China Adoption Program
Program DescriptionWe are thrilled to be offering families the opportunity to adopt children from China. Our networking agency has worked collaboratively with the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) since 1997 and has placed hundreds of children from China. There are thousands of little girls living in orphanages in China who are waiting for a home and a family. Little boys are occasionally available, but many times even when adoptive families ask for a boy they are referred a girl. The reason male children are not usually available is that boys are preferred over girls in China, and since China has the one child per family policy, little girls are abandoned so the family can try again to have a boy to carry on the family name. The children from China come from orphanages located in Provinces all over China. The orphanages in China that are allowed to place children are carefully scrutinized by the Chinese government and must meet high standards of care to be one of the orphanages that can place children. The children are usually between nine and fifteen months of age. Toddlers are also available for adoption. The children are normally well cared for and are in good physical condition when placed with their new adoptive families. All children are screened for Hepatitis B, HIV, and other communicable diseases, and the medical reports given to adoptive families are quite comprehensive. The China Center of Adoption Affairs has established one of the best adoption programs in the world and this committee makes all the assignments for China adoptions. The China adoption process is stable and well established.
The workers at CCAA are very sensitive to the requests of adoptive families and try very hard to “match” the children to families by reading carefully through the information provided to them about the adopting family and the information provided to them about the available children. If there appears to be a medical problem with the child, the CCAA will reassign the adoptive family another child, but otherwise adoptive families are expected to accept the referral given to them by CCAA. China will only allow families to adopt one child at a time. However, if you wish to adopt a second child, another dossier can be submitted to CCAA 12 months after the placement of the first child. CCAA requires 2 post placement reports to be submitted on each child, so all adoptive families must be up to date with their post placement reports if another dossier is submitted for a second child. Families must travel to China to finalize the adoption and bring their child back to the United States. Although only one parent must travel, both CCAA and Dillon Southwest feel that both parents should make an effort to travel to complete the adoption. The stay in China is approximately 12 days. Requirements
If you meet these qualifications, you are good candidates to adopt a child from China. Timeline
Part of the timeline for an adoption from China depends on how long it takes adoptive families to complete the paperwork required by China. Some families take several months to prepare the dossier, and some families prepare the dossier very quickly. Because of this, it is difficult to estimate an overall timeline from the beginning of the process until the completion of the adoption. The ProcessWhile the process for international adoption can, at time, appear overwhelming, Dillon Southwest is always available to help you with the necessary paperwork. Some of the things you will need to do to begin the process of adoption from China:
The DossierThe dossier is a compilation of documents which is assembled for the foreign government. The following are some of the documents required:
You need four copies of all documents so you have enough original copies to give USCIS, our agency and the Chinese Government. Many of these documents will be needed to support information included in your home study. Most of these documents must also be authenticated by the Secretary of State and verified at the China Embassy. For families residing outside of Arizona and California, the documents will also need to be authenticated by the State Department. We understand that this list looks long, complicated and involved. However, please rest assured that we at Dillon Southwest are ready to help you as you gather all of the documents needed for your dossier. And, Dillon Southwest will provide the necessary paperwork and walk you through the process as you proceed. In Arizona, your social worker will help you put the dossier together so that it can be sent for authentication to the appropriate places and then be sent to China. If you reside outside of Arizona, we will assign a social worker who will guide you in putting the dossier together. Travel
Once you accept the referral, you then wait for a travel invitation to be issued. The travel invitation can come in as quickly as 2 weeks or take as long as 6 weeks after your referral is accepted. When you travel to China to pick up your baby, a representative from our networking agency will be there to meet you and will be with you through the entire process. Parents who have adopted from China report that they have truly enjoyed their experience in China. Fees and Expenses
ADDITIONAL COSTS Out of State Families: There is a $500 processing fee that is due at the time that the signed contract is returned. For Out of County Families Only: If DSW completes your home study, travel expense reimbursement will be Milage and Expenses (varies depending on location) charges for all families outside of Maricopa County.
* Provincial fee includes US visa, medical exam, adoption registration, passport, photos, notary/translation, and newspaper ad. ** These fees may vary from dossier to dossier depending on the number of documents. Expenses may also vary depending on when you travel, where you travel in China and where you stay.
We hope that this information has been helpful to you as you are making your decision about whether or not to adopt from China. Even though the process may seem daunting at first, we at Dillon Southwest are here to assist you through the complete process. Our goal is to help children and families come together. We hope that you will look to Dillon Southwest to help you begin your adoption journey. How to Begin
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The process of international adoption in China is very controlled and
established. The dossier is forwarded to the China Center of
Adoption Affairs (CCAA) and Dillon Southwest will be given a log in date for your dossier. The wait time for referral varies
depending on how many dossiers the CCAA is working with. At this time, waiting time for a referral is over two years. Once your dossier is in the Matching
Room, you normally receive a referral within 30 days. The referral will be sent to Dillon Southwest, and we will immediately contact you
letting you know this referral has been received. Once you accept the referral, you then wait for a travel invitation to be
issued. The travel invitation can come as quickly as 2 weeks or as long as 6 weeks after your referral is accepted. At this time, the entire
process, from beginning to end, can take approximately 3 years before an adoption from China is completed and the child is home. This
timeline can vary and Dillon Southwest will do our best to keep adopting parents up to date with the changing timeline.
The CCAA has some very specific regulations adoptive parents must meet in order to qualify to adopt from their country.
Parents who want to adopt a child from China must qualify and meet all regulations as set forth by the China Center of Adoption
Affairs. China now restricts single women from adopting as well as those over 50 years of age, but encourages married couples
who meet the qualifications to apply.
