Adopting a child from another country has become a popular option for Americans looking to build their families. Such adoptions can fulfill parents and children, but they come with special considerations at every stage, from getting through the adoption and immigration process to instilling the child with pride in her birth and adoptive cultures.
Advantages
Families have various reasons for adopting from abroad rather than their own country. Some wish to raise a child from their own ethnic, racial or cultural background, according to the Adoption Guide. Others cannot adopt domestically because they do not meet the criteria set by agencies in their home country. Another factor that often plays in, according to the Adoption Guide, is expected wait time. Overseas adoptions tend to be more predictable in this regard than domestic ones.
Statistics
Adoptions to the United States from other countries totaled 12,753 in federal fiscal year 2009, according to the U.S. Department of State. China sent the largest number of adoptees, at 3,001, followed by Ethiopia, 2,277; Russia, 1,586; South Korea, 1,080; and Guatemala, 756. During the 2000s, international adoptions by U.S. families averaged about 20,000 per year, according to the Department of State.
Process
Private not-for-profit agencies often connect children in other countries to American adoptive parents. Immigration laws require that the child to be adopted "be orphaned or abandoned or have only one living parent, who is incapable of providing care," according to the Adoption Guide. An attorney experienced in the intricacies of immigration law as it relates to adoptions can be a boon to your family during the process.
Cost
You can expect to pay at least $15,000 to complete an international adoption, according to the Adoption Guide. At the high end, costs sometimes exceed $40,000. Overall costs go up when the area from which you are adopting requires a lengthy in-country stay.
Warning
If the child they have adopted is already old enough to speak, parents often want to maintain the native language in addition to having the child learn English. Although raising a bilingual child is an admirable goal, such efforts are usually "doomed to fail," according to child psychologist Boris Gindis, who specializes in issues of children adopted from abroad. Upon arriving home, the parents have many other priorities to focus on, including helping the child get acclimated to school and form a healthy attachment to the family. Attempts to continue educating the child in her original language, Gindis writes, are likely to complicate the situation and may be harmful, especially if the child has language impairments, developmental delays or a history of trauma.
