International Adoption
Photo compliments of Jill Hardy Photography
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There are many families on PEI who have successfully adopted from other countries. Families are adopting from China, Russia, Ukraine, Tawain and Ethiopia. Below is a general outline of the process for our PEI families wanting to pursue International adoption. Other countries to consider are Zambia, Columbia, El Salvador, Kazakhastan.
Steps for International Adoption
**Please note: China has changed their requirements and now require all families (even those who have adopted before) to complete an adoption/parenting workshop. Currently, PEI does NOT offer this so families much go to NS or NB for this. It is a 12 hour training workshop. For more info, please contact Tammy at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca
1. Research countries and adoption processes/requirements for different countries
2. Choose an Agency. Once a family has chosen a country to adopt from, they must choose an agency to work on their behalf through the entire adoption process. Agencies will answer any and all questions about the adoption process, timeline, documents required, travel, referrals, etc... It is important to research different agencies to find one that meets the needs of the applicants. Applicants can join Yahoo groups to talk with other families in the adoption process. It is important to ask questions and talk with other families about their experiences with agencies. (see agency websites and yahoo groups under “Countries” and “Supports for Adopting Families”).
3. Paperchase - Complete provincial homestudy and gather all documents needed for a dossier
a. Families are required to hire a private social worker to complete their homestudy. A homestudy can take 2-3 months to complete and requires between 5-7 meetings. The meetings will cover background of the applicants, family life, discipline, financial status, medical history, desire to adopt, challenges of adoption, marital relationship (if applicable), etc...
A homestudy costs between $1000-$1500
There are currently 3 private social workers approved for homestudies on PEI. They are:
Linda Arsenault (Stratford) 569-4575
Pat Winchester (Summerside) 436-3875
Sigrid Rolfe (Hunter River) 964-2091
b. Families are required to gather specific documents. These documents can vary depending on the country of adoption but will usually consist of:
Police Checks - these can be done at IFS (International Fingerprinting Services) at 119 Kent Street. Phone # 892-0002. Cost is $25 per police check. Families living in Cornwall area can go to the RCMP office at 153 Maypoint Road and get their police checks done free of charge.
Fingerprinting and Interpol Clearance - these can only be done at IFS (see above) and the cost is $60 per applicant
Copies of Birth Certificate, Marriage License (if applicable), Driver’s License and Passports - some agencies require these copies to be notarized and others only require basic copies. Documents can be notarized by a lawyer or by Charlie Thompson at the Charlottetown Courthouse. Mr. Thompson’s phone # is 368-6669.
Medical Reports - applicants are required to submit a medical report. Countries may have specific reports for doctors to fill out so applicants need to verify which report is needed. Some countries may require a psychological exam as well. Most often in PEI, the medical reports are done for free but some family doctors may charge a fee (approx. $40 per report).
Financial Reports & Proof of Employment - Letters of employment are required. These can be obtained from your employer and it must state your employment title, length of time at present job, yearly income and probability of future employment. Some countries also require a financial report stating net worth, assets, etc...
Some countries will require original or photocopies of your Notice of Assessments from Income Tax reports.
Passports - Applicants must have valid passports which do not expire less than 6 months at time of travel. Passport applications can be picked up at any Canada Post outlet. Applications can be mailed (takes 6-8 weeks) or in person at locations in Halifax and Fredericton (takes 10 days).
Letter to Adopt - most countries require a letter from the applicants requesting the opportunity to adopt a child from that country. The letter includes the family’s desire to adopt, what age and gender they wish to adopt, confirmation the family will give the adopted child all the nurture, care and opportunity as a biological child and a promise to never hurt, abandon or neglect the adopted child.
Family Photos - 8-10 photos of the applicants, children in the home (if applicable), family home, child’s bedroom, community parks, schools, extended family....
Reference Letters - PEI requires 3 reference letters be submitted with an applicant’s dossier. These reference letters should be written by people who know the applicants well and can support their parenting capabilities, marriage relationship, and overall capability in adding a child to their family.
4. Submitting a dossier to PEI - when applicants have completed their homestudy and have gathered all their documents, their social worker will submit their dossier to the Provincial Adoption Coordinator’s office (Richey Mayne). The dossier is submitted to this office for Provincial Approval - given by the Director of Child Welfare (Wendy McCourt). The Provincial Adoption Coordinator and her staff will review all the documents in the applicant’s dossier. Applicants will be required to meet with the Provincial Adoption Coordinator to review the dossier and make sure all documents are ready to be sent. The Letter of Approval will be given to Richey Mayne and it will be included in the applicants’ dossier. The applicants’ dossier will then be sent to the agency and a complete copy will be kept at the PEI Adoption office. This process takes between 2-6 weeks.
5. An applicant’s agency will receive the dossier and it will be sent to Ottawa for authentication, legalization and sometimes, translation. The agency will make sure all documents are ready to be submitted to the country of adoption. This takes between 2-4 weeks in most cases but there are some agencies that work with specific countries and this can take several more weeks. Applicants can check with their agencies to confirm timelines.
The agency is required by PEI to send the authenticated dossier back to PEI. PEI will then courier the dossier package to the country of adoption. This takes 2-5 days. In China, log in dates will be given and PEI will notify applicants of their log in dates. In other countries, agencies will contact applicants to let them know when their dossiers have been accepted by the adoption facilitator in the specific country.
6. Referrals will be sent directly to the Provincial Adoption Coordinator in PEI. Families will be notified when their referral arrives. Families will pick up their child referral at the Child and Family Services reception at Ellis Bros. Mall, Charlottetown. Referrals usually include 2-5 pictures of the proposed child, medical information and any history known about the child.
7. Families are required to meet with the Adoptions office in PEI to officially accept their referral. PEI will send the referral acceptance to the country of adoption.
8. After a referral is officially accepted there are a variety of things that need to happen, based on the country of adoption. Applicants will need to discuss their specific timeline with their agency.
9. Travel to country to adopt your child! Please note that some countries allow an escort service where the agency arranges for someone to bring the child to PEI for families who are not able to make the trip to the adoption country.
10. Post adoption reports are required by agencies and countries. Each country has their own requirements so applicants will need to confirm this with their agency. Families will need to use the private social workers to complete their post adoption reports. This will cost between $50-$200 per adoption report.
2. Choose an Agency. Once a family has chosen a country to adopt from, they must choose an agency to work on their behalf through the entire adoption process. Agencies will answer any and all questions about the adoption process, timeline, documents required, travel, referrals, etc... It is important to research different agencies to find one that meets the needs of the applicants. Applicants can join Yahoo groups to talk with other families in the adoption process. It is important to ask questions and talk with other families about their experiences with agencies. (see agency websites and yahoo groups under “Countries” and “Supports for Adopting Families”).
3. Paperchase - Complete provincial homestudy and gather all documents needed for a dossier
a. Families are required to hire a private social worker to complete their homestudy. A homestudy can take 2-3 months to complete and requires between 5-7 meetings. The meetings will cover background of the applicants, family life, discipline, financial status, medical history, desire to adopt, challenges of adoption, marital relationship (if applicable), etc...
A homestudy costs between $1000-$1500
There are currently 3 private social workers approved for homestudies on PEI. They are:
Linda Arsenault (Stratford) 569-4575
Pat Winchester (Summerside) 436-3875
Sigrid Rolfe (Hunter River) 964-2091
b. Families are required to gather specific documents. These documents can vary depending on the country of adoption but will usually consist of:
Police Checks - these can be done at IFS (International Fingerprinting Services) at 119 Kent Street. Phone # 892-0002. Cost is $25 per police check. Families living in Cornwall area can go to the RCMP office at 153 Maypoint Road and get their police checks done free of charge.
Fingerprinting and Interpol Clearance - these can only be done at IFS (see above) and the cost is $60 per applicant
Copies of Birth Certificate, Marriage License (if applicable), Driver’s License and Passports - some agencies require these copies to be notarized and others only require basic copies. Documents can be notarized by a lawyer or by Charlie Thompson at the Charlottetown Courthouse. Mr. Thompson’s phone # is 368-6669.
Medical Reports - applicants are required to submit a medical report. Countries may have specific reports for doctors to fill out so applicants need to verify which report is needed. Some countries may require a psychological exam as well. Most often in PEI, the medical reports are done for free but some family doctors may charge a fee (approx. $40 per report).
Financial Reports & Proof of Employment - Letters of employment are required. These can be obtained from your employer and it must state your employment title, length of time at present job, yearly income and probability of future employment. Some countries also require a financial report stating net worth, assets, etc...
Some countries will require original or photocopies of your Notice of Assessments from Income Tax reports.
Passports - Applicants must have valid passports which do not expire less than 6 months at time of travel. Passport applications can be picked up at any Canada Post outlet. Applications can be mailed (takes 6-8 weeks) or in person at locations in Halifax and Fredericton (takes 10 days).
Letter to Adopt - most countries require a letter from the applicants requesting the opportunity to adopt a child from that country. The letter includes the family’s desire to adopt, what age and gender they wish to adopt, confirmation the family will give the adopted child all the nurture, care and opportunity as a biological child and a promise to never hurt, abandon or neglect the adopted child.
Family Photos - 8-10 photos of the applicants, children in the home (if applicable), family home, child’s bedroom, community parks, schools, extended family....
Reference Letters - PEI requires 3 reference letters be submitted with an applicant’s dossier. These reference letters should be written by people who know the applicants well and can support their parenting capabilities, marriage relationship, and overall capability in adding a child to their family.
4. Submitting a dossier to PEI - when applicants have completed their homestudy and have gathered all their documents, their social worker will submit their dossier to the Provincial Adoption Coordinator’s office (Richey Mayne). The dossier is submitted to this office for Provincial Approval - given by the Director of Child Welfare (Wendy McCourt). The Provincial Adoption Coordinator and her staff will review all the documents in the applicant’s dossier. Applicants will be required to meet with the Provincial Adoption Coordinator to review the dossier and make sure all documents are ready to be sent. The Letter of Approval will be given to Richey Mayne and it will be included in the applicants’ dossier. The applicants’ dossier will then be sent to the agency and a complete copy will be kept at the PEI Adoption office. This process takes between 2-6 weeks.
5. An applicant’s agency will receive the dossier and it will be sent to Ottawa for authentication, legalization and sometimes, translation. The agency will make sure all documents are ready to be submitted to the country of adoption. This takes between 2-4 weeks in most cases but there are some agencies that work with specific countries and this can take several more weeks. Applicants can check with their agencies to confirm timelines.
The agency is required by PEI to send the authenticated dossier back to PEI. PEI will then courier the dossier package to the country of adoption. This takes 2-5 days. In China, log in dates will be given and PEI will notify applicants of their log in dates. In other countries, agencies will contact applicants to let them know when their dossiers have been accepted by the adoption facilitator in the specific country.
6. Referrals will be sent directly to the Provincial Adoption Coordinator in PEI. Families will be notified when their referral arrives. Families will pick up their child referral at the Child and Family Services reception at Ellis Bros. Mall, Charlottetown. Referrals usually include 2-5 pictures of the proposed child, medical information and any history known about the child.
7. Families are required to meet with the Adoptions office in PEI to officially accept their referral. PEI will send the referral acceptance to the country of adoption.
8. After a referral is officially accepted there are a variety of things that need to happen, based on the country of adoption. Applicants will need to discuss their specific timeline with their agency.
9. Travel to country to adopt your child! Please note that some countries allow an escort service where the agency arranges for someone to bring the child to PEI for families who are not able to make the trip to the adoption country.
10. Post adoption reports are required by agencies and countries. Each country has their own requirements so applicants will need to confirm this with their agency. Families will need to use the private social workers to complete their post adoption reports. This will cost between $50-$200 per adoption report.
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