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Home » Misc » How to win child custody in florida

How to win child custody in florida


How to Win a Child Custody Case in Florida

We all know that a child custody case in the Florida courts involves one of most critical issues you can face in your life.  Whatever the court decides will shape and color your future as a parent, change the way your child looks at you, and the way you respond to your child. Watch this timely interview with to learn some tips on how to win your custody case.

Howard Iken

Hi. This is Attorney Howard Iken, and today we’re going to our legal information studio to have a discussion about how to conduct a child custody case in the Florida Courts. What makes a really effective child custody case, because that’s probably one of the most highly contested types of cases in Florida. So, what makes a good case?

 

Guest

If a party wants to have the majority contact with their children or child, or have what we used to call primary responsibility of the children, we now call majority time sharing, the best thing for that particular parent to do is show that they have complied with the statute. So, what I mean by that is they are facilitating a relationship between the other parent and the children.

 

Howard Iken

Now, hold right there. If someone is in the middle of a really bitter case, how do they do that? How do they get along with the other parent?

 

Guest

They have to almost look at it as a business arrangement and take some of the emotion out. And if they’re not able to do that, they need to put checks and balances in place. Something I recommend to my clients is get other third party neutral people involved, whether it’s somebody through a church, or a counselor, or even a family member that both parties get along with. And if they can have that person possibly review a text message or an email before they hit send so they can take out the yelling words or they can take out the nasty language, if they can have somebody check them before they post something on a social media website, if they can have somebody at the exchange site to help keep both parties civil while they’re in front of the children and exchanging the children, then they’re more likely to – in the eyes of the court – show that they’re complying with what we require of that person.

 

Howard Iken

Have you actually found people that could do that?

 

Guest

Yes. In the last eight and a half years, I’ve actually come across a couple of parents who are able to do that. Some of the techniques and outside sources they use which will assist them even when I’m no longer a part of their life is there’s a website called My Family Wizard. And it basically enables the parties to put information on a calendar, it updates them. They can put different information related to school, extracurricular activities, medical appointments. They can coordinate and it’s been able to assist some parents. Sometimes they’re also able to retain somebody like a parenting coordinator to help them address minor issues through the case or after the case.

 

Howard Iken

I know people would definitely want to know, what are some of the worst situations where parents did the opposite of what you just said?

 

Guest

Unfortunately, I’ve had a situation where a parent took a child out of the country and hid the child, and hoped that the court couldn’t figure out where the child was, and they could wait it out and maybe try to get jurisdiction in another country. I’ve also had a situation where a parent has gone out drinking with their child or played with their firearms and thought it would be cute to take pictures of them holding a two-year-old child with a firearm loaded and put it on Facebook. There’s a lot of incidences where parents make poor decisions. I think sometimes they’re trying to egg on or distract the other parent and needle them, but when you’re in the middle of a litigation battle, especially involving children, it’s best to do less is more.

 

Howard Iken

Well, you brought up an interesting point. Facebook. We all use Facebook these days. Some people are addicted to Facebook. Has that affected custody cases?

 

Guest

It’s interesting. As a former state attorney assistant prosecutor, I was involved with cases with child neglect or other criminal aspects that involved social media. And at that time, I felt that it was a new area that we had to be very diligent as attorneys to research and understand how it can be affected, and how it can affect creating evidence or introducing evidence. Now, as a family lawyer, I’ve had a different but still unique experience where I have to figure out, will the court allow this particular piece of evidence in? Is it considered hearsay? How am I going to get around the hearsay exception? And I’ve found that attorneys that haven’t researched the issue sometimes make mistakes and just think that they’re going to get in a random page from Facebook, but there are specific legal ramifications of whether or not it can be authenticated, and a diligent attorney is going to know how to introduce social media into the court hearing.

 

Howard Iken

So, I think what you’re saying is sometimes what people put on Facebook ends up in front of the judge.

 

Guest

Yes. At the very beginning of any representation, I urge the client to cease from posting and to remove any prior potentially negative comments or photos from Facebook because they could end up in a court hearing. I also think it’s important to note that what other people post on your Facebook can affect you, and if you’re tagged in photos on other people’s websites, that can affect you as well. Facebook has a lot of negative components for a Family Law case.

 

Howard Iken

Well, if you had to boil down five really good tips people can take to heart to win their child custody case, could you boil it down to five?

 

Guest

To only five? I’ll try. Read the Statute. Read Chapter 61.

 

Howard Iken

Okay. I assume you can give a copy of that to clients.

 

Guest

Give that to the clients and make sure that you speak with your attorney about each of the factors and make sure you understand the approximate 20 factors and how that can affect your case. Take diligent notes and share those notes and those calendars with your attorney, but be aware that any notes and calendars that you do take while you’re preparing your case, the other side may try to subpoena and have you produce. So, if you keep it directly between you and your attorney and it’s correspondence, then it’s covered by attorney client confidentiality. Be careful what you put in writing and be careful what is said in front of other people, because that can and probably will be used against you. Think of the Miranda Warning. Also, it’s really important to keep the custody battle outside the little ears. There is a local radio station that says, “Safe for the little ears.” And if you can take that motto and put it into your custody battle and say, “Is this safe for the little ears?” Is what I’m saying about this person’s parent going to affect this child?

 

Howard Iken

Was that just five?

 

Guest

That might have been more or that might have been less. But I think those are really important aspects.

 

Howard Iken

Well, thank you very much.

How to Get Sole Custody in Florida: Legal Advice For 2020

Florida custody law starts with the presumption that it is in the best interests of children to have substantial quality time with each parent. A custodial parent seeking sole custody rights is asking the court to restrict or deny the visitation rights of one parent. As such, the parent must show that the restriction is necessary to protect the child.

Getting Sole Child Custody In Florida Is An Extreme Remedy

In most cases, the court will order specific conditions that the parent must meet in order to come back to court to address custody issue. This puts the burden on the questionable parent to prove themselves by doing certain acts. If the parent proves himself or herself, then the court will allow them to come back and ask for a regular time-sharing schedule again.

For example, consider the case of the drug-addicted parent. The other parent has shown the court that the drug-addicted parent is a danger to the child welfare and emotional well-being, and that parental rights should be restricted. The family law court agrees, ordering sole custody of the child with the non-drug addicted parent.

The court will go further and list what the drug-addicted parent can do to prove himself or herself to the court. The court will (obviously) order the drug-addicted parent to submit to random drug screenings for a substantial period of time, generally between six and 18 months.

The court will also often order counseling and treatment for an extended period of time. This way, not only is the drug parent proving him or herself by attending treatment, but there is a third-party professional counsel who can report to the court if needed to advise on how well the parent has done and if the parent is ready to participate in custody agreement.

In other cases, the court can order temporary suspension of timesharing for a period of time in order to promote a positive impact on the child.

In one example from a Hillsborough court, the trial judge found that the mother was alienating the children from the father. The children were both teenagers. The father provided expert testimony that the alienation could best be solved by a temporary suspension of the mother’s timesharing. The trial judge listened to the expert, suspended the mother’s timesharing, and gave the father sole legal and physical custody and child support for a period of three months. At the end of the three months, the judge set a hearing to readdress the situation.

While extreme, this example does show that judges have a wide discretion to restrict or deny timesharing. They key is to recognize the judge does have to back up their decision with a written custody order or else the order will be violating the child custody law. Therefore, the party requesting sole parental responsibility needs to build a strong custody case.

What To Show The Judge

The parent requesting sole custody must show that it is in the best interest of the child is to severely minimize the amount of time the other parent has with him or her. The burden of proving this falls on the requesting parent.

In general, these cases fall in one of four types of categories: drug abuse, domestic violence, mental health issues, or child abuse and neglect.

Drug Abuse And Addiction

A parent has a good shot at getting 100% timesharing of a child when to do so will protect the kids from a drug-addicted parent. A parent suffering from drug addiction will often be unable to fully care for themselves, let alone another child. And there’s a common understanding among the courts that an addict should be focusing on themselves and getting better before trying to spend substantial time with their child(ren).

Proving drug or alcohol addiction or abuse can be done in a couple of ways. First and foremost, the parent with a good faith basis can request that the court order a hair follicle test or urine test of another parent in a contested custody case. The divorce attorney will file a written motion citing the relevant law that allows this type of relief and set a hearing in front of the judge.

In some cases where a guardian ad litem or child custody arrangement evaluator is appointed to help determine child custody, the guardian can show up with the drug test and request the non-custodial parent to submit. This puts the parent in a sticky scenario. The parent could argue that privacy concerns should outweigh the need for a drug test, but the guardian or child custody evaluator has a lot of say in what the final parenting plan will be for the children. A guardian or custody evaluator will only ask for a drug test if they think it’s warranted. So if a parent denies and refuses to take a drug test, it won’t look good at the end of the day in the child well-being and custody report.

Details of the drug test: there are independent labs in every city in Florida that can take a sample of urine and either a three-panel or five-panel hair follicle test. They will take a long enough piece of hair, and if the parent has shaved or cut their hair short, they can even take a piece of arm hair to run the test. Some of these labs will do the test on-site and other labs will ship the hair or the urine out to another facility. The results are then sent usually to the attorneys to review.

Some substances, like alcohol, can be much more difficult to test with hair follicle testing. However, the technology continues to improve, and at this point, hair follicle test for alcohol abuse can show whether the user is a mild, medium, or heavy abuser of alcohol.

When trying to prove drug abuse or addiction, the requesting parent can also use a private investigator. In some cases, these investigators can interview witnesses to learn more about the parent’s behavior. They can use video to record a parent if a parent might be engaging in illicit behavior in a public place. And they can also use trash pools, where they go through the trash that a parent leaves out at the curb on trash day. If a trash pull shows that a single parent who is now living by themselves goes through four bottles of wine every two or three days, that sort of indirect evidence can help support the idea that that parent is a substance abuser.

Domestic Violence Or Physical Abuse

Any abusive parents may find themselves with their timesharing restricted or denied.

Florida courts recognize domestic violence not just of the abused, but often the children of the abused. The courts can restrict joint legal custody if there is domestic abuse in a relationship between two parents if the children witnessed or were otherwise around during the abuse.

In Florida, if one parent is convicted of domestic battery or other domestic crimes that are a first-degree or higher offense, the courts will presume that the convicted parent shouldn’t have any joint custody with the children and make the convicted parent overcome that presumption with evidence.

Proving that the domestic violence is an issue in the case that requires restricting timesharing is a little more difficult than proving drug abuse cases, as there is not a scientific test that proves physical abuse. Rather, physical abuse is often proven through the testimony of the abused spouse, testimony of any third parties that witnessed the abuse, and corroborating evidence like pictures of bruises and other injuries. While these cases can certainly be proven to a judge, it is important to recognize the “he said, she said” nature of winning these custody cases.

For example, in a recent domestic violence case where joint legal custody was an issue, we represented a battered spouse and the husband completely denied ever harming her.

Our client was certainly believable but had a difficult time testifying and telling the judge her story because of the emotional complexity of the case. At one point, the husband was arrested for domestic violence when cops came on the scene and saw the wife with scratch marks and bruises. However, the state attorney ultimately dropped these charges.

We were able to boost her credibility in court by bringing in the investigating officer who made the arrest. Even though the state attorney had dropped the charges, the arresting officer had written a police report and noted visually seeing injuries on the spouse. He then was able to testify in court that he saw these injuries on the spouse when he arrived on scene, along with our client shaking, being nervous, and other observations that suggested that the husband was physically violent with the wife. The husband also had a knack for apologizing after committing acts of violence on the wife. The wife was able to gather various text messages and Facebook messages that showed the husband been apologizing for his ill actions.

The judge was able to find that domestic violence was occurring in this case and restrict physical custody with the father until such time as the father had taken classes and submitted to further treatment of the anger issues he was having. While it wasn’t the goal of the court to keep the father away from his child for long periods of time, the court recognized that the father had problems that had to be resolved if he was going to be capable of exercising time with this child in a manner that was positive and beneficial to the child.

Mental Health

Much less common, we have cases where a parent’s mental health is at issue to the extent that timesharing should be limited and restricted.

For example, consider the case where a parent is suffering from schizophrenia, severe depression, or another mental illness that is making it difficult for the parent to take care of themselves, let alone another child. In these cases, it is often that parent’s mental health issues that have facilitated the divorce, usually with a parent filing for divorce in no small part to protect the children from the other parent. These cases often have priority status, the fear that perhaps one parent might do something to harm the child or flee with the child.

Proof in these cases often starts with mental health records. When necessary, the court can override any input concerns and order the disclosure of mental health records of a parent of a contested custody case.

For example, in a recent case, the other parent had been Baker acted within the last few months. A Baker act is an involuntary civil commitment of a human being for at least 72 hours because they might be harmful to themselves or others. We were able to pull the police reports and the hospital reports for the Baker act, showing without question that the parent truly had a mental health issue that needed to be resolved before timesharing could continue with the child.

In other cases, one can use the services of an appropriately trained child custody evaluator to do psychological testing of both parties during a contested custody case.

Child custody evaluators in Florida are often highly trained and qualified mental health professionals with experience doing psychological testing. In certain cases, a party with concerns over the other party’s mental health may go to the court and ask for a court order that the party submit to psychological testing in front of a trained evaluator.

In any case, the Florida family courts consider mental health issues to be real and serious enough to warrant ferreting out whether timesharing should be restricted in any given case. Again, the litmus test for the court is whether the mental health issues are severe enough that to protect the child by restricting timesharing with the parent. If so, the courts will want to either temporarily suspend timesharing, later revisiting the case to see if the problem is being helped with medication, or close the case but leaving an easy way for the party with the mental health problems to come back to court when, and if, they are ready to fix the time-sharing order.

Like most of the other examples above, it is important to leave open the possibility that the problems of the offending parent are getting resolved and that a more natural and liberal visitation schedule can go into place.

Custody Courts That Will Award Sole Legal Custody

There are three main types of courtrooms where parental time-sharing restrictions can be brought up and heard by a judge. This shows that the state of Florida has put in quite a few resources to protect children when needed. The state of Florida family law courts has the decision-making authority.

DEPENDENCY COURT

Parents find themselves in dependency court when things have gotten really rotten, so much so that the state itself on its own initiative gets involved in the case and restricts timesharing in order to protect children. This can happen in cases of physical abuse of a child where the police had to get involved, drug problems with a parent that have led to an arrest, social services complaints, or involuntary commitments because of mental health problems. Florida law gives great weight to dependency court to step in as an emergency jurisdiction for up to two years. Dependency court will override an injunction court and/or a court.

In dependency court, we see the state attorney getting involved and sometimes a public defender is appointed to help a parent on the other end of the proceedings. Psychological testing, drug testing, caseworkers, and social workers come together to make sure that the child or children are protected. Often, the state will restrict timesharing for a period of time and then set in motion a detailed and specific plan that the offending parent must file in order to get reunited with the child or children. Dependency cases are relatively rare for our family law clients, as there is usually a pretty high threshold for the state of Florida to get involved.

INJUNCTIONS OR RESTRAINING ORDERS

Injunctions and restraining court orders are emergency court orders invoked when one parent alleges under oath that the other parent has committed acts of domestic violence, stalking, or other behavior that suggest that the parent or the children are in imminent danger. Because of the emergency nature of such allegations, an injunction court will grant a court order even without a hearing in certain statutory factors because of the emergency nature of such allegations. An injunction court will grant an order restricting time-sharing without hearing on a temporary basis provided that the allegations by one parent are sufficient.

However, because this is such an extreme thing to do, the courts must give the accused parent a hearing and a chance to have their due process as quickly as possible. In Hillsboro, Pasco, and Pinellas County, we often see hearings within seven to 10 days after the temporary orders are issued.

At a hearing for an injunction, the parent’s credibility will be tested and the court will have to make a decision if an injunction is warranted.

EMERGENCY FAMILY COURT HEARINGS

An emergency hearing in front of a family law court judge is handled similarly to an injunction court hearing. The family law attorney for the parent seeking relief can file a sworn motion alleging the emergency situation and detriment to the child. Each county in Florida has a judge, or group of judges, assigned to review emergency family motions on a daily basis.

  • If the judge finds from the allegations of the motion that an emergency exists, the judge can grant the motion and either:
    Restrict sole custody immediately but set a quick court date to resolve everything, or
  • Not touch custody but still give a quick hearing to evaluate the issues.
    Family law court normally moves slowly. Emergency issues are the exception. Family court judges allow people with emergencies to jump to the front of the line. Of course it is important to not abuse the process, and only request emergency relief if it is truly warranted.

TRADITIONAL FAMILY COURT HEARINGS

Finally, traditional family law courts will hear requests for sole physical custody in child custody cases. In fact, in most cases the traditional family law court will need to make a determination as to sole custody. The family law court overrides the injunction jurisdiction, and emergency family law court hearings are almost always temporary in nature.

At a final hearing, or child custody trial in family law court, the judge will listen to all of the evidence in the case. This could be testimony from witnesses, texts, phone records, Facebook profiles, video evidence, drug tests, mental health evaluations, child custody reports, and more. These hearings can often last between half of a day and a week.

Get A Legal Plan In Place

If you are serious about getting sole custody of your child, you need a solid legal plan. Get legal advice from our experienced legal team today!

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Guardianship abroad | Guardian England

Blog October 17, 2022

How to prove to the university that you have leadership experience

The admissions committee highly appreciates the leadership qualities and experience of the applicant. Especially when it comes to applying for an MBA. But what exactly can be considered leadership experience, where to get it and how to demonstrate it? Let's try to sort everything out.

Overseas guardian is the child's legal representative for the duration of the child's education at the local school or university until the age of majority. A guardian is needed not only for obtaining a student visa and signing documents on behalf of the child, but also for the peace of mind of the parents: he will help the young traveler to get used to the new country and cope with difficult life situations.

Guardian services abroad

Country on request
China 18 Friend/Relative on request

900 You can find 02 by yourself or through special agencies. The latter are widespread in the UK. The candidate, as a rule, must be a citizen or resident and speak the language of the country where the minor student or student is going to study. There are usually no income requirements for the guardian, since he is the temporary legal representative of the child in the absence of parents and does not have to provide for him. Each country may have its own nuances regarding the documentation of custody, but in all cases, notarized consent from both parents will be required. Canada Custodianship Declaration Custodianship Declaration Spain Notarized Consent [1] Acta de manifestaciones;
  • Consent to check in the register of sexual crimes.
  • France Notarized Consent
    • Attestation de prize en charge;
    • Notarized consent Varies by province

      Who needs a guardian abroad

      In general, any minor who comes to another country for the purpose of long-term study needs a guardian. It can be both a schoolboy and an applicant up to 18 years old. For short-term educational trips, a notarized parental consent is usually sufficient, which allows the child to travel unaccompanied [3] . If the trip is organized by a school, the power of attorney is usually issued in the name of the teacher or other group chaperone.

      It is important to keep in mind that the age of majority may differ from country to country, but in any case, a person will no longer need a guardian from that point on. General requirements regarding the presence of a guardian can be seen in the table:

      Purpose of the trip Duration of the trip Necessity of a guardian

      • First of all, the guardian will meet the child at the airport upon arrival in the country, help him get to the place of study, check into the hostel, find out his schedule and deal with all organizational formalities at the beginning of the school year;
      • In the absence of parents, the guardian is the legal representative of the minor child and has the right to sign the necessary documents: for example, a lease agreement, an application for opening an account in a local bank, a visa extension form, an agreement for obtaining a telephone SIM card, etc. ;
      • The guardian organizes the child's leisure activities during the holidays when the school is closed. It can be various cultural events, trips, excursions. Also, if necessary, the guardian will find housing and a foster family for the student for the vacation period, if during his studies he lived in the school residence;
      • Parents can trust a guardian to control their child's out of pocket expenses. In this case, the guardian will regularly give the student a certain amount for personal expenses, and then provide the parents with a report;
      • The guardian can interact with the school management: receive reports on the student's progress and behavior, attend parent meetings if necessary, and transfer all information to parents. Some childcare agencies also provide tutoring services;
      • In an emergency, the guardian must ensure that the child receives medical attention. If urgent surgical or other serious medical intervention is required, the guardian has the right to give his written consent;
      • Finally, in the person of the guardian, the child will see a friend and a person to whom he can always turn with his problem when his parents are not around. Adapting to a new country can be difficult even for adults, not to mention children.

      The guardian will in any case be the legal representative of the child when signing the documents. The final set of guardian responsibilities will vary depending on the terms of the contract. When working with a guardianship agency, parents will know in advance a list of all services. If the family has chosen a guardian independently from among relatives or acquaintances, everything will depend on personal agreements.

      Who can become a guardian of a child abroad

      The requirements for becoming a guardian may vary in each country. All possible options are listed below, but at the stage of applying for a visa, it is worth clarifying who you have the right to nominate in this particular case.

      • Related to . If you have a relative in the country where your child is going to study, you can appoint him as a guardian. In this case, a person must be a citizen of the country or have a residence permit. Some countries will approve an adult relative with a student visa, such as Australia. It is also worth paying attention to the degree of kinship: somewhere a second cousin is suitable, and somewhere they will not accept the candidacy “further” of uncles and aunts;
      • Friend or acquaintance . Most countries do not require a child and family to be related to a guardian. They can be any friend or old friend. Often, parents look for a candidate “blindly”, through acquaintances, without even knowing the applicant personally. This method is fully justified, since most often a guardian is needed only formally for a visa. However, it is important to understand that the guardian still assumes legal obligations and can be called to the school at any time. This is especially strict in the UK and Australia, where the nominee must confirm closeness with the family;
      • Host family . In the event that the child does not live in a school residence, but in a host family, one of the foster parents can become his guardian for the duration of his studies. This is convenient, since the child will be under the supervision of his legal representative every day and in an emergency there will be no problems with the availability of a guardian;
      • Headmaster . This path is logical to choose if the child will study at a boarding school and spend all the time under the supervision of the staff of the educational institution. US educational institutions often offer parents to entrust guardianship to the school administration;
      • Guardian from agency . The culture of guardianship agencies is especially strong in the UK, but they can be found in other countries as well. Here, parents will be helped to find a qualified specialist in working with children who understands the school educational system of the country. You can even find a Russian-speaking guardian, which will greatly simplify communication. The services of such agencies are not cheap, but the family will definitely be calm for the child: depending on the package chosen, the guardian will regularly visit the ward, monitor his progress, take him to the doctor and much more;
      • One of the parents . Often, on a student visa, a parent can travel abroad with a child. At the same time, the parent must have enough time and finances to constantly be in the country of study. Naturally, in this case there is no need to look for another candidate for the role of guardian, since the parent is initially the legal representative. At the same time, in some cases, the visa procedure still obliges the parent to fill out documents on accepting the duties of a guardian.

      How to choose a guardian abroad

      There are many factors to consider when choosing a guardian for a minor child. Especially if the candidate is not your relative or close friend and you do not have the opportunity to communicate with him personally, it would not be superfluous to clarify this information:

      • Law-abiding . The guardian must not have a criminal record or other problems with the law. The Spanish embassy even checks candidates for the absence of sexual offenses in their biography;
      • Place of residence . It is best that the guardian lives with the child in the same city. For France, this is a mandatory requirement. So, if necessary, he can quickly get to school or a medical facility. It is also important to have a car;
      • Language . The guardian is always a resident of the country and speaks the local language at the native level. If the parents of the student do not speak this language at a sufficient level, this can lead to misunderstandings and problems in communication. In this case, you can try to find a Russian-speaking guardian. There are many such opportunities in the US and UK;
      • Age . The laws of most countries allow people from 18-25 years old to become guardians of foreign students. However, experienced agents recommend candidates aged 30-40 on average who have more stability in their lives and time to take care of a child;
      • Own children . In some countries, in order to become a guardian, you must already be the parent or legal guardian of at least one child. Such a person knows from his own experience how to find an approach to children and how school education works.

      Looking for a guardian abroad

      Great Britain

      In the UK, the field of guardianship of foreign students is developed like nowhere else in the world. Almost every school requires a guardian for a student up to 18 years old, although by law this is only required up to 16. There is a whole network of guardian agencies in the country. The most reliable are those that are accredited by the AEGIS organization. Here are just a few of them:

      • Bright World;
      • White House Guardianships;
      • UK Guardians;
      • LLE Guardianship Services;
      • Academic Guardians UK.

      The cost of services, of course, is high, but the parent will definitely be calm, and the child will be under the supervision of a professional.

      USA

      Unlike the British secondary education system, international students under the age of 18 generally do not need a guardian in an American school. Responsibility for solving all organizational issues is usually assumed by the school represented by the director. However, if a guardian is needed, one can be found through an agency such as Cogito World Education.

      Canada

      Canadian law requires all underage students ( minors ) from overseas to have a local guardian while living in the country. In some provinces, the age of maturity ( age of majority ) reaches 19 years, so sometimes not only schoolchildren, but also students may need a guardian. There are several agencies in Canada that help young foreigners with finding a guardian or host family:

      • First Choice International;
      • International Student Guardianship Canada.
      Germany

      Germany also requires a guardian for the study of foreigners in local schools. At the same time, experience shows that this issue is decisive only at the stage of obtaining a student visa, and all student problems are usually solved by the school management. Therefore, parents wishing to send their children to Germany often look for a guardian among familiar citizens of the country or through Russian-speaking agencies such as the ORSG.

      France

      As in the case of Germany, the presence of a guardian for the study of a minor in France is important, first of all, for obtaining a visa. The French guardian must live in the same city as the child, and may also be required to vouch for the ward financially. The registration process requires a lot of work with documents, so you can seek help from special organizations:

      • ACADEM FRANCE;
      • Campus 5.
      Spain

      While studying in Spain, the student usually lives with a host family or is under the care of the director in the case of a closed educational institution. The principal of a regular school may only be the representative of a child of 16 years of age or older. For advice on the issue of guardianship in Spain, you can contact the organization Spain in Russian.

      Australia

      To apply for a study visa to Australia, you must fill out a special form, which will indicate a relative living in the country as a guardian. However, there are organizations that offer to pick up a guardian or host family from their base: for example, IDP.

      China

      For a minor to study in China, parents must obtain a power of attorney for a guardian registered in the same city where the school is located. OU LU / WECO can help with the search for candidates.

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      Updated: October 19, 2020

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