Adopting as a single parent from Asia?

Every sovereign nation is allowed to make its own laws for the protection of its most vulnerable citizens, including orphans. So every country has specific laws regarding what children may be adopted and by whom. In general, the goal is to put children into homes that resemble homes that they should have been, or were, born into. In most cases, that means a home with a mother and a father who are about the age that the child's bio parents might have been. But where the need is very great and there aren't enough relatively young two parent families applying to adopt, they will accept other families. In some cases, these other families are accepted for healthy infants but, in many cases, single and older parents are accepted primarily for children with special needs and children who are older -- the children who are least likely to be adopted by more traditional parents.South Korea does not accept singles into its international adoption program, although in its efforts to promote adoption of orphans domestically, it has begun to consider allowing well-qualified singles who are citizens of Korea and living there to adopt. In general, the number of children available for international adoption has dropped dramatically over the years, as the country has grown more prosperous so women don't have to make adoption plans out of poverty; as young people know more about sex and contraception; as moral standards have liberalized so that an unplanned pregnancy is no longer shocking and some women raise their babies, while others abort; and as traditional beliefs in the importance of the "blood tie" in families have been replaced by Western attitudes encouraging adoption. In fact, South Korea's program with the U.S. is rapidly becoming a predominantly special needs program, especially if you consider the number of babies referred as healthy who were born to women who drank alcohol during pregnancy, and whose children may have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which is not a condition recognized by the Korean medical system.China used to be wonderful for singles and older singles and couples. I adopted my daughter from China when I was 51 and single, and she was only 18 months old and relatively healthy; she's now 19 years old and absolutely amazing. However, just as in Korea, China is becoming more prosperous, modern, and Westernized. Also, the "one child policy", which led to the abandonment of many baby girls, is being liberalized. So the need for foreign adoptive parents for healthy infants and toddlers is very limited. At the moment, American married couples could wait up to ten years for the referral of a child, and as a result, most American agencies won't even accept them, believing that the "healthy infant" program will close totally in the next few years; China won't allow singles in that program at all. China DOES allow adoption of children with moderate to severe special needs by single women, and some of those needs are actually quite manageable if a person has good insurance, some job flexibility, and an understanding of the medical conditions. China expedites referrals for certain people of Chinese heritage, though nowadays, that doesn't mean very much in terms of the timing. Some kids with special needs can actually come home fairly quickly.Hong Kong, though it was handed over to China in 1997 after a century of British rule, has been permitted to maintain many of its own government systems for 50 years, under the "one country, two systems" doctrine. Thus, it has its own currency, issues its own passports, allows considerable freedom of religion -- and its own adoption system. Hong Kong is rather small, however, and one of the most prosperous places in Asia, so it has very few adoptable children. And many Hong Kong residents are very open to adopting healthy infants and toddlers, or children with minor special needs. As a result, Hong Kong's international program is almost exclusively special needs. In general, the children with the most minor needs get referred to overseas people who are of Chinese ancestry, because the Hong Kong adoption authorities strongly prefer that Hong Kong's orphans be raised to appreciate their birth heritage; non-Chinese people living overseas are usually referred children with the more serious conditions, both correctible and permanent. While preference is given to married couples, singles can adopt if they have excellent financial circumstances, a good family support system, and either a career in health care or a strong understanding of a child's medical condition. If you are open to a child with Down's syndrome, a child who is HIV positive, a child with cerebral palsy or spina bifida, or a child on the autism spectrum, Hong Kong might be a good program for you.Taiwan is open to adoption by both single and married people, and may be a good option for you; depending on the social welfare organization used within Taiwan, children from babies to teens may be available, with and without known special needs. While some of the rules are set by the government, individual licensed social welfare organizations in Taiwan may have additional requirements, so not all programs may be right for you; as an example, Chung Yi in Taiwan wants married couples. Be aware that you must either use a U.S. agency licensed by Taiwan or a Taiwanese facilitator licensed by the government of Taiwan; beware of trying to work with unlicensed facilitators or unregistered orphanages. Be aware that, if you are Taiwanese, there are rules prohibiting certain adoptions among relatives; as an example, a grandparent cannot adopt his/her grandchild. Thailand is also open to both singles and married people, but not all of Thailand's social welfare organizations permit adoptions by singles. The program has been known to be fairly long, with waits of two to three years not uncommon. As with any Hague-compliant country, you should not try to adopt a child through its domestic adoption program, even if you are of Thai heritage; you MUST use the Hague process.Cambodia is still closed to American families, as a result of U.S. State Department concerns about corruption in its adoption system. It is hoped that, at some point, Cambodia will complete implementation of a Hague-compliant adoption system, and that the system will address U.S. concerns sufficiently well that adoptions can resume. Resumption is expected to occur in stages, with the first adoptions that the U.S. allows being those of children with special needs and school aged children. It is not yet known whether adoptions by singles will be permitted, but they were permitted in the past.Vietnam is beginning to reopen to American families after a similar shutdown to Cambodia's. At this time, however, only children with special needs, children in bio sibling groups, and children aged five and over can be adopted by Americans. It appears that single heterosexuals are permitted to adopt. It is not clear when the adoption of other children will be permitted.Laos does not permit foreigners to adopt children at this time. Burma allows only Burmese nationals who are Buddhists to adopt children. Kazakhstan, which has children of Asian and European origin, as well as biracial children, available for adoption, developed a Hague-compliant system, and is theoretically open, but it is not clear that any U.S. agencies have been authorized by the country to place children, in part because of a controversy about failure of American families to submit mandatory post-placement reports. It is not clear, in any case, whether it will accept singles.I'm not sure if I've left any countries out, but if I have, please assume that it is because of the lateness of the hour, and not because I have negative feelings about them.Sharon