What are the ages of the children being adopted? Kazakhstan
Children Available: 6 months to 16 years old. You have the option to adopt more than one child. Occasionally sibling groups are available.
Parents' Ages: Parents must be over 25, and at least 15 years older than adoptee.
Tajikistan
Children Available: 6 months to 15 years old. You have the option to adopt more than one child.
Parents' Ages: Minimum of 25 years old. Neither parent can be more than 50 years older than the adoptee. In some regions this may be waived and will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Ukraine
Children Available: 14 months to 15 years. Occasionally sibling groups are available. Special needs children younger than 14 months are also available for adoption. You have the option to adopt more than one child.
Parents' Ages: Parents must be over 25, and at least 15 years older than adoptee.
Vietnam
Children Available: 3-14 months. More boys than girls are available. Older children are also available.
Guatemala
Children Available: Infants and toddlers. You have the option to adopt more than one child. Occasionally sibling groups are available.
Parents' Ages: Parents must be over 25.
Back to Top
Do I need to be an American citizen to adopt a child through Loving Stork? It is required that at least one of the parents be an American citizen for the adoption to be legitimately processed through us. The adoption is based on the qualification of the parent who is a US citizen.
We do not currently have a program in place for assisting non-US citizens. If you fall within this category, please contact us, and we will provide direction in whatever way we can.
Back to Top
Are there requirements for the health of the parents? Loving Stork has some requirements regarding health. There is a physician's form in our dossier guidelines, which lists everything we require your doctor to evaluate. Generally, each country will not refer children to individuals with infectious diseases. If this is a concern to you speak with the individual conducting your home study. They will have the specific criteria upon which your health status will be evaluated.
Back to Top
What are my first steps in the adoption process? ? Complete and sign the Adoption Agreement and Adoption Application . Send it into Loving Stork along with a photo of you and your family (or just you if applicable). Also, the first portion of the Loving Stork program fee is payable. If you are having problems with this payment, please contact us . We are somewhat flexible on when and how you pay the program fees.
? Initiate your home study. If you are having problems with finding Home Study Agency in your area, please contact us for assistance.
? Initiate the INS paperwork. If you are having problems with filling out this form, please contact us for assistance. Back to Top
What financial assistance is available for prospective parents? We believe that all loving and caring families should be able to open their homes to a waiting child and we are happy to provide information about financing adoption.
We hope this information will help your family to adopt a child.
THE NATIONAL ADOPTION FOUNDATION
Most experts agree that one of the principal barriers to adoption is economic. And while many people have expressed concerns that adoption is too expensive, the National Adoption Foundation has done something about it. Using private funds and a partnership with the corporate community, The Foundation has already helped to create homes for countless children.
For more information visit:
www.nafadopt.org/NAFPrograms.htm
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ADOPTION BENEFITS
Adoption can be a challenging and rewarding experience and the Federal Government provides a number of work/life programs and benefits which can ease the adoption process for Federal employees.
For more information visit:
www.opm.gov/wrkfam/html/adoption.asp
ADOPTION TAX CREDIT
Please contact your tax advisor or IRS customer service for more information about Federal Tax Benefits for adoption (For 2004, the maximum credit increased to $10,390), State Tax Credit and Dependency exceptions.
For more information visit: www.irs.gov
and read 968 Publication www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p968.pdf
EMPLOYER (Adoption Assistance Program)
There are many corporations that have adoption assistance programs (AAPs). Check with your employer's human resource department to see if they have an AAP or other adoption assistance benefits.
MILITARY ADOPTION
The military will reimburse active-duty personnel for most one-time adoption costs up to $2,000 per child, whether adopting a healthy infant, a waiting child, or a child from abroad. Travel costs, foreign or domestic, are not covered. There is a maximum of $5,000 in a given year, even if both parents are in the military. Reimbursement is made only after the adoption is finalized and only if the adoption was done through a state adoption agency or a non-profit private agency.
The benefits cover:
- Fees that can be reimbursed include adoption fees;
- Placement fees, including fees for birth parent counseling;
- Legal fees and court costs;
For more information visit:
http://www.militaryadoption.com/
REIMBURSEMENT OF NON-RECURRING EXPENSES
A one-time federal adoption program, administered by the states, and includes foreign-born children adopted by U.S. Citizens. Reimbursement for non-recurring adoption expenses (agency fees, legal costs, and transportation) is available through each State for families who adopt children with special needs (children from minority cultures) up to $2,000. The benefit differs by State.
LOANS / SECOND MORTGAGE
Another alternative to consider is a home equity loan. These are typically low interest loans that come with a checkbook you can use to write checks to pay your bills. The biggest advantage here is that interest from a home equity loan may be tax deductible. However, some financial advisors recommend using credit cards instead of home equity loans since credit cards are unsecured debt. If you get in trouble paying off a home equity loan, you could lose your house.
401K PLAN
Before you take a loan out from someone else, consider borrowing from yourself. Many company 401k plans allow employees to borrow up to 50 percent of their current 401k balance. The big advantage of this is that you are paying yourself interest. The downside is that if you change companies, you will be expected to pay off the loan or take the 10 percent tax penalty on the loan amount as an early withdrawal.
LOW INTEREST CREDIT CARDS
Some agencies will encourage you to take out a new low-interest credit card to pay adoption related bills. Then you can pay off the credit card with your tax credit before the rate goes up. For domestic adoptions, this may work well; however, given the potentially long timeline of an international adoption, you may end up paying higher interest long before the tax credit comes back.
Back to Top
Are there any restrictions for people who are divorced? To adopt you cannot have been divorced more than two times. Married couples are required to be married for more than one year before adopting.
If I have had any involvement with the law, including arrests, charges, convictions, etc., on my record, even if I believe it has been expunged, is this going to preclude me from adopting?
Not necessarily. If you have been arrested on a felony charge, it does preclude you from adopting in Russia, Ukraine, and China.
If you are applying for a Russian or Ukrainian adoption, any arrest involving alcohol must be at least 15 years old to be considered.
If you have an arrest involving drugs, it must be at least 15 years old and will be taken on a case-by-case basis.
If you are applying for an adoption from China, any arrest involving alcohol must be at least 5 years old.
If you have any police involvement with drug charges, it can only be for marijuana and it must be at least 15 years old.
Any other misdemeanor charges will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Back to Top
Why an international adoption? International adoption is an attractive method by which to build a family. Advantages include relative speed to completion, finality, and irrevocability.
Many countries are less restrictive with regard to requirements for age and marital status and welcome the opportunity to insure a future for their orphaned and abandoned children.
Back to Top
Will I have to pay the entire fee in advance? No, fees will be charged at each step in the process and cover only the work done on your behalf to that point. These steps include: ? The first installment is payable upon signing the contract
? The second installment is payable in two months after signing the contract
? The third installment is payable upon sending the dossier of documents
? The fourth installment is payable upon receiving a confirmation of the country or child assignment (varies)
? The fifth installment is payable to your coordinator upon arrival in the country of adoption
Back to Top
Is the adoption final? Yes. You will return home with a legally adopted child, and neither the child's birth parents nor the country of origin can revoke the adoption. When you bring your child into the U.S. following the adoption, he or she automatically becames a U.S. citizen. Income Requirements
The U.S. federal government requires families to meet certain financial criteria including that the adopting family must meet 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.
See the Current Poverty Guidelines to determine the minimum income requirement for your household size. If a family cannot meet the 125% criteria, there are alternatives.
Back to Top
Do you have a home study review fee? Because your home study report which will be completed by your home study agency is part of your dossier, we will be reviewing it. However, this review process is part of our service to our families, and no additional fees are directly associated with this service. Back to Top
We had a home study completed for a domestic adoption. Can we use the same home study for an international adoption? We would recommend that you contact your home study agency that completed your domestic home study report and ask if they have experience in international adoption home studies. If so, they will be able to provide further advice in processing a revised home study for international adoption.
Typically a domestic home study cannot be used for international adoptions.
If they are not experienced in preparing home studies for international adoption, we would be glad to offer some home study agency names and contact information to you.
Back to Top
How do I know whether I should adopt internationally? Thousands of children are adopted by U.S. citizens each year from many countries around the world.
Families adopt for different reasons, some because of infertility, some because of the inability to adopt domestically, and others because they want to add a family member and they have the room, love, and finances to do so.
There are parenting issues when you raise any child, but additional issues are presented with cross-cultural adoption.
The home study agency that completes your home study will address these parenting issues, including cross-cultural issues, and so will FTIA.
Additionally, there are hundreds of support groups of adoptive families around the country that provide wonderful guidance, encouragement, and education in these parent-preparation areas.
There is no special calling for a parent to adopt internationally.
If you have the desire to parent, room in your heart and home, and the time to spend raising a child, we want to encourage you to consider international adoption.
Back to Top
If we decide to adopt internationally, how will we know which country is the right country for us? In every country in which we are working there are more children in need of homes than there are parents who are able to adopt them.
However, in each country, the adoption procedure works differently, and because of this, one of the countries may be a better fit for you.
For example, the adoption procedure may be much more predictable in one country than another; however, the referral of a child may come much later in the process.
In some countries a referral comes very early in the process, but adoptive parents cannot travel until approximately six months after the referral.
Some countries allow children to be in foster care, while other countries require the children to remain in orphanages.
Some trips are as short as three to four days, while other countries require the adoptive parents to be gone as long as two to three weeks.
Any or all of the factors may play a part in your decision to choose a country, but again, in every country there are many, many children who are desperately in need of a loving family.
You really cant make a wrong decision!
Back to Top
Do we have to travel abroad to adopt? If you are single, you must travel abroad to adopt from most countries. There are a few countries that will allow an escort to bring your child to the United States (e.g., Guatemala and India).
Some foreign governments will permit only one parent of a married couple to travel abroad for the adoption, if requested by the couple. We strongly recommend that both husband and wife travel, because we encourage couples to share this wonderful adoption experience together.
Also, if only one parent of a married couple travels abroad, there may be additional state pre-adoption requirements (e.g., Pennsylvania) that must be met prior to traveling abroad, or there may be additional steps required to be completed while the one traveling parent is in the foreign country.
Back to Top
When is our adoption complete? If you are single, or if both spouses of a married couple travel abroad to adopt, your adoption is final when you complete the adoption in the foreign country, if you physically see your child prior to the adoption finalization.
Even though the adoption is finalized overseas, we strongly recommend that you "register" your adoption through your local courts upon your return.
In Indiana and many other states, there is a simple procedure to register your foreign adoption and this will legally change your child's name and it will cause a birth certificate to be placed in your state's Bureau of Vital Statistics.
In some states there is no simplified procedure, and in these states you must adopt (or re-adopt) your child according to your state's domestic adoption law. If you are married and only one spouse travels abroad for the adoption, or if you are married or single and do not see your child prior to the international adoption procedure, you are required to register, adopt, or re-adopt depending on your state's laws before your child can be a U.S. citizen. If your child is brought to the U.S. through a guardianship, you must adopt the child according to your state's domestic adoption laws.
Back to Top
What happens if we move or change jobs during the adoption process? Moving or changing jobs during the adoption process does not mean you have to start over. Depending on when you move during the process and whether the move includes a change of job, there will probably be a couple of additional documents that will have to be redone because of the change of address and/or change of job. Back to Top
