The People’s Republic of China is the world’s most populated country estimating 1.37 billion people. It is a nation located in East Asia with a massive landscape consisting of grassland, desert, mountains, lakes, rivers and nearly 8700 miles of coastline. Beijing, the capital, blends historical sites such as the Forbidden City Palace and Tiananmen Square with modern architecture. Shanghai is a global financial center with a skyscraper-studded skyline. The iconic Great Wall of China runs east to west across the northern part of the country. China is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention), therefore, all intercountry adoptions between China and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implemented by the Convention.
Chinese adoptions are conducted through a collaborative effort of a Hague accredited adoption agency in the US and by the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA), its Central Adoption Authority. The Nightlight China adoption program is for parents who are interested in adopting a waiting child with an identified medical need or an older child.
To learn more about adopting from China, you may contact us, call our office at (502) 423-5780, or email inquiries to Becca at rebecca@nightlight.org
Our China program began in Kentucky with A Helping Hand Adoption Agency in 1996. A Helping Hand later merged with Nightlight in 2014. Our agency works directly with the CCCWA (China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption) and a liaison in Beijing. Nightlight has a long history of successful placements through our China program and our fees are very comparable to most other agencies.
The CCCWA maintains a list of children’s files who are available for adoption on their Child Placement Information System (CPIS). The CPIS is a secure database that is accessed electronically by adoption agencies that have a waiting child program with the CCCWA. Children are placed into two categories: Non-Special Focus and Special Focus.
Agency List – Nightlight is able to choose Special Focus children from the shared list to be placed on our individual agency list. Nightlight is given the opportunity to advocate to find homes for those children for a minimum of 60 days. Families interested in the children on Nightlight’s individual list may have additional time to review a child’s file before making a decision.
The CCCWA released new eligibility requirements effective June 30, 2017. Their current laws state the following:
Some families can be matched with a child and then begin the process. Others prefer to begin the process and be logged in before being matched with a child. Regardless of the path you choose, these steps must be followed:
Typically, families travel approximately 2.5 to 4 months after receiving their LOA. More specifically, they will travel 3-4 weeks after receiving TA. This depends on how quickly the visa appointment at the US Consulate can be scheduled by our agency. When possible, families are organized into travel groups and travel groups are scheduled at minimum one time each month. All families will be accompanied by an English speaking guide throughout their entire stay in China. Usually the trip lasts 14 days, however, this can vary depending on the province from which your child comes. The typical travel schedule for China has families departing the US on a Thursday and arriving on Friday evening in China. Once you arrive in Beijing you will spend the weekend resting from the long flight, adjusting to the time change and sightseeing such things as The Great Wall and Forbidden City. On Sunday you will travel to the capital city of your child’s province by either train or plane depending on the distance from Beijing. You will receive your child on Monday. This is known as “Gotcha Day!” The adoption will be finalized the following day at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. You will remain in your child’s province the rest of the week while waiting for the child’s Chinese passport to be issued. During that time you will have opportunities to sightsee and learn more about the region of China where your child has lived. On Friday, you will receive your child’s passport and travel to Guangzhou where the U.S. Embassy is located responsible for issuing immigrant visas for adoptees. On Saturday, your child will have a Medical Appointment with a U.S. Embassy doctor. Most children are given a Consulate Appointment on Monday or Tuesday (depending on their age). After the Consulate Appointment, you must remain in China for two more days to receive the child’s immigrant visa. Once the child’s Chinese passport with visa to enter the United States is picked up you are free to depart to return to the USA with your child!
China requires 6 post-adoption reports: at 6 and 12 months after the adoption as well as 2, 3, 4, and 5 years post-adoption. Clients completing a home study through Nightlight are also required to complete a 1-month post-adoption check-in. The first three post-adoption reports are completed by a social worker and the final three reports are self-reports. Post adoption reports include your child’s developmental progress as well as photos. This is a very serious commitment – Nightlight is committed to showing the CCCWA that children adopted by US citizens are thriving, healthy and well cared for. Compliance with post-adoption reports is also required by the Hague Convention. Therefore, Nightlight charges a fee to monitor and process these post placement reports and also requires families to pay for the cost of the post-adoption report in advance.
The program fee for a China Special Needs adoption is $12,840. Additional estimated expenses of $16,535 – 25,750 will bring the total cost to approximately $29,375 – $38,590. Your out-of-pocket expenses may further be reduced if you receive scholarships or employer-provided adoption benefits. For additional fee information please see Exhibit A.
Please call (502) 423-5780 or e-mail Rebecca with any questions!
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