what are the most stable adoption programs in latin/central america right now?

Colombia is the most stable, and most active, program at this time. Sharon

colombia actually just put a hold on new applications. looks like a 2 year minimum until they open it back up for new applicants. because of that, we're looking at guyana and honduras

Any update on potentially adopting from Guyana? My wife and I are looking to potentially adopt there.

We are currently adopting from Peru and so far it has been great. Our agency said from application to placement they have been averaging 1.5 years. We are almost ready to send our dossier to Peru and we wait:banana: If i can answer any questions let me know!

The U.S. State Department says the following about adoption from Guyana:"Under Guyanese law only Guyanese nationals, former Guyanese nationals or non-Guyanese domiciled in Guyana may adopt Guyanese children.Prospective adoptive parents should note that their presence is required at most stages during the adoption process." As a result, most Americans cannot adopt from Guayana.Sharon

The U.S. State Department says the following about adoption from Guyana: "Under Guyanese law only Guyanese nationals, former Guyanese nationals or non-Guyanese domiciled in Guyana may adopt Guyanese children. Prospective adoptive parents should note that their presence is required at most stages during the adoption process." As a result, most Americans cannot adopt from Guayana. Sharon

From our research, it seems that Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Guayana, Dominican Republic and Haiti are the places available in South/Central America. We looked into Colombia but we settled on Peru because it seemed quicker and better established though new to Hague. We are currently documenting the cost and process on a blog. Hope its helpful:) [url=http://adoptperu.com/]adoptperu | Bringing Home Peru Child[/url]

Sak, so how is it then that e.g. Cornerstone, a Canadian adoption agency, states on their website that "Guyana will accept married and single applicants. Guyana accepts non-Guyanese applicants." ? (see [url=http://www.cornerstoneadoption.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=54]Services[/url]) I decided to do my due diligence and called them up. They told me that do Guyana adoptions for non-Guyanese citizens. So why does the State Department claim that Guyana does not allow the adoption by non-Guyanese citizens?

The State Department reports information provided directly by a foreign government.Now, it is possible that Guyana's information has changed since that country last reported its requirements to the State Department. The State Department has greatly improved its ability to keep its country information current, but if a country does not issue a notification when its rules change, there may be a time lag before it appears on the State Department website. In general, information for countries from which many Americans adopt will be updated pretty regularly, but countries that place very few children with Americans often do not send updates very often.It is also possible, although probably not with regard to Guyana, that the rules for Canadian citizens differ from those for U.S. citizens. In many cases, a country may negotiate an adoption agreement with one country that is a bit different from that of another.Sharon

The State Department reports information provided directly by a foreign government. Now, it is possible that Guyana's information has changed since that country last reported its requirements to the State Department. The State Department has greatly improved its ability to keep its country information current, but if a country does not issue a notification when its rules change, there may be a time lag before it appears on the State Department website. In general, information for countries from which many Americans adopt will be updated pretty regularly, but countries that place very few children with Americans may not send updates very often. It is also possible, although probably not with regard to Guyana, that the rules for Canadian citizens differ from those for U.S. citizens. In many cases, a country may negotiate an adoption agreement with one country that is a bit different from that of another. Sharon

Well, there is currently one American agency that offers a Guyana program. You can find out who they are by googling "Guyana Adoptions". Are they in violation of the laws or is the US Department of State website not updated? I vote for the latter. :) It would not be the first time that the website is not updated, so it is not a 100% reliable source.

So a little bit more research yielded the new Guyanese adoption law of 2009 that, according to UNICEF, allows non-Guyanese to adopt: Who can adopt?

A person can apply to adopt a child if she or he is:

a Guyanese national who lives in Guyana;

1. a Guyanese national who lives outside of Guyana;

2. a former Guyanese national who has acquired

the citizenship of another country; or

3. a non-Guyanese; and

4. he or she is between 18 and 65 years old;

5. and the age difference between the

adopter and the child is not more than

50 years or not less than 17 years. See e.g. [url]http://www.unicef.org/guyana/Adoption_of_Children_Acts(1).pdf[/url] In particular, the adoption by a non-Guyanese person not domiciled in Guyana is set forth in Chapter 13(1) and (2) of Part III "Making an Adoption Order" of the Legal Supplement in the Official Gazzette from October 26 2009 which describes the Adoption of Children Act of 2009 (see e.g. [url]http://www.bharratjagdeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/18-2009-Adoption-of-Children-Act.pdf[/url]) Would updating the State Department website be appropriate after a time lag from 2009 (wow!)? I say yes. Update. :woohoo: