
- From 2015-2017, the majority of children home were under 2 years old.
- In 2017, 89% of AGCI China families completed their overseas adoption in less than 2 years.
- China has grouped their waiting children into two categories:
- Special needs children. These children often have a single medical condition and are often between six months and 5 years old.
- Special focus children. These waiting children typically have more than one medical condition or a more complex health condition and their adoptions are sometimes expedited. Additionally, special focus orphans can be placed with adoptive families prior to dossier completion. These children are between six months and 14 years old.
- Timeframe: 6-18 months. Timeframe is from registered dossier to completion. Adoption timeframes are dependent on family’s openness to medical conditions, gender, and age of child.
- Complete a FREE Pre-App to view waiting kids.
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WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ADOPT FROM CHINA?
Age of Parents
Parents between the ages of 30 and 55 years old are eligible to adopt a child from AGCI’s China program. If a couple, the youngest parent must be no more than 50 years older than the adopted child.
Marital Status
Couples must be married at least two years prior to beginning the adoption process. If either parent has been divorced, China requires that there have been no more than two divorces per couple.
Single Applicant
Single women 30 to 55 years old who provide a single status form are welcome to adopt. The age between the child to be adopted and the applicant can be no more than 50 years.
Education
If married, both parents must have a high school diploma or equivalent, and one must have a stable occupation.
Single applicants must have a high school diploma and childcare experience, or be employed as a nurse, doctor, teacher, psychologist, counselor, or in a related field.
Body Mass Index
Applicants must have a body mass index of less than 40.
Children in Family
Families with no more than five children in the home are welcome to adopt from China. Single applicants with no more than two children in the home are welcome to adopt. The youngest child in the home should be at least three years old at the time dossier is submitted to China.
Income
Married couples interested in adopting a child must have a positive net worth of at least $80,000; single applicants must have a positive net worth of at least $100,000. Family income should reach a minimum of $10,000 per family member, including the adopted child.
Criminal History
Applicants interested in adopting a child cannot have a history of felonies and no more than three misdemeanors in their lifetime.
Medical History
Applicants with a past or current diagnosis of a life-threatening or communicable disease or other condition that impairs their ability to parent and/or the quality of life of a child are ineligible. Applicants must be considered to be free of mental health conditions that impair their parenting. Any mental health condition must be well controlled, and an applicant must be endorsed by their doctor as suitable to adopt. A psychological evaluation is required for all applicants.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ADOPT FROM CHINA?
The approximate cost to adopt from China is $30,260. Cost does not include home study, airfare, lodging and other fees associated with travel.
There are so many ways to fund your adoption! You can learn more about AGCI specific grants, adoption loans, and employee benefits and more on our How to Fund Page!
AGENCY FEES
APPLICATION: $350 This non-refundable fee covers the cost of a review of your application to confirm your eligibility for your program and address any potential challenges with you, your social worker, and our in-country staff.
(Due at application)
U.S. AGENCY: $8,500* The agency fee covers AGCI’s cost to facilitate your adoption with agency and government officials in both the United States and foreign country. Processing expenses for AGCI include, but are not limited to, personnel costs, administrative overhead, operational costs, staff training and education, state. federal, and international licensing and accreditations, communications and insurance. (1/2 due with completion of contract and 1/2 due six months after contract)
PROGRAM FEE: $2,500* This fee provides care for orphans around the world and allows AGCI to provide the medical, emotional, spiritual, and developmental care that every child deserves. (Due with completion of orientation)
POST-ADOPTION SERVICE: $2,800 This fee allows us to provide post-adoption support services to your family and process post-adoption reports. (Due with completion of referral packet)
*If adopting siblings, agency and orphan care fees increase.
HOME STUDY AND POST-ADOPTION*
HOME STUDY SERVICES: $2,500 These fees cover our services in preparing and completing your adoption home study, including any applicable social worker travel costs. (Due with completion of orientation)
POST-ADOPTION REPORTS: $400 per report; $225 per report for each additional child. These fees cover the cost for AGCI to provide post-placement visits and reports upon arrival home. (Due with completion of referral packet)
*These fees may vary if payable to your home study agency for families living outside of AGCI’s licensed states.
NON-AGCI HOME STUDY REVIEW: $400 Any home study written by one of AGCI’s cooperating agencies will be reviewed by AGCI to ensure it meets all AGCI, USCIS, Hague and sending country criteria. Home study and Post Adoption service fees are paid to your cooperating agency. (Due with completion of orientation)
CHINA COUNTRY FEES & EXPENSES
These fees cover the cost of facilitating an international adoption in China.
These fees include, but are not limited to costs related to personnel, administration, training and education, legal fees and communications associated with government and agency authorities, government fees, and care of your child prior to the completion of your adoption. (Due with completion of dossier and referral packet as indicated on fee schedule)
China: $12,100*
*Adoptive families have the option to make a voluntary orphanage donation. The donation amount is determined by the family and is paid directly to the orphanage after the adoption registration is completed in China.
ADDITIONAL & THIRD PARTY EXPENSES
| Adoptive Parent Home Study Education: | $300 |
| Adoptive Parent Referral Education: | $600 |
| Accreditation Monitoring & Oversight: | $850 |
| FBI Fingerprinting: | $85 per adult |
| USCIS & Immigration Related Fees: | $775+ |
| Notary Services, County & State Authentication: | $250+ |
| Document Authentication and Translation Fees: | $400-$3,600 |
| Re-Adoption: | $500-$1,500 |
| Travel Expenses: | $3,000-$15,000+ |
TOTAL COST: The approximate cost to adopt from China is $30,260.
Cost does not include home study, airfare, lodging and other fees associated with travel.
Fee Disclosure: All fees paid to AGCI are paid in advance of service. AGCI fees are non-refundable and may not be waived. If services are terminated and a refund is due, all refunds will be processed within 60 days of withdrawal and/or closure of the adoption file upon receiving the Adoption Termination Contract.
“The thing I enjoyed most about working with AGCI was the relationships that I have gained through AGCI. I don’t mean just with other adopted families, but relationships with the directors and case managers and in country staff and anyone at all connected to our journey. I feel like AGCI does such a wonderful job cultivating those relationships. Even though I live in Illinois and have never met many of these people, I feel like I have gotten to know them so well during the whole process. And you don’t get that from other agencies. I know because I called many of them before deciding to choose AGCI and many didn’t even call me back.
AGCI was prompt in returning calls and emails and scheduling meetings. Even during the longer waiting period when there wasn’t much to be done they would check in and just say, “hey, how’s it going?” and “we haven’t forgotten about you–we’re with you.’” –VanHolten Family
HOW TO ADOPT A CHILD FROM CHINA
STEP ONE
Complete home study and then submit dossier.
STEP TWO
Wait to be matched with your child and then begin the referral process! Through our special focus program, you can accept the referral of a waiting child during your home study and dossier process. Once the information on the child is received, you will have two weeks to make an informed decision about accepting the referral.
STEP THREE
Once the CCCWA officially approves your family–-the CCCWA will then issue a travel approval to finalize your adoption!
STEP FOUR
Travel to meet your child and finalize the adoption! The first week will be spent in the capitol of your adopted child’s province where they will receive their passport.
Once finalized, your family will travel to Guangzhou, China to complete your immigrant visa process. In-country travel typically spans 12-14 days.
STEP FIVE
Welcome home! AGCI and China require post-adoption reports prepared by a licensed social worker to be submitted on 3, 6, 12, and 24-month anniversaries of your child’s arrival into the U.S. Then reports submitted on the 3, 4, and 5 year anniversaries can be completed by the parents. Parents are also required to complete their state’s re-adoption process. AGCI is here for support throughout your child’s life—connect with us at anytime for ongoing support services!
CHINA ADOPTION TEAM
CHINA IN-COUNTRY TEAM
Our China in-country team consists of a wonderful individual – Susan. She works out of Beijing with the central authority, the CCCWA, to facilitate adoptions, assist with travel between appointments, and work directly with adoptive families. She has incredible compassion for helping unite vulnerable children with their forever families.
You will also be supported by friendly, dedicated guides and drivers throughout your entire trip
IN ADDITION TO OUR CHINA ADOPTION PROGRAM, AGCI IS WORKING TO INTERVENE FOR ORPHANS IN CHINA THROUGH THOUGHTFUL PROGRAMS THAT HELP BUILD HAPPIER, HEALTHIER FAMILIES!
Provide
In the past year, 580 orphans received elevated care through AGCI’s holistic model of care, caretaker training, and facility improvements to orphanages.
POLICY
6,000 children in the Fujian province now have educated and equipped orphanage staff to determine their eligibility, care for their medical conditions, and facilitate their adoptions.
“God had a child that He knew was going to be for us. It’s kind of amazing because we were not open to cerebral palsy. That wasn’t on our list. When it came down to it, we were open to a lot more than we put down on the paper. Julia’s been such a blessing to us and she feels loved in our home and that’s the important thing.
” –Joy and Justin Kobylka
CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADOPTING FROM CHINA!
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China Adoption - Process, Costs and Adoption Agencies
For many years, China has been one of the most popular options for parents choosing international adoption. As a result of the country’s one-child policy and other cultural factors, there were many children available for adoption, and the number of adoptions to the United States steadily increased through the 1990s and the 2000s. While the adoption regulations and types of available children have changed somewhat in recent years, China still remains a very common destination for adoptive families.
Read on to learn more about China adoption laws, steps in the process, and anything else you may need as you prepare to adopt.
China Adoption Quick Facts
- Open to adoption by American families: Yes
- Hague Convention country: Yes
- Average # of adoptions to U.S. families: 2,000-3,000/year
- Average travel time for adoption: 12-15 days
Who Can Adopt in China?
In addition to the Hague Convention regulations, China has its own requirements for adoption, which are somewhat more stringent than other countries. Read the sections below to learn about the various guidelines for families hoping to adopt from China.
Age
If you apply for a special needs adoption, then both parents must be between 30 and 55 years old. In other cases, you must be between 35 and 55. Neither parent can be more than 50 years older than the child they adopt.
If you are a single parent, you cannot be more than 45 years older than the adopted child.
Family Size
Married couples must have fewer than five children under 18 in their home, none of them younger than a year old. Single parents must have no more than 3 children in the home, none of them younger than 6 years.
Marital Status
Married couples must be married for at least two years, and remarried couples must be married for at least five years. No more than two divorces are permitted.
China does not recognize same-sex marriage or allow same-sex adoption.
Income
Married couples must earn $10,000 per child in the home, including the prospective adopted child, with a minimum net worth of $80,000. For single parents, the requirements may be stricter. In all cases, these requirements can be flexible depending on costs of living.
Medical History/Health
Anyone hoping to adopt must be in good health. Families will be deemed ineligible to adopt if they have a severe physical deformation, a life-altering or infectious disease, a mental illness or disability, blindness, deafness, AIDS, or a body mass index over 40.
Who Can be Adopted in China?
Children must be deemed adoptable in accordance with the Hague Adoption Convention in order to be eligible. This means that a reasonable effort must first be made to find a home within China for the children, and only then may they be available for international adoption. Additionally, available children are registered with the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption, (CCCWA), which oversees the adoption process.
Available children in China are between infancy and 13 years of age. After the age of 14, they are no longer eligible for adoption. Waiting children may have varying degrees of special needs, either as infants with medical conditions or as healthy older children.
Adoption Process in China
Once you have determined that you want to adopt from China, you can begin your journey to growing your family. The process will involve getting approval from both the United States and China, matching with a child, preparing for travel, and finally, going to China to bring your child home.
During the adoption process, you will also need to prepare your dossier, a collection of all the required paperwork. Because all United States adoptions must be Hague-compliant, you can click the following link to learn about the forms you will need.
How Long Does it Take to Adopt a Child from China?
Depending on your adoption preferences, your agency, and more, the time it takes to adopt a child will vary. Below, you will find an outline of the steps in the process and the time they take:
- Find a professional and complete a home study: 3-6 months
- Apply for adoption eligibility: 12-14 weeks
- Wait for a referral: 12-18 months (special needs) or 5+ years (non-special needs)
- Accept and officially match with a child: 2-4 months
- Gain approval to travel: 9-12 weeks
- Travel and adopt your child: 2 weeks
Because of the extended wait times for healthy children, it is recommended that families consider a special needs adoption if they want to adopt from China.
How Do I Find an Adoption Professional?
You must find an adoption service provider that is both Hague-compliant and CCCWA-licensed. Your adoption professional will assist you with compiling your dossier and communicating with the CCCWA so that you can be approved to adopt. Additionally, your professional will inform you when you have been matched with a child, help you prepare for travel, and guide you through every other step of the process.
Here are some of the U.S. professionals who complete China adoptions:
- Bethany Christian Services
- Great Wall China Adoption
- America World Adoption Association
- Heartsent Adoptions, Inc.
- New Beginnings Family and Children’s Services, Inc.
- Holt International
How Do I Become Eligible for Adoption?
In accordance with the Hague convention, you will need to fill out the Form I-800A for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
After the USCIS deems you eligible for adoption, your application will then move on to the CCCWA. At this point, you will also be able to indicate any adoption preferences you may have.
Once you have been approved by the CCCWA and completed any additional paperwork as directed, you will be able to wait for a child referral.
What Do I Do Once I Receive a Referral?
When the CCCWA gives you a child referral, you have the option to either accept or deny it. The referral will include a brief description of the child, along with some photos and a health record. You will need to make a decision on the referral within 45 days of receiving it. Whatever your decision is, you will need to speak to your adoption agency and prepare for your next steps.
Note: Please keep in mind that if you refuse a referral without providing a justifiable reason, it can seriously affect your chances of getting a second referral. If you are considering denying a referral, speak with your adoption service provider about your next steps.
When you accept a referral, you will then need to apply for the child to be eligible for adoption. If it is a special needs adoption, you will also need to complete your forms for your dossier within 72 hours. Then, you will send your Form I-800 to the USCIS to gain approval to adopt the child.
After this, your adoption agency will work with you to apply for travel approval and your child’s visa. At this point, you need to travel to China to move forward with your adoption.
How Do I Complete the Adoption?
Upon your arrival in China, you will be able to meet your child and begin the process of gaining legal custody. From there, you will either adopt the child in China, or you will travel back to the United States and adopt him or her there.
In order to take your child home, you will need to pay the necessary adoption fees, submit your dossier, and receive your child’s adoption certificate. Afterwards, you will need to apply for your child’s birth certificate, Chinese passport, and U.
S. immigrant visa.
After you have arrived in the United States, you will complete your post-placement reports, and then you will be able to legally finalize your adoption.
China Adoption Costs
From home studies to agency fees to plane tickets, the costs of adoption in China can add up quickly. Depending on the professionals you work with, your adoption can cost from $25,000-$40,000. Below, you can find an average breakdown of these fees:
- Agency Application: $1,000-$2,500
- Home Study: $1,000-$3,000
- Program Fees: $8,000-$12,000
- Travel Costs: $7,000-$14,000
- Documentation: $1,000-$3,000
- U.S. Entry Visa Application: $300-$500
- Post-Placement Fees: $500-$1,000
- Orphanage Donation (required in China): $5,000-$6,000
- I-800 Visa Application: $500-$1,000
- Third-Party Fees: $2,000-$3,000
The numbers listed above are averages gathered from a number of different China adoption programs.
You can find costs at specific agencies by visiting their China adoption pages. For examples, visit Bethany Christian Services or Holt International.
China Travel Tips
Whether or not you are adopting, traveling out of the country requires a lot of planning and preparation. In this section, you can find the basics of what you need to know while you are traveling in China. Learn more at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State website, or read the following sections for an overview.
- Be sure you are aware of Chinese laws before you go on your trip, because they will apply to you for the duration of your trip.
- You will want to pack plug adapters for anything you own that needs charging. While most American electrical systems operate at 110V, China’s run at 220V.
- China practices restrictive Internet censorship, which you will want to be prepared for during your time there.
- Many travelers recommend that visitors bring their own toilet tissue with them. This is because public restrooms often do not have any in supply.
- During your travels, there is the possibility of an earthquake or, in some areas, a typhoon. While these incidents are rare, you should make sure you are prepared for the possibility when you leave.
U.S. Embassy in China
If you run into any problems on your trip, it is essential that you know how to contact the U.S. Embassy in China. The contact information for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing is listed below:
Address: No. 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100600, China
Phone: +(86)(10) 8531-4000
Emergency Phone: +(86)(10) 8531-4000
Email: [email protected]
Resources for Children Adopted from China
Following an international adoption, many Chinese adoptees and their parents are interested in obtaining more information about the adoptee’s pre-adoption background.
Questions about your (or your child’s) personal background can be directed to The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), the Chinese Central Authority for the Hague Adoption Convention.
The contact information for CCCWA is listed below. When making an inquiry, be sure to provide as much detail as possible regarding the adoptee’s circumstances. Note that there may be limited information available for China adoption cases that occurred prior to 2011.
Address: 16 Wang Jia Yuan Lane, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100027
Phone: 010-655-48998
Email: [email protected]
Adoption process in the USA - Immigration to the USA
Family is, of course, one of the main values in a person's life. However, unfortunately, not all families can have a child. Moreover, there are a huge number of children in the world who are deprived of parental love and affection. Therefore, adoption is a great option for many to find a long-awaited family.
Adoption of children from other countries is in great demand in the USA. According to USCIS statistics, there are about 5,000 international adoptions a year in the United States. The reasons for this are the desire of Americans to help children from underdeveloped and economically unstable countries and give them a chance for a brighter future. In addition, at the moment, many are striving to create multicultural families. Well, an important factor that pushes families to international adoption is the huge competition and the duration of this procedure in the United States.
Most often, American families adopt children from China, Congo, Russia, Guatemala, South Korea, Ethiopia and Ukraine.
International adoption procedure
Undoubtedly, international adoption is a very long and difficult process. In order to adopt a child from another country, you first need to obtain an adoption permit.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is handling this matter. It determines the suitability of potential adoptive parents and verifies children's immigration eligibility.
However, international adoption is also governed by the laws of the child's country of residence. Accordingly, before you decide to adopt a child from a certain country, be sure to check its requirements for international adoption.
In general, there are 3 immigration processes for a child in case of intercountry adoption . And in order to adopt a child from another country, you need to fulfill all the requirements, in accordance with the chosen process.
1.
The Hague Adoption Process First of all, Since 2008, the United States has been a party to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption . It includes more than 100 states. Therefore, if the child's country of origin is included in this list, you can use this circumstance when adopting.
2. Orphan adoption process
Basically, this adoption procedure is for orphans from countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention. In this case, you need to officially prove the child's orphanhood.
It should be noted that in the first two cases the potential parents of the adopted child must be US citizens over 25 years of age. In addition, parents will need to provide proof of housing and material conditions, as well as a number of other checks , before the official permission to adopt.
3. Adoption of relatives
It applies to US citizens and permanent residents who intend to adopt a child through kinship. At the same time, the child at the time of adoption must be under 16 years old (or up to 18 years old if the adopter is a biological brother and sister). In addition, you must have 2 years of physical and legal guardianship.
Immigrant visas for adopted children
Moreover, if you are adopting a child from another country, after the process is completed, he will need an immigrant visa to enter the United States.
Generally, there are several types of immigrant visas for adopted children :
1. For children from countries of the Hague Convention
- IH-3 visa: is issued to fully adopted children.
- IH-4 visa: for children coming to the United States for adoption.
2. For children from countries that are not members of the Hague Convention
- Visa IR-3: after full and final adoption abroad.
- IR-4 Visa: Issued if the child: is coming to the US for adoption; was adopted by only one of the parents (if they are married).
3. Adoption by Kinship - IR-2 visa.
US citizenship procedure for an adopted child
First, children who come to the US on the basis of visas0006 IR-3s and IH-3s automatically acquire US citizenship. However, the child must be under 18 years of age to enter the United States.
Second, children with IR-4 and IH-4 visas do not receive citizenship upon arrival, but become US residents. Therefore, they automatically receive a permanent resident card (Green Card). Once the adoption process is completed, only then can they acquire US citizenship.
Third, for adopted children with an IR-2 visa, there are several options. Basically, they receive American citizenship automatically. However, there are cases when a child receives a green card.
Adoption period and costs
Generally, the adoption process takes one to four years.
Many factors influence this. Usually, the period depends on the laws and procedures for adoption in the child's country of origin.
Regarding the cost of international adoption, everything is individual here. In most cases, the cost is approximately 30-50 thousand dollars.
Adoption room
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Frank Adoption Center in North Carolina Nina Borisovna Kostina talks about what is really happening with Russian foster children in America. Recorded by Svetlana Reiter.
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“I've been in the adoption business for a long time; in 1987, my whole family moved to Washington, I got a job as a translator at the Wheat Association of the United States of America, which decided to donate a huge amount of pasta to the Soviet Union. At work, they told me that I could take this humanitarian aid anywhere, and I took a ton of pasta to one of the orphanages near Moscow. The pasta was very beautiful, multi-colored: with pumpkin, with spinach, with carrots... American farmers came with me, the story got into American newspapers, and completely different people began to call me who wanted to adopt children.
There was no international adoption then, and we were perfect pioneers in our field - and then, as now, a lot of Americans wanted to adopt children. Over time, this figure does not decrease: according to our statistics, there are about five hundred potential adoptive parents per orphan child. In the United States itself, internal adoption, of course, exists, but this is a rather painful process - as such, there are practically no orphans in this country, and the right to their child is always legally assigned to biological parents who decide to give their children to be raised in a strange family - and this is one of the reasons why Americans prefer to adopt children abroad.
There was a notorious case when the adopted children, Richard and Jessica, were taken from their adoptive parents by their biological mother when they reached the age of ten. There was a lawsuit, the adoptive parents could not do anything, since the court decided the case in favor of the biological mother. Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, Americans go to adopt children in other countries - for example, in Russia, when the court decides to give the children to foster parents, then this decision is final, it cannot be changed, and the mother does not have the right to change her mind and take the child.
Children from China are also adopted — According to the US State Department, in 2008, 3,900 children from China, 4,120 children from Guatemala, and 1,800 children from Russia were adopted by American citizens. This is due to the fact that the procedure for the adoption of Chinese children by the American authorities is well-established, although there are problems in it - for example, Americans have to wait a long time for "their" child: sometimes up to five years, since the queue of people around the world is huge.
The second problem is that, according to the rules established by the Chinese government, it is not allowed to adopt children to single mothers and people over forty-five years old. Therefore, in 2008, the number of adopted children from China fell by half - in 2006 it amounted to more than six thousand people. But, in principle, people are ready to adopt everyone: Tatars, Kazakhs, Kirghiz, and Gypsies. By the way, I have three children: a biological son of thirty years old and two adopted girls: Victoria, who has been living in my family for sixteen years, and my beloved Tatar, Gulnara. We baptized her into Orthodoxy and call her Mary. For some reason, she loves tea with milk, although the rest of our family does not like this tea and do not drink it. Here is such an innate "oriental element" in her.
Adopting children may not cost a penny, or it may cost eighteen thousand dollars. Seriously ill children are "given away" for free - if a child has been suffering from some kind of illness since childhood, then we ourselves will raise money and give it to foster parents for subsequent treatment.
We have just adopted a boy, Sasha, originally from the Tver region. He is eight years old, and almost from birth he was diagnosed with a rather severe, but correctable pathology - he has muscular dystrophy, and the muscles of his arms and legs are completely atrophied. Three years ago, the wife of the governor of the Tver region, Alla Albertovna Zelenina, told me about Sasha; we desperately searched for his parents for many months in a row, during which time the boy managed to be transferred from the orphanage to the nursing home, and a completely wonderful family from California was found, which, thank God, took him right from this house. It was such happiness beyond words: the boy beamed, laughed, and immediately called them "mom" and "dad".
Russia has a very tight and complex bureaucratic system: potential parents must come to Russia at least four times - for the first time they get to know the child and write an application to the court for custody, then they wait for a court decision for two months, then, after the court decision, they have to wait ten days for their rights to come into force, and then issue him a passport, which also takes a lot of time.
Fortunately, the number and cost of flights for Americans has not stopped yet. In terms of the composition of documents, Russian and American adoptions are approximately similar - but Russia's trouble is that there is no developed system of social services here. In America, to adopt a child, you need to pass four interviews, and a social worker comes to your house with an inspection, checks where your child will live, where to sleep, where to play, and whether your house has a separate fire escape.
The 18,000 dollars that adoption costs are made up of several parts: parents, first, pay 2,000 dollars to an adoption agency that collects documents for them and finds a child. From three and a half to five thousand dollars there is a package of papers that are being prepared for adoptive parents: a police check with the mandatory taking of fingerprints, certificates from work, income checks. About a thousand costs notarization of papers with all the necessary apostilles.
And then - the cost of flights, administrative expenses. This is how those eighteen thousand are obtained.
In my practice, there was a case when the father, the head of the family, moved in a wheelchair: he was a successful businessman, held a high position, and, according to international rules, was considered a worthy adopter. However, in Russia, the court several times refused to adopt him only on the grounds that he was disabled. He protested this decision for many years in a row, and in the end, common sense won out, and he managed to adopt a child from Siberia. There are also problems with children born in mixed marriages - for example, the mother is Russian, the father is Tajik, they saw each other once in their lives, and the documents are not drawn up according to the rules. In this case, the child runs the risk of remaining forever in the orphanage system, because it is impossible to find a dad and re-register everything according to the rules. And at the same time, many Americans would be happy to take him into their family.
Parents know that they always take risks - for example, their adopted child may not be fully diagnosed, or some disease may not be detected. For example, we recently found a child in one family, and right before the adoption, it turned out that the boy had deafness. And a disease of the nervous system may also be detected.
Our agency does not work with homosexual couples: I am a believer, I do not like homosexuality, and if such a couple comes to me, I refuse them under plausible pretexts - I have lived in the USA for twenty-two years, I understand that everyone is equal, but according to my personal beliefs, a child needs both mom and dad. But in other agencies, I know, they also deal with such cases.
It often happens that parents decide to adopt an adopted child, and suddenly the mother becomes pregnant - this is some kind of mysticism, a lucky ticket that falls out to people after they have prepared all the documents for adoption.
There were two tragic cases in the practice of adoption: once, in the ten days that are allotted by the court after the decision was made in favor of the adoptive parents for its entry into force, a drunken nanny in the orphanage dropped the baby on the tiled floor, and he died. The second time, in the same ten days, the foster parents had an accident and died. But in that case, the American grandparents of the adopted child re-registered all the papers for themselves.
There were cases when parents abandoned an adopted child - but we, like any American agency, in this case, by law, must find other "re-adopters". And we always find them. They refuse, as a rule, for medical problems: when a child has a fetal-alcohol syndrome that was not detected in time, or oligophrenia in the degree of debility. My adopted daughters were diagnosed like this - but I knew what I was getting into, and now they drive a car, speak two languages, play tennis very well and are perfectly coordinated.
Despite articles in the press, since 1991 there have been only twelve deaths of adopted children due to the fault of their parents in the entire history of the practice of international adoption of children in the United States. Each case is a terrible, but private tragedy. But wherever I go, I am always reminded of that Russian boy whose American father forgot him in the car. If you look at the statistics, you will see that birth mothers harm their children more often. Not so long ago, there was a note in the local press that an eighteen-year-old New Yorker forgot her own child in a car near a pharmacy - this is the same tragedy. No matter how carefully we check the parents, we cannot exclude the human factor. But now psychologists strongly recommend that parents put a bright and unusual object next to the car seat where the child is sitting so that you pay attention to it when you get out of the car.
In 1994, we helped Margaret Schultz, the daughter of the United States Secretary of State, adopt a child, a boy, Serezha, from the village of Voino, Orel Region.
Serezha had rather serious defects in appearance, external manifestations of neurological diseases - a short neck, a duck-like nose ... Russian doctors were sure that he had a serious internal pathology, and no one wanted to take Serezha. Then Margaret, the daughter of John Schultz, came to Voino with an American neuropathologist, who said that these external manifestations were not at all terrible, and she took him for herself. I called her this summer, and our Seryozha, by the way, is studying at Oxford, and is generally considered a representative of the local elite, since his grandfather is the Secretary of State.
In 1992, I helped two twins, Seryozha and Anton, find their parents. They had a birth injury, as a result of which one boy lost his leg, and the other lost two. They were adopted by Vietnam War veteran Ronald Greenfield, who also lacked a leg and instead had an electronic prosthesis. He put the same prostheses on the boys, the boys turned into absolute beauties, now their names are Max and Andy, they ride skateboards and jump from the tower in the pool.
