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Question People ask or wonder aboutWhy is your adoption taking so long?There is speculation that the child match process has slowed down this time due to the increasing popularity of Chinese adoptions. We don't know for sure. We do know that 100,000's of children are waiting in China for loving parents. Because of the nature of any international adoption, the timeframe may change, but we know that the China program is very strong and the safest international program.
What are the Qualifications To Adopt From China?According to the Adoption Law of the People’s Republic of China, current Chinese government policies and practices, and U.S. immigration laws, you must meet the following guidelines to qualify for a China adoption:
1. Applicants must be a legally married heterosexual couple. At least one applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
2. Couples with no previous marriages must be married for at least two years at the time the dossier is logged in at the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA). If either spouse has been previously married, the current marriage must be at least five years old at the time the dossier is logged in at the CCAA. No applicant may have had more than two divorces.
3. Applicants must be at least 30 years old and no older than 49 years old at the time their dossier is logged in at the CCAA . Applicants are qualified to adopt children based on their ages as specified below. When spouses have ages that fall into two categories, they must be open to the upper age limit of the child to be adopted.
o Applicants ages 30 - 44 qualify for a child with no known medical conditions up to 12 months of age.*
o Applicants ages 45 - 49 qualify for a child with no known medical conditions up to 24 months of age.*
* Currently, the youngest children coming out of China are about seven months old. All families are qualified for a child older than the above-mentioned age range, if desired.
4. All above applicants are qualified, if desired, for a child with medical conditions.
5. Families must have no more than four minor children living in the home, and the youngest child must be at least 12 months old at the time the dossier is logged in.
6. Families must document $10,000 of annual income per member in the household, including the to-be-adopted child. A minimum of $80,000 net worth is required.
7. Applicants must be in good physical and mental condition necessary to provide responsible care for an adopted child. Each applicant’s Body Mass Index (BMI) must be under 40. (BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. BMI=kg/m 2).
8. Applicants must have a minimum of high school education or equivalent.
9. Applicants must have no criminal record or history of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, or substance abuse.
10. Families who have adopted from China previously may submit their next dossier to China once their previous adoption has been finalized for at least one year.
What does it cost to adopt from China?The cost for a China adoption is among the lowest. The cost is between $15,000 to $17,000, (depending on how many people travel) and that includes everything including hotel, food, airplane, all paperwork,...everything included.
Why are there so many babies in China?Millions of baby girls and boys are abandoned each year in China. The Chinese government allows parents to have only one child. If the mother is found pregnant, they are fined a year's wage. If the first child is a girl, they will abandon her in a safe place with hopes of having a boy in the future. Sometimes, the couple will keep the baby girl until they have a baby boy, then abandon the first child. It's very important to have a son to carry on the family name. It is the son who takes care of his parents when they are old and will carry on the family business or farming. Thousands (95 percent girls) live in orphanages and foster homes in China. If a family already has a boy and they are pregnant with the second, they are not allowed to keep that child. If they do, they will be fined. The child will not be "registered" and will not be able to attend school or get jobs as an adult. Because of the one child policy we are seeing more and more boys being refered to families as well.
Why China?There are millions of children all over the world that need loving families. They need a family of their own. The first thing a family decides is where their child may be. Where is God calling you to adopt? Where is your child in this big world? God calls different families to different adoption options and I am so thankful for that. God put China on our heart and that is where He chose to place our baby.
Besides feeling lead to China, we also feel a China adoption is the easiest program in many ways. China tells you what paperwork they want, you gather up the paperwork, your agency mails it for you and then you wait. The Chinese Government logs in your dossier on a special day called Log In Date (LID). Our LID is March 4, 2008. Basically, it's kind of like taking a number and waiting in line for our turn. There is little room for surprises and much less room for a "rollercoaster ride". It's very fair and consistent. The adoption is final as soon as you wrap your arms around your baby. When you hit U.S. soil, your baby is a U.S. Citizen.
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