About the Children

Children available for adoption include healthy and special needs boys and girls, generally between the ages of 12 months and 13 years. These children reside in orphanages.

While children of Bulgarian decent are available, so are children of ethnic Roma (Gypsy), Turkish heritage and Khurds. Siblings are often available.

Requirements for Parent(s)

Single women, as well as married couples may adopt. There is no marriage or age requirement; typically, no more than 45 years between the age of the child and the parents is encouraged. Bulgaria will consider the younger age of two parents in a placement with a couple. Bulgaria often shows flexibility in age of parents and family size for children with special needs, sibling groups and those children at risk of “aging out.”

Travel

Two trips are required, one to visit and one to bring your child home. Each trip takes approximately five to seven days. An escort may be allowed to bring the child home with verifiable cause.

Timeline

After your dossier arrives in Bulgaria, the referral process begins. Depending on the age of the child requested, the matching process can take 6-9 months. Referrals of siblings or older children usually are made much faster than that of toddlers. Once the referral is accepted, the adoption will take approximately four to six months to complete. After a family and child have been matched, at least one parent must travel within two months to see the child. When the adoption is complete, the parents will travel within 12-14 weeks following court to bring their child home or arrangements may be made for the child can be escorted (on a case-by-case request basis).

About Bulgaria and the Hague Convention

Bulgaria is a Hague Convention country. This means that after April 1, 2008, agencies which conduct adoptions from Bulgaria must be accredited by the U.S. Department of State (via the Council on Accreditation).

IFS is a COA Hague Accredited Agency.

IFS Application Fee: $400

IFS Agency Coordination Fee: $4550

Bulgaria Program Fee: Contact IFS for the latest information regarding program fees. A significant service and support fee reduction may apply for the adoption of a second child at the same time. Fees may be reduced for the adoption of special needs children. Contact your Adoption Consultant for more information.

Fees subject to change without notice.

Siblings adopted at the same time: $4000 for each additional child.

Subsequent adoption anytime after initial adoption: $4550 IFS Agency Fee.

Expatriate (clients living out of the U.S.): Additional $1,000

Additional Expenses:

• U.S. Visa for child – payable at American Embassy.
• Bulgarian Visa for adopting parent(s) travel.
• Physical exam for child.
• Apostilles – varies from state to state.
• All travel-related expenses for you and your child.

A Note about Post-Adoption Report Refundable Deposits:

Post-placement reports for Bulgarian adopted children are required for two years. Refer to the IFS Adoption Services Agreement and Contract regarding your refundable Post-Adoption Report (PAR) deposits. Deposits will be required at the time of signing of your Child Acceptance Agreement. Contact your IFS representative for current refundable PAR deposit requirements.

Families who have adopted from countries like China, Russia, Ethiopia and Ukraine will have a final adoption decree (or equivalent) of their child from the foreign country. These are called “adoptions abroad.” Many families also optionally want to readopt their child in a U.S. state court for a variety of reasons. For more information on readoption, see the following links.

Families with Children from China (FCC) on “Readoption” – What is It?
Adoptive Families magazine on U.S. Readoption Explained.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on State Recognition of Adoptions Finalized Abroad.

NOTE: Families seeking to adopt a child from India will receive a guardianship decree from the courts in India. The children are not “adopted abroad.” The court decree will direct the prospective adoptive parents to finalize the adoption of their child in a local court where the parents live. This finalization is not optional.

Welcome Home and Congratulations!

This is an extremely exciting time for you and your family.  A time you have probably dreamed about for quite a while.  With all the excitement, it is also a time of adjustment and transition for everyone.  During the transition time, it is important that everyone get enough rest and time to acclimate to the new schedules, activities and environment.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your social worker or myself.  Thank you for the opportunity to work with you.  We feel very fortunate to have been involved in helping you navigate the international adoption process.

While we know that you have already completed quite a bit of paperwork, there are still some additional documents, which are required by the US government.  The following is a list of documents that you will need or may find helpful. Please review and complete each document as required.

Thank you again for allowing IFS to help you in this process.  We are available to answer any questions and provide other resources for you and your family.  Please do not hesitate to call or email and please keep in touch.  We love to receive photos and updates from families.  It is always amazing to see how the children change and grow.  We wish you the best in this new phase of your life.

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Note: This material is for educational purposes and links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. IFS does not exercise editorial control over the information you may find on these external websites, and we cannot guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of this external information. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by IFS of the linked websites, the views they express, or the information, products and services that they offer.
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*Fulfilling the Remaining Immigration or Citizenship Requirements, see
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_inter/f_interf.cfm for input from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

* Re-Adoption information, see
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=292 for an article on readoption with comments on citizenship
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/intercountry.cfm for states that recognize adoptions finalized abroad; note the PDF file toward the bottom of the page, Intercountry Adoptions Finalized Abroad: Summary of State Laws, it includes state specific information
http://www.fwcc.org/readoption.htm for an article provided by the Families with Children From China

*US citizenship status of your child, see
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=292 for an article with comments on citizenship
http://jcics.org/Certificate.htm for information on the Child Citizenship Act and related forms

* Application for Certificate of Citizenship, N-600 form
For children entering under an IR-4 visa only; for example, all children from India receive an IR-4 visa.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a936cac09aa5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

* Application for a Social Security Card, see
http://jcics.org/SSN.htm for a brief overview of the applicable instructions
http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html for a fact sheet and a link to download the application

* Application for US Passport, see
http://jcics.org/Passport.htm for an overview of the process
http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html for the application form for a passport
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html for fees, processing times and locations

* Adoption Tax Credit, see

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607.html

* IR-3 or IR-4 Visa, what’s the difference?
Your child’s passport will have a stamp placed there by U.S. Immigration. It will indicate either IR-3 or IR-4.
IR-3 visas are issued to children whose prospective adoptive parents both saw the child prior to the completion of the adopton overseas. Parents of children with IR-3 visas will receive their child’s Certificate of Citizenship automatically from CIS within 45 days of the child’s arrival in the U.S. Otherwise, the child will receive an IR-4 visa. All children from India will receive an IR-4 visa. Parents with children with IR-4 visas will either have to finalize their child’s adoption in a local court (i.e. for India cases), or re-adopt their child in a local court (i.e. for non-Indian children). See

http://jcics.org/Certificate.htm.

* Children from India
All children from India will receive from the U.S. an IR-4 visa stamp in their Indian passport. Their prospective adoptive parents are assigned guardianship by the courts in India. They must complete the post-placement requirements by their state of residence and finalize the adoption of their child in a local court. This often requires the services of an attorney. Once the adoption has been finalized, the parents can obtain proof of their child’s citizenship by filing the N-600 form with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Thereafter, they can apply for the child’s Social Security card and a U.S. passport.

* Post-placement Reports (PPR)
PPR are required only in adoptions from India. These must be completed under U.S. and Republic of India law in order to finalize the adoption of the India-born child.

* Post-adoption Reports (PAR)
PAR are required by the sending country (for example, China, Russia, Ukraine, etc.) and often required by the adoption placing agency. Often confused with post-placement reports, these are not required under U.S. federal or state law. However, all adoptive parents have agreed to provide these in written documents supplied to their placing agency and to the foreign government. See

http://jcics.org/Post-Placement%20Reports.htm

Post-placement reports (PPR) or post-adoption reports (PAR) are required with every program IFS offers.  Each family has committed to and must submit a series of post-placement reports to the country where they adopted.  IFS recommends that you contact your social worker or home study agency to inform them of the court date and to schedule the first post-placement visit.

IFS tracks all PPR and PAR through our Texas office.  You should be receiving additional information directly from that office regarding specific due dates and other information.  Once the report has been completed, a notarized copy of the report and other required documentation should be sent to International Family Services, 700 S. Friendswood Drive, Suite A, Friendswood, TX 77546.  If you have any questions about this, please either contact your IFS program director or Kim Cissell at 281-992-4677 or by email at kim@ifservices.org.

(updated May 7.2010)

International Family Services has access to the Shared List of waiting special needs children that is provided by the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA).  Please click Waiting Children.

Please understand that children on the Shared List, including the children on the Waiting Children page, may be matched by any agency that is accredited by the CCAA to conduct adoptions. As a result, one or more of these children may have already been matched with a family.  IFS attempts to keep this Waiting Children page updated with children that we know are currently waiting for families, but this can change at any time.

For up-to-the-minute information on the availability of a specific child,
for additional information and medical records of a specific child *, and
for additional information about adopting a Chinese child …

Please call or email our China Program Director,

(479) 582-0305
marvin@ifservices.org

To send your inquiries click here.

* More detailed information and medical records may not always be immediately available.

A. The USDOS has updated their description of the Hague adoption process which includes a description of the steps they and CARA will take in approving an adoption.

See http://adoption.state.gov/country/india.html. This page was updated in April 2009, (most likely during the second week).

In addition, the US Consulate at the US Embassy in New Dehli has published a web page on international adoption process.

See http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/ivhagueadopt.html

Finally, CARA has a web page that describes the general steps.

See http://cara.nic.in/procedureintracountry.htm

Please be aware that these pages may contain conflicting or inconsistent information. This is not surprising, considering the fact that this process is new for the governments of the US and India. We expect any inconsistencies to be worked out, if not in the published web pages, then in actual actions of the governments.

Q. When will these steps be taken?

A. The order of the steps are outlined by the USDOS and CARA. However, because the US and India are just beginning to implement the steps as required by the Hague Convention, there is no indication of how long each step will take. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and USDOS are assuring the adoption community that they are giving prompt attention to the processes in general and specific applications and cases in particular.

Q. Why are these steps not more detailed?

A. The governments of the US and India are working still working out the exact details of the steps. As of mid-April, 2009, those details have not been published. In addition, adoption service providers do not yet have case histories on which to build a reasonable expectation of how long the steps take.

Q. I have heard that CARA will no longer issue an No Objection Certificate (NOC). How can my adoption be completed without it?

A. On April 8, 2009, CARA issued a memo that they will issue an NOC later in the adoption process than they currently do. The NOC is still needed in order to schedule a court hearing on a family’s guardianship of their prospective adoptive child. The NOC will still be issued for use in India. NOTE: the CARA web page, http://cara.nic.in/procedureintracountry.htm, has not been updated to reflect the April 8 memo.

Q. The I-800 application requires a Article 16 report from CARA. What is this and when will we get it?

A. The Article 16 report is required by the Hague Convention and will be produced by CARA. The report includes medical and social information on the prospective adoptive child referral as well as statements about the child’s legal history and availability for adoption. However, CARA has yet to announce how the complete report will be produced.

Prospective adoptive parent(s) will need to receive an Article 16 report in order to submit their I-800 application with USCIS. However, it is uncertain when CARA will be ready to issue these reports in specific cases. However, the US Embassy expresses confidence that the process will be successfully resolved.

Q. When will IFS let prospective adoptive parents know what the detailed steps are and what time lines they can expect?

A. IFS is constantly monitoring USDOS and CARA statements and other sources of information about the adoption process in India under the Hague. As the governments work out the details, this represents somewhat of a moving target for our understanding. Naturally, various sources speculate as to how and when things will be resolved. Sometimes it can be difficult to sort out fact, opinion and hope. IFS will update this FAQ as soon as we have a reliable outline and specific list of steps.

We understand that CARA will provide more information by the end of April. However, it would not be surprising if they do not announce anything until sometime in May.

Q. Why does it seem IFS is not being more proactive in answering my questions?

A. We have been told by our staff in India that CARA and the US Embassy will issue further directions by the end of this month. Our experience is that we cannot be pushy but must be patient. We must give them a few days to publish their information, hopefully by the first week of May. Until then, we at IFS will do nothing to delay or compromise any adoption for any family. We will do exactly as instructed by CARA and the US Embassy to bring to a successful conclusion the adoptions we so badly want to see completed. We will wait for the specific instructions that are to come and we will comply completely with them. Adoptions from India are a privilege, not a right and as such, we will not speculate on what should be done or offer our opinion in the matters at hand. Our staff in India and in the US stand ready to initiate any actions required of us as soon as we are directed by CARA and the U.S. Embassy.

Updated: April 23, 2008

Available Children: Thousands of children are living in institutions because their parents can no longer care for them. Many children are orphaned due to poverty, the residual effects of war, drought or famine, or their parents may have died of disease, including but not limited to AIDS related illnesses. Children are well cared for in orphanages or hospitals, but are in great need of a loving family environment.

We are honored to partner with an Ethiopian accredited agency whose staff in Ethiopia monitor the health and care of the children. The children are beautiful! They tend to have a cheerful outlook despite their difficult lives. All children are tested during the process for HIV, Hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and venereal disease.

The children range in age from a few months to 10 years.

The children are:
• Male and female.
• As young as two months old, at time of referral, up through school age.
• Sibling groups available.

Process: Adoptive parents must complete a home study before being accepted to the program. While waiting for the home study completion and immigration approval, we will provide instruction as to how to compile the dossier for Ethiopia. Once the dossier is complete, the adoptive parents may receive a referral. Upon acceptance of the referral, the dossier is sent to Ethiopia and together with the referral paperwork, presented to the Ethiopian government for review. Our representatives in Ethiopia monitor and assist with the process from government approval to court, where guardianship is granted, until the child travels home. The time line from receipt of dossier in Ethiopia until child travels home, is approximately 2 to 4 months.

Travel: Generally, the children are escorted to the U.S. but many families travel to Ethiopia to escort their own children.

Requirements for Adopting Parent(s):
• Heterosexual singles women and couples (with or without children) may apply.
• Couples must be married for 2 years.
• There are no restrictions regarding religion and previous divorce is permitted.
• There cannot be more than 43 years difference in age between the adoptive parent and child; however, there are exceptions
for older children, special needs, and sibling adoptions.

IFS Application Fee: $400

IFS Agency Coordination Fee: $4550

Ethiopia Program Fees: Contact IFS for the latest information regarding program fees. A significant service and support fee reduction may apply for the adoption of a second child at the same time. Fees will be reduced for the adoption of special needs children or children 6-14 years of age.

Siblings adopted at the same time: $500 for each additional child.

Unrelated children adopted at the same time:
• From the same program same region: $1,250 for each additional child.
• From the same program, different region $2,000 for each additional child.
• From different programs, $2,000

Subsequent adoption anytime after initial adoption: $4,450

Expatriate (clients living out of the U.S.): Additional $1,000

Additional Expenses:
• Document authentication fee: $200- $500 (depends on your state)
• Post Adoption follow up reports: $1,000+ (depends on agency)
• Travel: varies- depending on airline and the season you are traveling. Usually the ticket is anywhere from $1,200 to $2,500.
• Money wiring fees: $110
• Accommodations: including three meals will be $75/day for 2 people,
• Guide and transportation: $70/day for transportation within the city of Addis Ababa. If the family wants to go outside of Addis Ababa to visit the country the cost charged for transportation will be $100/day plus fuel expenses. If more than one adoptive family is traveling the fee can be divided.
• Child’s Medical Examination in Ethiopia: 35-$45
• Child’s Visa $380
• Visa for the Parents: These will be obtained in Addis Ababa before you leave the airport in the Ethiopia Consular section. The fee is $20 per person.
• Passport: $97

A Note about Post-Adoption Report Refundable Deposits: Refer to the IFS Adoption Services Agreement and Contract regarding your refundable Post-Adoption Report (PAR) deposits. Deposits will be required at the time of signing of your Child Acceptance Agreement. Contact your IFS representative for current refundable PAR deposit requirements.

The child referral process in Ukraine is unique. After the foreign dossier is completed, it is submitted to the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC). After the dossier has been reviewed and accepted by the SDAPRC, the family is invited to travel to Kiev where they receive an official referral to a child. While there is never any guarantee that a particular age, gender, or health condition of a child will be available, it has been the experience of families working with IFS, that families have been satisfied with the referrals they received from the SDAPRC.

Within a few days of arrival in Kiev, Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) travel with an escort/translator to the town/city where the child is located. After meeting the child in person, the family has the opportunity to official accept the referral. If a family declines the referral, they can return to Kiev two additional times for additional referrals.

After accepting the referral of a child it takes from 1-2 weeks to appear in the court for a hearing. All paperwork will be completed by adoption professionals working in the Ukraine. At the court appearance, the judge will determine whether or not to waive the 30-day appeal period. There is no way to predict this decision as it depends solely on the judge, the appeal period is typically reduced to a 10-day appeal period, and in VERY rare occasions completely waived.

After the court hearing, PAPs have the option to stay in Ukraine or return home until after the appeal period has expired. Most choose to return home and rest and prepare what they need for the newly adopted child.

The total time for this process varies with each adoption. PAPs can choose to complete their adoption in one or two trips.

Option 1 – One trip: Typically one 4-6 week trip. One PAP may return to the USA after the court hearing. If PAPs want to complete their adoption in one trip, at least one PAP will spend the 10 days after the court hearing in Ukraine visiting the child, but not having any paperwork activity during that time. (Prior to departure the PAP who leaves earlier may need to visit the US Embassy in Kiev and file paperwork). The other PAP stays to finalize the adoption, obtain the child’s immigration visa and accompany the child to the US.

Option 2 – Two trips: First trip is approximately 2-3 weeks with both PAPs present and second trip of approximately 2 weeks with the presence of only one PAP being required. Two trips may be a desirable option for many families.

After the completion of the legal process, the U.S. Embassy in Kiev will review the set of legal documents for the child. When approved, an appointment will be made with the Consular Section of the US Embassy in Kiev. The medical for the orphan visa will be done in Kiev at the Medical Center of International Organization for Migration (IOM). Travel costs will depend on how many children you consider before you find the child that is right for you.

Requirements for Prospective Adoptive Parents:

• There can be no more than 45 years difference between either parent and the youngest child.
• There may be other children in the home.
• Only married couples are currently eligible to adopt.

IFS Application Fee: $400

IFS Agency Coordination Fee: $4550

Ukraine Program Fee: Contact IFS for the latest information regarding program fees. A significant service and support fee reduction may apply for the adoption of a second child at the same time. Fees may be reduced for the adoption of special needs children.

Siblings adopted at the same time: $500 for each additional child.

Unrelated children adopted at the same time:

• From the same program same region: $1,250 for each additional child.
• From the same program, different region $2,000 for each additional child.
• From different programs, $2,000

Subsequent adoption anytime after initial adoption: $4,450

Expatriate (clients living out of the U.S.): Additional $1,000

Additional Expenses:

• Dossier Authentication.
• U.S. Visa – payable at American Embassy for child.
• Physical exam for child.
• All travel-related expenses for you and your child.

All adoption processes and fees, including Service and Support Fees, are subject to change without notice. Contact IFS for current information.

In orphanages where we have worked IFS adoptions have funded major orphanage improvements as well as food, medicine, and other daily necessities.
India is a Hague Convention country. This means that after April 1, 2008, agencies which conduct adoptions from India must be accredited by the U.S. Department of State (via the Council on Accreditation).

IFS is a COA Hague Accredited Agency.

Under our accredited status, IFS can accept new applications as a primary, accredited provider from families who want to adopt from India. An adoption from India will be considered a Convention case if the family has not submitted an I-600a application to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) prior to April 1, 2008. An I-171h approval of such an application must be kept current (by applying for renewal) in order to maintain transitional status.

IFS’s prospective adoptive parent(s) who lose their transitional status under the Hague Convention must convert their adoption to a Convention case with IFS. Additionally, the home study provider (either IFS or another agency) will charge extra for the rewriting of the home study report to qualify under the Convention regulations.

IFS is officially licensed and approved as an agency by CARA of the Indian government.

Requirements for Adopting Parent(s):

• It is preferred (not always required) that couples be married for a minimum of 5 years.
• Single women no older than 45 years of age may adopt infants. Single women over 45 years of age can adopt older children.
• There cannot be more than 45 years difference between the parent and the child. (For instance, a 50 year old must adopt a 5 year old or older, etc.)
• Must be between 30 – 45 years of age if adopting a child under 4 years of age.
• One applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
• Up to 3 children in the home are allowed (preferred), however, exceptions can be made.

IFS Application Fee: $400

IFS Agency Coordination Fee: $4550

India Program Fee: Contact IFS for the latest information regarding program fees. All Program Fees are due at the time of Child Acceptance. Program fees are subject to change without notice. A significant service and support fee reduction may apply for the adoption of a second child at the same time (only applies to sibling adoptions). Fees may be reduced for the adoption of special needs children. Contact your Adoption Consultant for more information.

Siblings adopted at the same time: $500 for each additional child (plus additional program fee).

Unrelated children adopted at the same time: A one-year wait is required after the first adoption from India has been finalized before a second unrelated child may be adopted.

Subsequent adoption anytime after initial adoption: $4,450

Expatriate (clients living out of the U.S.): Additional $1,000

Additional Expenses:

• Review of home study report conducted by a non-accredited agency in a Hague Convention case – $250.
• Conversion of an adoption from a non-Convention case to a Convention case- $250.
• Visa for the adoptive child – $400
• Apostilles (varies per state).
• Post Placement Reports (PPRs) – $800 – PPR Fees are due at the time of home study completion/submission.
• All travel related expenses.

A Note about Post-Placement Report Refundable Deposits:
Refer to the IFS Adoption Services Agreement and Contract regarding your refundable Post-Placement Report (PPR) deposits. Deposits are required at the time of home study completion/submission of the dossier. Contact your IFS representative for current refundable PPR deposit requirements.

The Referral Process – India – Click here to see an overview of the steps in an adoption from India from the point of referral.

Breaking News from China!

Great news from China today!  Approximately 1800 children have been placed in the new Special Focus (SF) category on the List of Waiting Children.  These children have waited on the list for several months without being placed with a family for adoption.  So the CCAA has removed some of the barriers for adopting parents to allow the children to find their forever families. CCAA will also allow any family to adopt two children at the same time as long as one of the children is a SF child. Now you can begin looking at files of waiting SF children as soon as you sign up with IFS. No waiting!

When you are almost finished with your home study and while you are preparing paperwork for China, you can receive a referral of a beautiful child.

And remember, as always, IFS has no waiting list of parents.  As soon as you are ready to receive a referral, we will help you find a child to adopt from the China list.  We are passionate about finding families for every special child in China. We will be posting new children from both the SN and SF groups on our website every week so keep coming back for the latest info. We invite you to let us help you change a child’s life forever!

Read on to learn more about the IFS China Program.

(For our latest update to adoptive families, see China Lately April 2010.)

CLICK TO VIEW POSSIBLE WAITING CHILDREN

China is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, consisting of provinces and cultures dating back many centuries. It has the world’s longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of what are referred to as the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. China is home to one fifth of the world’s population and tens of thousands of orphaned and abandoned children.

China also provides one of the most consistent, fast, and reliable international adoption programs available – the China Special Needs Adoption Program. These are children who desperately need to be nurtured in a stable, loving home. Yet parents who adopt these dear children so often report that they (the parents) and the siblings of the special child are the ones who receive the greatest blessing.

The China Special Needs program is very fast and affordable and predictable. Ordinarily parents will travel to bring home their new baby in a year or less from the time they began their adoption.

The words “Special Needs” may be a bit scary or troubling to parents who are seeking to build their family through adoption. But we encourage you to set aside any preconceived ideas about these children because each child’s situation is unique. Consider these different types or degrees of special needs: minor special needs, fixable special needs, manageable special needs, and older children with NO medical special needs.

Minor special needs
There are some children waiting for homes who are young, basically healthy, and developmentally normal, but who have a minor medical or cosmetic problem that will not limit the child or your family.

Fixable special needs
There are also many children available for adoption who are developmentally normal, but who have a medical or orthopedic problem that is not minor, but is fixable with surgery . Often these are children who will have no special needs at all after the initial surgery or procedure. The most common fixable medical need is a cleft lip or cleft lip and palate. Most of these children will be healthy and normal in every way after their clefts are repaired, though they may need orthodontics and speech therapy.

Manageable special needs
On the lists of waiting children we will frequently see a child with on orthopedic or medical special need that is not minor, nor fixable, but is easily manageable and which will not significantly affect the child’s or your family’s quality of life. An example would be a child who is smart and delightful, but who is missing a finger, or who has a deformed ear, or who is deaf in one ear or blind in one eye. Some children have tested positive for Hepatitis B; others have diabetes or severe asthma or other manageable conditions.

Older healthy children
Many perfectly healthy children have been placed on the special needs lists simply because they are older (age 7-13.) If a couple is older than 55, often the CCAA will allow them to adopt one or more older children.

More significant special needs.
Of course there are also children on the lists who have more profound medical needs or who have developmental delays. Many very special families have chosen to adopt one or more of these very special children and have found a great blessing in the experience.

Photo Listing of Available Children
For a photo listing of currently available special needs children, see China-Available Children.

There are several practical advantages to the Special Needs Adoption Program:

• It is quick (usually less than nine months)
• It is affordable.
• The Chinese officials are willing to consider allowing a couple to adopt who does not meet every requirement perfectly, when they are willing to adopt a child with special needs.

Some of the requirements are:

• Adoptive parents must be older than 30 and younger than 55.
• Only married couples may adopt (no singles.)
• Neither parent may have an arrest record or any record of child abuse or neglect.
• Parents must be healthy with a normal life expectancy. Any use of psychotropic medications needs to be discussed.
• Ordinarily there can be no more than 4 children living in the home before the adoption, some exceptions are made.
• $10,000 income per family member, including the child to be adopted; $80,000 net worth is required for each family.
• Each parent must have at least a high school education.
• Neither parent can have a body mass index (BMI) above 40. For help with calculating your BMI, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

For Special Needs adoptions the process goes like this:

• You apply to IFS and receive your confirmation of acceptance.
• We coach you through the process of preparing paperwork for the adoption, including:

1. Passports
2. USCIS form I-800A (immigration pre approval)
3. Home Study
4. Dossier (paperwork required by the Chinese government) NOTE: As part of your Processing Fee, IFS staff will do the work of authenticating your dossier for you. You pay only the fees charged by the different government agencies and the Chinese consulate.
5. Letter of Intent (paperwork required to accept a child referral)
6. Travel and child’s immigration documents

• After your I-800A is approved and while you are preparing your dossier, we will match you with a child for adoption. Then you have two months to complete your dossier.

Additional Facts
Within three to four months (sometimes less) of when your dossier is submitted, you will travel to China to finalize your adoption and bring home your child. Travel Time is approximately 14 days.

Our bilingual staff will meet you at the airport, travel with you, and walk you through each step to assure a safe and stress-free trip. Tours and sightseeing can be arranged prior to or during your trip to China.

China is a Hague Convention country. This means that after April 1, 2008, agencies which conduct adoptions from China must be accredited by the U.S. Department of State (via the Council on Accreditation).

IFS is a COA Hague Accredited Agency.

Under our accredited status, IFS can accept new applications as a primary, accredited provider from families who want to adopt from China. An adoption from China will be considered a Convention case if the family has not submitted an I-600a application to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) prior to April 1, 2008. An I-171h approval of such an application must be kept current (by applying for renewal) in order to maintain transitional status.

IFS’s prospective adoptive parent(s) who lose their transitional status under the Hague Convention must convert their adoption to a Convention case with IFS. Additionally, the home study provider (either IFS or another agency) will charge extra for the rewriting of the home study report to qualify under the Convention regulations.

The information information in this program description is subject to change without notice.

IFS Application Fee: $400

IFS Agency Coordination Fee: $4550

China Special Needs Program Fees: Contact IFS for the latest information regarding all fees related to the China Special Needs adoption program.

Additional Expenses:

• Orphanage Donation: Paid directly by Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) to CCAA – $5100
• Civil Affairs Fee: Paid directly to Civil Affairs office by PAP – $960
• Home Study: Only PAPs in states where IFS is licensed may adopt IFS China Special Needs Children (Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Arkansas). Check with IFS representative for the most recent information on other states. Home Study Fees vary per state ($1900 – $2300).
• All travel related expenses for you and your child. This includes international airfare, in-country airfare and ground transportation, escort and translator services, visas for you and your child, motels, food, etc. Contact your IFS representative for a complete list cost estimates.
• All document preparation expenses paid directly by PAP to government and state agencies. This includes fingerprints, passports and passport pictures, fingerprints, USCIS Petition to Adopt, authentications, apostilles, notaries, etc. Contact your IFS representative for a complete list of cost estimates.
• Expatriate (clients living out of the U.S.): Additional $1,000
• Sight-seeing excursions: Optional, paid directly to vendor(s).
• Deposit for Post Adoption Reports: $500
• Post-Adoption Report Refundable Deposits: Refer to the IFS Adoption Services Agreement and Contract regarding your refundable Post-Adoption Report (PAR) deposits. Deposits will be required at the time of signing of your Child Acceptance Agreement. Contact your IFS representative for current refundable PAR deposit requirements.

Russia has been the most popular country for IFS adoptions. While most of the available children are Caucasian, the vastness of the country (it encompasses 11 time zones) ensures a wonderful mix of ethnic groups including many Eurasian children. The children blend beautifully into American households.

Because we are working in so many different regions, variations may occur in the required documents or length of time necessary to complete an adoption. Most regions require the adoptive parent(s) to make two trips to Russia. Often times only one parent is required to travel on the first trip.

IFS successfully networks with Russian accredited agencies without being directly
accredited by Moscow.

Available children range in age from infant to 15 years.

Requirements for Adopting Parent(s):

• Single women (no single men) may adopt.
• No restrictions on the number of years a couple has been married.
• There is no age limit in most of the programs.
• You may have other children in the home.

Travel Time:
The first trip is usually 5-7 days while the second trip is usually 7-18 days.

IFS Application Fee: $400

IFS Agency Coordination Fee: $4,550

Russia Program Fee: Contact IFS for the latest information regarding program fees.

Additional Expenses:

• U.S. Visa for child – payable at American Embassy.
• Russian Visa for adopting parent(s).
• Physical exam for child.
• Apostilles – Varies from state to state.
• All travel-related expenses for you and your child. (Some programs have a flat travel management fee.)
• Refundable Post Placement Deposit for each adopted child.