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With Taiwan, it would be up to the individual Taiwanese social welfare organization, as there is no central system, as in China. And, of course, each American agency could have its own rules. A lot of agencies are no longer taking "healthy infant/toddler" applicants, because the waiting lists are getting long, due to all people transferring there from the China program.
With Korea, each American agency is affiliated with one or more of the four Korean social welfare organizations allowed to do international adoaptaion. Only two of those agencies have BMI requirements, as I understand it. Of course, American agencies could also have requirements of their own. It is getting more difficult to find an agency taking new applicants for the healthy infant program, because of decreases in the number of available children.
I am not aware of any requirements regarding weight for Thailand. My understanding is that the wait for a referral can be long, however, and that some of the other requirements are strict.
Japan is open for adoption, but few American agencies work there because there are hardly any children available for international adoption, especially if you are not Japanese. BMI does not seem to be an issue, but that would be up to the individual orphanage.
Kazakhstan has both Asian and Caucasian children available, as well as children who are biracial Asian/Caucasian. I'm not sure whether it is open at present, however. I know that about a year ago, the Kaz government was doing some investigations of the adoption process. If it's available, my understanding is that Kaz has no BMI requirements, though individuals U.S. agencies may.
India is in South Asia. It does not have BMI requirements, but the process can be a bit unpredictable. Contrary to what many people believe, you CAN adopt if you are not of Indian origin, though the wait may be longer and some agencies are not taking non-Indians.
Nepal is also Asian, and is also open to adoption. There are no BMI requirements, but there are other requirements that can be a deterrent; as an example, you cannot adopt a child of the same gender as one you already have in your home, and if you have two children of opposite genders, you cannot adopt. You must work through an agency approved by Nepal, but there is a quota of ten families per approved agency per year for healthy children, and most agencies aren't taking new families, as long waiting lists are developing.
Children in the Philippines are considered Asian/Pacific. This is a Hague country, and the rules are fairly complex and strict. However, I do not believe that there is a BMI requirement, though some U.S. agencies may have one.
Although Hong Kong is part of China now, it still has a separate adoption system. However, it is generally a viable option only if you seek to adopt a child with significant special needs. There are relatively few children in need of adoption, and people of Chinese heritage are given preference. BMI does not seem to be an issue.
All in all, there aren't all that many East Asian/South Asian/Pacific countries open to adoption. Cambodia and Vietnam are closed to Americans right now, because of concerns about corruption in the adoption process. Bangladesh does not permit adoption by foreigners, except in the case of citizens of that country living abroad. Indonesia has religious and residency requirements; as an example, Muslim children and kids of unknown religious heritage may not be adopted by non-Muslims. Laos is in the process of creating an adoption law, and also has had a lot of corruption and fraudulent paperwork; it is not clear that an ethical adoption can be completed at this time. Malaysia allows adoptions only by people residing in the country, and there are some additional issues regarding fraudulent paperwork. And so on and so on. BMI is not the issue; you just can't adopt.
The only country with really strict BMI rules at this time is China. Certain Korean social services agencies can also be strict, though even with these agencies, I'm told that a person who is healthy but overweight may get a waiver for a child with special needs, on occasion.
Sharon
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