Finding an agency..?

Remember that, for any country EXCEPT Korea, you do not have to use an agency in your state. Choose an agency, wherever in the U.S. it is located, that has an impeccable reputation, lots of experience in your country of choice and in adoption in general, and great client service. Nowadays, most agencies work with families all over the U.S., as long as they have a local homestudy, and conduct most of their business by phone, fax, email, and overnight delivery. With Korea, you generally do have to work with an agency that is licensed by the Korean government to place children with families in your state. The exception is that there is a bit more flexibility if you are open to adopting a child with special needs. Most states have only 1-3 agencies that can place children from Korea, and a few states have none. Sharon

Sharon, Thanks so much for the information! I wasn't aware of that. For some reason I thought you had to work with an agency in your state. So do we complete the homestudy with a local agency and they just send that homestudy out to the agency we choose to work with for the adoption or is it all done by the agency we choose? I have to admit, this is all a bit overwhelming. Especially trying to decide which country to adopt from. Even though I mentioned those three, we're now considering South Korea and Thailand as well. I'm not sure how I'll ever pick. Especially because I'd be happy to adopt from any country. I appreciate the help though! I'll start researching agencies and see what I find. Thanks again! Be Blessed, Stephanie

Some placement agencies require you to use a homestudy agency that is on their approved list, so that they feel confident that the homestudy will be done in a manner that is acceptable to the USCIS and the foreign country. Placement agencies that are accredited to conduct adoptions from countries that have ratified the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption are particularly picky about the homestudy agencies with which they work. China is about to require BOTH the placement agency and the homestudy agency to have Hague accreditation. Be aware that it is becoming increasingly difficult to adopt from Asian countries -- for example: 1. No adoptions from Kazakhstan by Americans can be processed at this time. Kazakhstan is implementing the Hague Convention, and Americans will be able to adopt only after both of the following occur: a) Kazakhstan's legislature approves a new Marriage and Family Code, which lays out its new Hague requirements; and, b) The U.S. indicates that it officially considers Kazakhstan's new procedures to be consistent with its interpretation of the Hague requirements and likely to further ethical intercountry adoption. 2. Many agencies have closed their non-special needs Taiwan programs to new applicants, because, at this time, there are far more applicants than there are non-special needs children available. You may have difficulty finding a program that is open, that will accept you, and that meets your needs. As an example, in some programs, birthmothers actually pick the parents for their children and may maintain some contact with them; you may or may not like this option. Taiwan is a very small country, and relatively prosperous by world standards. As a result, the number of children available for adoption tends to be small. Meanwhile, so many people have switched from China to Taiwan, as China's wait time has increased and its requirements for families has become much more strict, that agencies do not want to see Taiwan develop long wait times, too. 3. Korea's international adoption program is very small now. South Korea is extremely prosperous, compared to most of the countries from which Americans adopt, so there is less need for people to make adoption plans because of poverty. Traditional values have also been changing, and it is not as unusual now for a single woman who becomes pregnant to decide to parent her child. Attitudes towards adoption -- "raising someone who is not of your blood" -- are also changing, and the Korean government is trying to encourage domestic adoption, as opposed to international adoption, when a child cannot remain in his/her birth family. Still, Korea remains a reasonable option for young couples, if they meet the country's fairly strict requirements, and especially if they are open to some minor special needs or unknowns. In terms of unknowns, one thing that concerns some families is that some children are coming home with prenatal exposure to alcohol. Some children with such exposure develop learning problems, impulse control problems, and other issues, as a result, but these issues may not show up until a child is of school age. 4. Thailand is a Hague-compliant country. As a result, you will have to comply not only with the laws of your state, the USCIS, and Thailand; you will also have to go through the Hague adoption process. It is believed that your adoption process could take anywhere from 2 to 2.5 years to complete, though you should check with agencies to see what they are currenly experiencing. Sharon

Sharon, Wow! Thank you so much for all the advice and information! You've given me so much to consider! You are a blessing!! I guess all we can do at this point is pray about it because I don't know how I'd choose. I'd be fine even with adopting from a European nation, but they seem to be higher in cost so I know that's a main concern for my husband. Goodness, my head is spinning. lol Again, Thank you!

Frankly, given your ages, I'd go with Korea. The program has been around for over 50 years, and is ethical and well organized. The medical care system is quite good, and the children's medical reports tend to be pretty accurate. Most of the children are in foster care, rather than orphanages, and many of the foster families do an excellent job. The American agencies that work with Korea tend to be long-established and "solid", and fees are in the moderate range. At present, wait times for Korea have lengthened, but they are still reasonable compared with countries like China. And while babies tend to be a little older at homecoming than they were in the past, it is still possible to adopt a child who will be under 18 mo. old at homecoming Gender selection may not be possible in the healthy infant program, at least for first-time parents, since most Americans request girls and agencies want to see both boys and girls get families in a reasonable time frame. If you are allowed to choose gender, you should get a referral more quickly if you are open to a baby boy. It is also likely to be quicker if you are open to certain mild to moderate special needs. If you choose Korea and want to adopt a relatively healthy infant, you will need to work with an agency that the Korean government has licensed to place children with families in your state. Most states have only one to three agencies licensed for Korea, and a few states have none, so you will not have a lot of agency choices. Each American agency is partnered with one of four social welfare organizations in Korea, and some have more strict rules than others. Korea can be "picky" with regard to the people it allows to adopt, and some social welfare organizations may have a Body Mass Index requirement for parents (meaning that very obese people cannot adopt). If you are young, with no significant medical, psychiatric, substance abuse, or criminal history, you should do well. Korea does have length of marriage requirements. All in all, I'd get started with this program immediately, before the number of available children drops so low that the healthy infant program closes. Korea had hoped to close the program in 2012, but it does appear, at this time, that it will remain open for at least another year or two. Sharon