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Hello! My husband and I are interested in international adoption. We are not sure which country yet as we are still in the researching/talking about it stage. We know it's gonna cost around 30000 or so. Here's my question. If we save, we should be able to have the money in about 4 years. But then, once we have the money and start the process, it can be up to 2 years depending on the country before you bring a child home. Is it not possible to do a little along the way? What I mean is, is there a way to pay a little as you go so that when you don't have to wait until you have all the money to even begin the process? I hope my question makes sense. THANKS in advance!
Tracy
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I just wanted to throw in that the agency that we were thinking about using quotes under $18000 for everything including travel and warns that it can take as little as six months but may take up to a year for the whole process. It really depends on what agency you are using and what country you go to. This info is for an Ethiopian older children program which is for children 3 and up but may include infants if they are part of a sibling group. PM me if you want more info.
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My DH and I were able to save our total amount before we started. However, that is HIGHLY unusual. I think a lot of people pay as they go. You won't get hit with a 30k fee all at once. Things should be somewhat spread out. For instance, you'll have your homestudy fee, then your USCIS fee, agency application fee, then maybe later a country fee. You might want to get some info from different agencies and see what their exact breakdown is and when they require certain things to be paid. It may be much more manageable that you think! :)HTH!
And had a plan (budget) for the rest based upon a timeline for "best case scenario." (which would be fast). We did NOT go fast, needless to say, so we had all money saved up, but yes, you can pay as you go along.
Check how much homestudy fees are in your area, and then if you are going ahead and doing your I-600 (application to adopt foreign orphan), that will be another bunch of money. Then there is your agency fee, and at referral (for us, this is how it worked) 1/2 of your country fee. Also, if it takes more than 18 months while you are waiting, you will have to pay that I-600 fee again.
The other half of country fee was due at completion of the adoption.
You will also have to try to estimate travel costs.
We adopted from Guatemala. I am not sure how other countries and other agencies work.
Good luck! And congratulations on your decision to adopt!
-D.
Whatever the agency tells you, it's going to be more. They usually just quote you their fees and such, not things like food, travel, etc. We adopted two infants from Russia. Our agency fees were something like $24,000 but when I did a spreadsheet with all the expenses it came out more like $45,000!
I would suggest you have financing lined up before you begin the process, as hard as it is for me to say and for you to read. What if the process moves more quickly than you expected? It would stink to have to put it on hold.
Have you checked into any adoption subsidies or gifts your employers might give? We got $6,000 from one of our employers. That could help move things along for you. We had to put out the money, but received a check once we submitted qualified receipts.
Good luck to you!
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