Babies, and young children for that matter, are a great addition to any family. For some families the dreams of having children are hindered due to a variety of medical reasons. These couples turn to adoption as an alternative. The United States has one of the largest adoption rings around. Not too far behind is China. Both of these countries handle adoptions between one another.
China adoption services provide services for American parents just as they would for Chinese parents. The children that are available for adoption are between the ages of newborn to twelve years old. Those that are most often adopted out are girls. Some companies speculate that the percentage of girls adopted out is at least 95 percent. There are boys available, but are considered a rare find. In some parts of China, boys are preferred over girls. This is primarily due to the values and inputs of the Chinese government; they instill the one child per family doctrine. Because of this, girls are often abandoned because boys are thought of as more of a stable character that will be able to take care of the family and carry on the name of the family.
The average age of the adoptive parents is 30 years old or slightly older. However, one parent should at least be under the age of 55. Age requirements will be specified by the China adoption agency. There is not an issue of race or religion that determines an appropriate parent. Because adoption is not at all cheap, these parent would be considered middle to upper class. An adoption can cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. Of course, depending on the company, the prices may be slightly higher or lower, but not much. For the parents that are from the United States, transportation can be arranged. This will cause a change in the overall price of the China adoption. Adoptive parents will spend nearly two weeks in China to be able to spend time with their child and to complete the entire adoption. Parents often travel with other families.
The process of an international adoption involves an approved study of the adoptive parents’ home, completion of a foreign dossier, and a clearance from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A dossier is a collection of documents consisting of verifications, certificates, studies, and petitions to the China Center of Adoption Affairs. These documents are mandatory in order to complete a China adoption. Referrals for a child, including photographs are usually submitted to the adoptive parent once all the paperwork has been submitted to China. The time from submission of all documents to receiving information on a child may take as long as a year; in some instances, much longer. The time is used to verify all information and to find a child that will be suitable for the family. The child’s medical history will be processed as well. Once the families receive their referrals, it will be about another five to six weeks that they will make the trip to China.
Adoption services like the Cradle, Children’s Hope International (CHI), Great Wall China Adoption, America World Adoption Association, and Holt International Children’s Services provide international adoptions for places like China.
By Jaime Cannon
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