Pakistan Adoption

CHILDREN AVAILABLE 

• Children from the age of three months and up are eligible for Guardianship and subsequent adoption from Pakistan and referred to families through the local courts and child welfare organizations.  Most Pakistani children eligible for intercountry adoption either do not have an identified medical special need or have mild/correctable medical diagnoses.  The country refers primarily infants of either gender.  Older child adoptions and sibling groups are very uncommon in this program.

ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT 

• Applicants must be actively practicing Muslims.  Interfaith couples with one Muslim spouse can be considered case by case.
• Applicants must have Pakistani heritage and possession of NICOP is preferred.
• Applicants must be at least 25 years of age.
• Applicants must be at least 18 years older than the prospective adoptive child.
• Married couples and single women may adopt.
• Applicants must meet US income standards of 125% over poverty and be in good physical and mental health.

PROCESS 

1. For a proposed kinship adoption of a relative child, collect all required child documents and provide to Nightlight coordinator (proof of orphan status; parent death certificates or relinquishment of rights; medical evaluation; school and social report).
2. For all adoptions, complete our online application 
3. Complete our International Adoption Services Contract & pay the Monitoring and Oversight fee. The Monitoring and Oversight fee is paid to the accrediting entity designated by the US Department of State/Office of Children’s Issues, the US Central Authority.
4. Orientation meeting with Nightlight Staff, reviewing the intercountry adoption process from Pakistan. Review and return Service Plan. 
5. Begin your Home Study with Nightlight or an approved Hague Accredited agency that is identified and approved by Nightlight.
6. Once your Home Study has been completed, Nightlight will review the Home Study and assist you with preparing your I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition): https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-600a.pdf.
7. Pakistan Dossier: Nightlight will assist you in putting together the packet of documents required by the local courts and the US embassy.
8. Receive approval of the I-600A. 
9. Submit your complete dossier for review by Nightlight.  Dossier can be hand-carried to Pakistan.
10. Families are now ready to travel and present themselves in person to request a referral from a state-operated child welfare organization or a private organization that is signed on as a Foreign Supervised Provider with Nightlight only.
11. Upon receipt of a referral, Nightlight staff will review the specific child referral with you - medical, social, psychological reports with the family.
12. If the referral is accepted, you will undergo the Guardianship process with the court followed by the I-600 and US visa processes.
13. Complete a minimum of 5 post placement reports once you return home and finalize the adoption via the court in your state of residence.

TRAVEL

The Pakistan program requires a single trip of 4 to 7 months.  The trip begins with the referral search whereby families present themselves in person to child welfare organizations approved by Nightlight.  The length of this portion of the trip is unpredictable.  Once a referral has been presented and accepted, the case moves through the court guardianship process and the child’s guardianship documents are issued.  After obtaining the child’s passport, the family moves into the I-600 and US visa process and can return home once a visa has been granted. 

POST PLACEMENT/ADOPTION 

Your child will arrive home under a Guardianship from a local Pakistani court.  This means that you must finalize your adoption in your state of residence by petitioning the court.  Following finalization, you can obtain the child’s Certificate of US Citizenship and US passport.  Within 30 days of your arrival home, you must have a home visit by your home study provider. Post-placement/adoption reports are required at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months from guardianship.  In accordance with state law, at least the first two reports must be generated by a social worker.  Once the adoption has been finalized, reports can be family generated, if permissible by state law.  Reports must be sent to Nightlight and on to the proper authorities in Pakistan. 

As a Hague accredited agency, you can be confident that Nightlight programs are regularly evaluated and monitored for excellence in both process and service. Our home study services are recognized by our peers as educational and thoroughly completed for the benefit of our clients.

You can count on Nightlight to be there for you long after your adoption is complete too. Our team is available to help answer questions and provide guidance as you navigate parenting your adopted child. You are not alone!

Please open our International Quicklook spreadsheet to give you an overview of the wide variety of international programs available through Nightlight.

To get started, email monique@nightlight.org or call  (336) 899-0068

Pakistan Booklet and Fee Schedule

Compare International Programs

Agreement for International Services