Here is the basic outline of steps necessary to complete the process and program of adopting. The majority of the steps are required by Chinese, Federal, State and Local regulations.

The formal process for adopting of a Chinese child involves steps necessary for compliance of the following 3 topics:

• Home Study
• USCIS I-800A Petition (Pre-approved VISA for child)
• Qualifications of Prospective Adoptive Parents

The 'Informal' portion of the process requires making personal decisions, such as child's age, health, agency and travel arrangements.

Home study

A home study is required by each state, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS, formerly the INS) and the People's Republic of China for all adopting parents. It ensures that children are placed in safe, stable and loving homes, with families who are prepared for all that adoptive parenting entails.

USCIS I-800A Petition

Advanced processing is a procedure for completing the part of an orphan petition relating to the petitioner before an orphan is located so that there will be no unnecessary delays in processing the petition after an orphan is located. The I-800A petition shall be filed with the help of your social worker along with the completed home study to the USCIS. The USCIS approval is valid for 15 months. It is your responsibility to make sure that your USCIS approval does not expire! If you are concerned that it will before you return home from China with your child, please contact the agency as soon as possible. You will need to re-do the I-800a and complete a home study update. We do not want your referral to be held up because your USCIS approval expires. It is best to keep track of the date and to begin to re-apply before it expires!

Qualifications for Prospective Adoptive Parents

We do our best to keep qualifications updated.

• Minimum 30 years old, maximum 50 years old.
• Both parents must be 50 or under at the time your dossier is sent to China.
• No jail term. No drug crimes ever.
• No alcohol abuse or related crimes within the past 10 years.
• No serious criminal records in the past 10 years, no more than three criminal charges.
• Couples legally married for a minimum of two years at the time your documents are sent to China if this is your first marriage.
• If either of you have been divorced you need to be married for five years at the time your dossier is sent to China.
• No more than 2 divorces between both spouses
• No more than 4 children at home; the youngest to be 1 year old.
• Minimum annual household income $40,000, for family of 3
• Both husband and wife are healthy; physically and mentally.
• No medication for severe mental disorders such as depression, mania, or anxiety.
• At least a high school education for both parents
• Favorable home study by a licensed non-profit adoption agency
• USCIS approval (INS)
• No homosexuals pursuant to Chinese Regulation
• Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or under
• No single men or women
• You must have an email address

Children Available in China

Generally, female infants, as well as children one to twelve years old, whose birth parents could not be found and for whom there is no prenatal care record or family medical history available. These children are legally free to be adopted by families like you! There are also children with special needs available too. There are boys available for adoption in China as well.

Medical Risks

While the Chinese government has a very good screening system on children’s health, adopting from China, like any international adoption, has its own set of risk factors.

• We have no identifying information on the children’s birth parents or their medical history.
• We have no records on their prenatal care.
• The lab work in the physical exam is completed when the child is young and may not be reliable. The doctors who conduct the Chinese physical exam and the visa physical exam for the American Consulate are human beings and they can make mistakes. There is ALWAYS a possibility of a false negative or false positive on blood tests!
• All children are vaccinated for TB in China. Therefore, upon return, the “arm test” done here to test for TB will show up to be positive, however, the chest x-ray shows no active TB. The decision to treat your child will be up to you and your pediatrician. For more information on the health risks associated with this, please consult your pediatrician.
• Lead poisoning is another risk. Of the about 1250 children we have placed in the past 8 years, about 10 children have been reported to have high lead levels (ranged from 13 - 62). Please talk to your doctor to find out more about what this means as well as what it may mean legally if the level is above 25.  For MA families, please visit this link http://www.state.ma.us/dph/clppp/ for more information about the medical and legal ramifications of elevated lead levels.
• Developmental delays ARE to be expected - gross/fine motor skills, language reception/expression, etc. Most children are quite resilient and are able to catch up, but some may struggle more than others.  We encourage all families to have their child evaluated by Early Intervention when they return from China so that they can receive services to help them reach their developmental target.
• Travel related medical risks to both the children and adults need to be addressed, such as chicken pox, Measles, SARS, etc.

Our agency does bring an American doctor with each adoption group to China but it is our agency's efforts, and does not guarantee a “healthy” child.

Documents

For the Chinese Government:

1. Application letter to China Center of Adoption Affairs  (original)
2. Birth certificates  (original)
3. Marriage certificate  (original)
4. Divorce/Death decree (if applicable, copy)
5. Criminal Record Checks (original, within 6 months)
6. Physical Examination forms (original, within 6 months)
7. Verification of employment (original, within 6 months)
8. Financial statement (original, within 6 months)
9. Home study (original)
10. USCIS Approval (Form I-171H or I797C, copy)
11. Colorful recent pictures of you, your family and your home!
12. Copy of the photo page of your passport.
13. Two passport photos for each applicant.

*If you have lived outside of the United States for any period longer than 1 year in last five years AND you were 18-years-old or older, we will ALSO need your police clearance from those countries.

Our agency provides all notarization, certification and authentication service for families living in the United States. The cost of this service is included in the administrative fee.

Other Required Documents

Not sent to China:

1. Child Abuse/Neglect Registry clearance
2. Reference Letters (3)
3. Most recent tax returns - first two pages (3 years)
4. Autobiography

Time

1. The process from home study to travel to China takes about 47+ months. There are four time factors: home study, visa petition with USCIS, referral from China, and travel. It will take about 4 to 5 months to complete your home study, receive USCIS approval, and complete the documents required for your dossier. It takes another month for China Adoption With Love, Inc. to prepare your documents and deliver your dossier to CCAA. Currently, it takes about 40+ months to receive a referral from China with the child's physical and photo. After you accept the referral, the travel plans will be made. It takes about 8-12 weeks to travel to China.
2. The trip to China for the adoption takes about 12-16 days. One parent is required to travel to China.

It is very important to note that the time frame is always subject to change. There are many variables that can make this process longer, as well as shorter. We will do our best to update you on varying time changes.

Costs

If you do the home study and post placement services through our agency (MA, FL, ME, RI, NH, CT residents only), (not including home study and I-800a filing fee of $830) is approximately $17,000 for one person traveling and $22,500 for two people traveling. We break the costs into the following categories:

1. Government Fees:
   
   •  I-600a petition fee: $830* (+ fingerprints)
   •  CCAA Application fee: $1050 (payable through this agency with USCIS approval)*
   •  Donation to the Orphanage: $5,000
   •  Registration fee: $100-$110
   •  Notarization fee: $250-600
   •  Passport: $20-100
   •  Advertisement: $50
   •  Visa application and service $365
   •  Visa medical examination: $70

   * The above expenses are to be paid during your trip in China to relevant institutes, with the exception of the I-800a petition fee and CCAA Application fee of $1050.00.

2. Travel Costs:

   Travel costs vary according to the season, the location of the orphanage and the services you will receive.

   •  For international and domestic airfare, hotel reservations (double occupancy), local and national guides, travel to Beijing, Guangzhou and the city where the Social Welfare Institute is located, local transportation and most meals, it is about: $3000/person
   •  Baby's one way air ticket to Boston (lap seat): $135-225
   •  Baby's one way air ticket to Boston (actual seat): $680-900
3. Agency Fees:

   •  Application Fee: $200*
   •  Administrative Fee: $3900**
   •  Service Fee: $700 $0 (Special Needs)
   •  Home Study and Post Placement Fee:***
       • First Adoption: $2550
       • Second Adoption: $2250 (regardless of placing agency for 1st adoption)
   (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Florida, Connecticut, & New
   Hampshire Residents Only)

 * The application fee is submitted with a completed application to our agency.

** The administrative fee covers document preparation including certification and authentication, express mail from this agency, domestic and international communications with CCAA and orphanages, etc.

***The home study and post placement fee of $2550 is due prior to beginning your home study. The administrative fee of $3400 is due when you receive the USCIS approval.The agency fee of $700 is due when you accept the referral from the China Center of Adoption Affairs.

Physician

China Adoption With Love, Inc. will make every effort to arrange for a physician to accompany your group to China. This is our agency's efforts but does not guarantee a "healthy" child. The physician is there to provide a third party opinion on the general health of a child and help with the health problems connected with travel. The doctor's work has no legal connection to Chinese adoption and American visa application. In the event that an American physician is unable to travel, China Adoption With Love, Inc. will arrange a Chinese physician to examine the children in China.

Travel Arrangements

China Adoption With Love, Inc. will arrange your adoption trip for you. You should feel free to arrange your own international travel if you choose to do so!