| Families looking at Haitian adoptions |
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By Lindsy Arrowood With all the photo coverage of the earthquakes in Haiti the images of young children, now homeless and many parentless, seem to stand out amongst the rubble. These photos have caused more than one American family to think about adopting a child from Haiti and many think that given the circumstances of the country, it shouldn’t be too hard to give an orphaned child a home in the United States. But adopting internationally isn’t that simple. The first step for international adoption is filing an application with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The application includes the USCIS form, a home study, application fee and other documents including fingerprints. The USCIS forms differ depending on which country the adoptive child would be coming from. The home study will determine if the prospective parent(s) are eligible to adopt. The home study begins with an interview and a home visit with the prospective parent(s). The interviewer will also interview all adult members of that household. During the interview the adults members of the household will be evaluated on their physical, mental and emotional capabilities. They will also undergo a criminal background check that will specifically look for any reports of child abuse, substance abuse, child or sexual abuse and domestic violence. The study continues with a look into the prospective parent(s) financial background including income, debt and cost of living expenses. The interviewer will be responsible for making a detailed description of the living conditions and assess the prospective parent(s) ability to care for an adopted child. Hopeful parent(s) are also required to offer explanations if they had been previously rejected as adoptive parents. Even after passing a home study and having an application accepted, prospective parent(s) have a long road ahead in the adoption process as they must comply with the Unites States federal laws, their state’s laws and the laws of the country from which the child was born. Although most of the international children adopted by American families are between the ages of one and four, children are eligible to enter the United States for adoption through age 15. Exceptions are made for children ages 16 and 17 if they have siblings previously adopted by families in the United States. In order for a child to enter the United States for adoption under the current immigration laws, the child must be orphaned, abandoned or have only one living parent who has relinquished parental rights. With the current situation in Haiti it is difficult to determine the fate of a child’s parents or if they have other close relatives willing to care for them. Many of the residents of the orphanages were only residing there temporarily and their parents had not given up their rights. Until the whereabouts of parents and/or close relatives can be determined, each unattached child is to be considered as still having living relatives. Besides the application process, passing a home study and abiding by the laws of three governing bodies, there is also the cost to consider. An international adoption usually ranges from $15,00-40,000, although it can be much more expensive. Some countries do not require the adoptive parents to travel abroad to complete the legal process but others will not process an adoption without the parents present in the country of the child’s birth. A longer stay can add quite a bit to the adoption expenses. The length of time it takes to adopt a child from another country can vary as widely as the cost. On average an adoption can take anywhere from one to four years, although depending on the country’s procedures, the adoption agency process, the United States immigration process or other circumstances it could take longer. Haiti, because of an unstable government, has long been known for it’s lengthy adoption process, and although the United States is working with Haiti to process all the adoptions of orphans who had previously been linked with American citizens already involved in the adoption process, they are not accepting new applications. Local agencies are facing all types of obstacles created by the destruction from the earthquakes and issues within the government. It will most likely be a year before Haiti is ready to allow adoptions again and it may take up to three years. But Haiti is not the only country with orphaned children waiting for parents to adopt them and bring them into their home and family. Countries, including the Philippines, China, Kazakhstan, India, Russia, Korea, Romania and many others, are options for prospective parent(s). Anyone interested in finding out more about adopting an international child should visit http://adoption.state.gov or call their county human or family services department to request information about adoption and local adoption agencies. Comments (1)
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written by Don Keddell , January 28, 2010 We would really want to adopt a child becaue we are nice soft gentle easy going and they will have a lot of fun. They will get to eat take baths draw play and even go to school. And they would also beable to have a sister because we have a little girl named Nyeisha Cooke. She is very nice soft senceitiv and she loves playing and she is very kind to everyone. And Nyeisha has been asking can we adopt a child because she has ben looking forward to she just want a child so bad. They also get to have a room and beable to just sit back and relax. So please let us have a child. From Don Keddell and Regina Keddell. Write comment
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