As a full-service, Hague-accredited agency, we are able to offer our international adoption services a la carte, or complete your full adoption from beginning to end.

• Referral to placing agency. You must first decide from which country you would like to adopt, and then find a placing agency that is licensed to work in that country. Consider the age of the child, the gender, age and health restrictions as adopting parents, and health issues that you might be open to accepting. Your placing agency is responsible for matching a child based upon your requests. ADOPT would be your placing agency if you chose from our international programs, i.e. Korea, Russia or China. If you have already selected a placement agency, we will work with them regarding the requirements; if you would like us to refer you to agencies that you can work with for specific countries, we would be happy to help you with referrals and understanding the best questions to ask!

• Adoption Home Study. After determining the country that you want to adopt from, you can then proceed with your Home Study. Your country will either be a Hague or non-Hague country, and the required regulations will differ. We want to make sure that you are prepared for the necessary documentation for your approval for the country and US Immigration. As a Home Study Agency, we want to make sure that your completed and approved report meets the requirements of the specific country that you have chosen.

• Immigration Approval. It is necessary to make an application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS or CIS for short). If you are adopting from a Hague Country, you will be filing an I-800A; if you are adopting from a non-Hague Country, you will be filing an I-600A. The approval process takes several months. Your Home Study is required when filing either application. Make sure that if you are filing an I-800A, you may not complete your adoption in another country prior to receiving the USCIS approval.

• ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children) Assistance and Approval
  When you receive a referral from an out of state Placement Agency, and the country will be giving you guardianship rather than a full and complete adoption, so it will be necessary to have approval from the Placement Agency state and your home state prior to the child entering your state. This is initiated by the Placement Agency who is considered the “sending” agency.

• Post Placement Supervision. State law requires that you have meetings with a social worker after your child is in your home. We take this opportunity to provide support, education and guidance in making your child’s transition and attachment as healthy as possible. At the end of the supervision, your social worker provides a recommendation to the courts to finalize the adoption. The number of visits required depends on the country from which you have adopted. It is significant to know if you have received guardianship or a final adoption. Some of the countries that provide guardianship are Korea, Pakistan, Uganda and Iran.

• Finalization or Readoption. Don’t neglect this very important step! We will walk you through how to file the right court documents, compile all of your adoption documents, and we will write a recommendation to the judge so that you can receive your final Adoption Decree and a new birth certificate that reflects you as the parent/s. Although readoption is not required in our state, it is the easiest way for families to obtain a US birth certificate.

• Post Adoption Support for Adoptees and Adoptive Families. ADOPT believes that adoption is a life long issue, and we will support you whenever an adoption issue arises. If your child begins asking questions you aren’t sure how to answer, give us a call or sign up for our annual kid-group. We are so fortunate to work with families who understand the importance of being open with their children. The support group for kids helps them understand more about their history and appreciate learning pieces from their past. Our picnics and parties help families stay connected with one another, helping parents share with one another, and learn more about how to answer questions that may be arising.

• Independent Adoption. When you have identified a country, and are working with an attorney or government directly without a Placement Agency, this is called an Independent adoption. If the country is a Hague adoption country, our agency must contract with your attorney or government to assure that all regulations are adhered to, and that the role of each participating entity is clear. Our agency becomes the Placement Agency. The process of having a child assigned must meet the requirements of the country of the child’s birth. A “dossier” must be submitted by the adopting parents to the country; this includes all documentation required by that country. The child assignment will need to be approved by our agency prior to receiving USCIS approval. If you are working with a non-Hague country, a dossier will be required, however the USCIS process differs a bit. We want to assist you in making sure that no child-buying or trafficking is taking place. Funds provided by you must be accounted for, and you must be assured that the funds are being used as designated.