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It is really not that complicated.
The first thing you should do is to find an American agency that is accredited by the Indian government and that has Hague accreditation by the U.S. State Department. It can be anywhere in the U.S., and does not have to be in your state. You can find a list of agencies that have accreditation by the Indian government at [url=http://cara.nic.in/list_of_foreign_agencies.htm]Central Adoption Resource Agency[/url]. You can find a list of Hague accredited agencies at [url=http://adoption.state.gov/hague/accreditation/agencies.html]Accredited Agencies[/url].
Do be aware that some agencies with both accreditations will place children with people who are not of Indian origin, and some will not. You will need to shop around. Always ask a lot of questions, and always check references.
Once you have identified an agency, it can help you through all the other steps. They aren't that hard, but you will need the agency to make sure you do everything correctly.
The first thing the agency will do is tell you to have a homestudy by a provider in your state. Some agencies have a list of acceptable homestudy providers, while others let you choose anyone whom you like.
The second thing the agency will do is tell you to begin your I-800A paperwork, which is a preliminary request to the USCIS to approve you for bringing an orphan to the U.S. as your child. You can download this form from the USCIS website, complete it, and send it in with your homestudy report, when it is completed, and various documents and fees.
Once those things are done, the agency will help you put together documents that the Indian government will need in order to decide that you can be assigned a child. I've outlined the various steps in the process after this, in another post on this website.
Sharon
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Thank you for the reply. I will look into the steps you suggested. Do you have any idea where i can look for grants for this?? I read that it will cosy between 15000 - 20000 dollars? It would have been nice if countries can make it more affordable for middle class families to adopt without such a high price tag.
1. Adoption from India is likely to cost $25,000 to $30,000, unless you are very lucky.
2. "Countries" do not control the costs of adoption. As an example, travel is the largest cost in an adoption, and you usually make at least some of your own travel arrangements with private companies.
You have to pay for your airfare, which can be fairly high, recognizing that you will not always have a choice as to when to travel, and will not always be able to take advantage of "advanced purchase" discounts. Your child shouldn't sit in an orphanage, waiting until airfares come down; when you get called that you've been approved, you get on the plane!
If your child is under age two, he/she can fly on a "lap ticket", which is only about 10% of an adult one-way ticket, but one-way tickets cost as much as round trip tickets, and you may want to buy a regular seat for him/her anyway, so that you will have more room on the long flight home. The trip is arduous, and some families even decide to spend on business class, in order to be as comfortable as possible.
Unless you have family in India, you will also pay for hotels, in-country transportation, guide service, and so on, at whatever those companies charge. Some agencies are very good at negotiating discounts when they handle certain aspects of the travel. I know that my airline and hotel costs in China were WAY less than they would have been on the open market, because my agency had some excellent connections.
When you adopt from India, you make only one trip, which keeps costs down. If you were adopting from Russia, you might have to make three trips, because Russia asks that you spend some time with the child before you commit to adopting him/her, and that you really take time to think about your decision before a court date is set. And due to crowded court calendars, you sometimes have a long wait between trips, because you can't get a court date. As a result, Russian adoption is the most expensive, with fees that can be over $40,000 in some cases.
3. There are very few adoption grants, especially with the economy in such a bad state. You are better off thinking about how to save money, where to borrow money, and what friends or relatives may be able to assist you. Also remember that, at least for this year and next year, a fairly high federal adoption tax credit is in effect, and this can help you once you complete your adoption; there is a good chance, too, that the credit will be extended beyond 2011.
Since you don't pay all the fees up-front, and since an adoption today may take two years or more, you have time to do some saving. Many families create a disciplined plan where they do things like giving up certain "luxuries", like eating out, and putting the saved amount of money into a special fund. Some parents take a second job to accumulate money faster. Some parents sell their gas guzzling car and buy one that is cheaper to operate. Many parents borrow against their 401(K) or tax-sheltered annuity. Some families discover that their employer will pay part of the cost. A few families can get adoption loans from banks. Others get assistance from families, do fundraisers through their religious organizations, etc.
When you stop and think about it, the cost of an adoption is not all that bad, when you consider the cost of a new car, today. That new car will get old very quickly, and it's just four wheels and a horn, basically. A child will give you many, many years of joy. You find a way to afford a car when you need one; it is no different from finding a way to pay adoption fees. And if you really have trouble paying for an adoption, it should make you think about the cost of raising a child, and whether you can afford to raise a child at this moment. When you really think about it, the cost of raising a child is extremely high, and you don't get a lot of help, either.
4. One way to keep costs down, though it is not for everyone, is to adopt a school aged child or a child with special needs. Many agencies discount their fees for such adoptions, because such children are the hardest to place in families. Raising a school aged child or a child with special needs will have challenges, to be sure. You may have medical and counseling costs that are fairly significant, but if you have excellent group health insurance, that should help. And you may find that there is greater stress with such adoptions. Still, these kids need loving permanent homes, and you would be helping children who might otherwise have no chance for an education, a good job, and so on. Don't go into one of these adoptions just because it is cheaper; but if you feel, in your heart, that you can meet the needs of an older child or one with a special need (often fairly minor), it would be a great way to lower adoption costs.
Sharon
The information you are giving is priceless for a couple like us who knows NOTHING about this process.:clap: I cannot thank you enough. A special needs child will not fit our family situation as my husband and i have health issues that may prevent us from looking into that. Wish me luck .today i am contacting a agency to get started and learn more about how to go forward.
sanya
The information you are giving is priceless for a couple like us who knows NOTHING about this process.:clap: I cannot thank you enough. A special needs child will not fit our family situation as my husband and i have health issues that may prevent us from looking into that. Wish me luck .today i am contacting a agency to get started and learn more about how to go forward.
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My husband and I are in the process of adopting a child from India. He is an Indian citizen and I am a US citizen. The situation in India in regards to adoption has really been shifting in the past months. There is more emphasis on finding local Indian families first, especially for babies. Indian adoption placement agencies can only permit a child to be adopted internationally (even with NRIs) if the child has been rejected by three local families. This means that the process has really slowed down, and also, from what I understand, that intercountry India adoption is considered to be more special needs. We were recently informed by our US adoption agency to really consider if we are able to adopt a special needs child. So this is something for you to ask different agencies about. Try to gather as much information as possible.We have gone through a lot of the preliminary steps, so if you need any information, just ask.
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