International adoptions,
although complicated and can take several years to complete,
are another option for families in Nova Scotia. There are
no licensed international adoption agencies in Nova Scotia,
so families must employ the services of a licensed agency
from another province.
If you're a Nova Scotian
planning on pursuing International adoption, your first
step would be to call the province's adoption information
line at 1-866-259-7780. An application form and information
package will be mailed to you and if you decide to proceed,
return the form and package completed to Adoption Services,
Department of Community Services.
After the initial screening
is complete, you will be provided with the list of approved
private practitioners who can conduct your home study.
International adoption is
the most complex type of adoption. Why? In an international
adoption, the laws of the province, federal immigration
laws and the laws of the child's country of origin must
all be followed and met in order for the adoption to be
legal.
With the increase of child
abduction and trafficking around the world, many countries
have signed the Hague Convention in an effort to make international
adoption a safer and more secure process. The Hague Convention
is an international agreement which lays out guidelines
to govern adoption processes in these countries and to protect
the best interests of children. The Convention also has
safeguards in place to protect birth and adoptive families
but its main goal is to ensure that an international adoption
is in the best interests of a child and that his/her fundamental
rights are protected. More
information about the Hague Convention.
Canada has been a partner
in the Hague Convention since 1993 and all provinces and
territories follow the Convention's guidelines. Canadians
can adopt from countries that have not ratified the Hague
Convention. These adoptions have similar steps but lack
the assurances of Hague Convention adoptions.
When hiring a licensed private
adoption agency, it's important adoptive parents do their
research and ensure that the agency they choose has a good
reputation, reasonable policies and payment schedules, as
well as staff who are compassionate and knowledgeable. The
agency you choose is ultimately responsible for the total
management of your adoption process until the adoption is
completed and your child safely enters Nova Scotia.
Choosing the citizenship
process or the immigration process
According to Citizenship
and Immigration Canada's web site, as of December 23, 2007,
anyone adopted by a Canadian citizen after February 14th,
1977 can apply for a grant of Canadian citizenship without
first becoming a permanent resident. Some new adoptions,
however, will still need to use the immigration process.
The following explains the two processes and will assist
you in deciding which to pursue.
The
Citizenship Process:
You can apply for citizenship for an adopted person if:
- at least one adoptive parent
is, or was, a Canadian citizen when the adoption took
place
- the adoption severs (or severed)
all ties with the adopted person’s legal parents
- the adoption was or will be
completed outside Canada (except for Quebec)
The adopted person
does not meet the requirements for the citizenship process
if:
- neither parent was a Canadian
citizen when the adoption took place
- the adoption took place before
February 15, 1977
- the adoption did not fully
sever all ties with the child’s legal parents
- the adoption will be completed
in Canada, or
- a probationary period is to
be completed in Canada before a final adoption order
is issued from the child’s birth country.
More information on how to
apply for Citizenship can be found here: How
to apply for Citizenship
More information on what happens after you apply for Citizenship
can be found here: After
applying for Citizenship.
The Immigration
Process:
You can use the immigration process
to apply for permanent resident status for the adopted child
if:
- the adopted child is going to Canada
to live right after the adoption takes place, or
- one or both parents are Canadian
citizens or permanent residents.
The adopted person does not
meet the requirements for the immigration process if:
- the adopted person is not going to
Canada to live right after the adoption takes place
- you are an adult adoptee living
outside Canada and not returning to Canada to live right
after your application is approved.
More information on Immigration
can be found here: How
to Apply for Immigration, After
Applying for Immigration, Arriving
in Canada with Your Child
For more information
regarding immigration issues, contact Citizenship and Immigration
Toll Free at: 1-888-242-2100
International Adoption
Expenses
The expenses for international
adoptions are quite high and will vary based on the requirements
of the licensed adoption agency, the child's country of
origin and several other factors. In most international
adoptions, adoptive parents must travel to the country which
adds to the expenses as well as fees for accommodation.
Other expenses adoptive parents incur include home study
and agency fees, fees for documents and reports, examinations,
and translation and authentication of Adoption Dossier documents,
immigration processing fees and child foster or medical
care. On average, most international adoptions take approximately
1-2 years to complete and can cost anywhere from $18,000
to $50,000.
The children who are available
for adoption internationally may be infants, toddlers and
older children. Usually poverty and the lack of family services
are the main factors in making these children available
for adoption. Adoptive parents must be aware that these
children have special needs.
These needs could be the
result of the following:
- they lived in orphanages and may
have had many caregivers which often leads to attachment
problems
- they did not have the stimulation
and human contact a child needs for healthy development
- there is little or no background
on their biological families or their own early life
experiences
- they had to fend for themselves
“on the street” whose independence may make
it difficult for them to adjust to life in a family
environment
- they suffered physical or emotional
deprivation, leading to long-term problems despite receiving
loving care in their adoptive homes.
After the adoption has been completed, many
families need assistance in dealing with post-adoption issues.
For example, older children may need to talk about their
earlier experiences. They may need professional counseling
to help them deal with their feelings and adjust to their
new families.
Adopting a Child of Another
Culture or Race
In most international adoptions,
the child is of a different race or culture and adoptive
families need to be prepared for dealing with such issues.
Some adoptive families will
face different attitudes from their relatives and the community
towards those who are culturally or racially different.
Both you and your adopted child also need to be prepared
for inquiries from others (often inquisitive strangers)
about the child's origins and adoption. It's also important
to recognize that children of an interracial adoption will
face struggles with their identity in their teen years.
That's why it's very important for the child's adoptive
family to teach their child about his or her country of
origin and instill a pride in his/her culture. It's important
for the family to learn about and honour and incorporate
some of the child's culture into their family life.
When hiring a licensed private
adoption agency, it's important adoptive parents do their
research and ensure that the agency they choose has a good
reputation, reasonable policies and payment schedules, as
well as staff who are compassionate and knowledgeable. The
agency you choose is ultimately responsible for the total
management of your adoption process until the adoption is
completed and your child safely enters Nova Scotia.
Your licensed international
adoption agency will:
- Ensure that the laws related to international
adoption in Canada, Nova Scotia, and the child’s
country of origin are followed
- Help you understand the laws and
procedures of Nova Scotia and the country from which you
wish to adopt
- Provide information to assist you
in choosing the country from which you wish to adopt,
if you have not yet made the choice
- Review immigration procedures with
you
- Prepare you for your experience
of adopting from another country
- Present you with a service contract
for your signature, as indicated under costs
- Review and explain the Memorandum
for Adoptive Applicants to you
Your licensed agency is also
responsible for arranging the preparation and submission
of follow up reports where required by the child's country
of origin.
STEP 1: Contact Nova
Scotia's adoption information line at 1-866-259-7780.
An application form and information package will be mailed
to you and if you decide to proceed, return the form and
package completed to Adoption Services, Department of Community
Services.
STEP 2: The
Home Study Report. The province will provide you
with a list of approved private adoption practitioners who
you can hire to conduct your home study. Your practitioner
will visit your home over
the span of several months to interview you about your life,
your family and your home environment. You will be asked
to discuss many personal issues; your worker will want to
know about your childhood, your religious beliefs, education,
past relationships and marriages, as well as your views
on parenting. It's important to be honest with your worker
so that he/she will be able to portray a clear and accurate
view of your family in the home study report.
STEP 3: You
need to choose the country from where you want to adopt.
Each country has its own expectations of potential adoptive
parents. For example, some countries require adoptive parents
include a psychological report or that the applicant(s)
be of a certain age or married for a set period of time.
A licensed international adoption agency will be able to
assist you in this area.
NOTE: There are no licensed international adoption agencies
in Nova Scotia. You will have to employ the services of
a licensed international adoption agency from another province
to facilitate your adoption.
STEP 4: Adoption
Dossier. A dossier refers to the paperwork requested
by the child's country of origin. Your home study report
is just one of the many documents that will be included
in your dossier. Your adoption agency will work with your
family to collect and complete all of the necessary authentications
and translations and to ensure your dossier is complete.
During this time, prospective adoptive parents should also
be researching the processes of Citizenship and Immigration
to Canada.
STEP 5: Wait for
a match! Once your dossier has been completed and
forwarded to the child's country, you'll wait a period of
time for a child to be referred as a match for your family.
Once your agency and Nova Scotia's Director of Adoption
have reviewed and approved the referral, you will be able
to review the referral.
A referral for a child contains
the child's description, a photograph (and maybe a video)
as well as the child's medical and social histories. Your
adoption agency's professionals will be on hand to review
the information with you and discuss any concerns or issues
in the referral. If there are any concerns, you should do
some research and consult with professionals like your family
doctor or a pediatrician.
STEP 6: You
will be asked to submit a Letter of Acceptance/Decline to
your agency who will then forward it to the Central Authority
in the child's country of origin. If you decline the referral,
your agency will request that the country refer another
child. If you accept the referral, your agency will forward
the Letter of Acceptance to the child's country.
STEP 7:
Adoptive parents are responsible for their child’s
entry into Canada. As of December 23, 2007, families can
now choose from two processes: citizenship or immigration.
Detailed
information can be found here about Citizenship and Immigration
Canada. For more information
regarding immigration issues, contact Citizenship and Immigration
Toll Free at: 1-888-242-2100
STEP 8: Travel!
Your child's country will advise you and your agency on
when you can travel to pick up your child. Depending on
the country, you may be required to spend a certain amount
of time in the country. During this time, you will be
able to bond with and form attachments to your child as
well as learn more about their heritage/culture. In most
cases, you will also attend a court session where the
adoption will be finalized.
STEP 9: Post-Placement.
Once you've returned home with your child, your
family will be required to submit post-placement reports
to the child's country of origin. Most countries require
that a social worker submit these reports which detail
the child's safety and well-being, as well as include
several photographs. These post-placement reports are
often mandatory and some countries require the family
to continue sending reports about the child(ren) on their
own for several years (sometimes until the child is 18
years of age).
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