General questions

Unless you are adopting from South Korea, you may use a placement agency located anywhere in the U.S., as long as you have a homestudy done by a provider licensed in your state of residence and approved by the placement agency. South Korea wants families to adopt using an agency licensed in their state, which has a contract with the Korean government, except in the case of adoptions of special needs children, where there may be more choice of agencies.Most foreign countries have a process for granting permission to an American agency to place children from there. In those countries, you would have to work with an agency that has such permission. As an example, if you are adopting from China, you must use an agency that is both licensed in a U.S. state AND approved by the Chinese government. Governments use the approval process to check out the ethics and business practices of agencies, to impose conditions such as a commitment to do humanitarian aid and not just adoption, and so on. Some countries tend to accredit only a handful of agencies, while others may work with dozens of providers.If you cannot find an agency that works in a country that interests you, it may be that the country is not open to international adoption, or that agencies don't want to work in that country because of corruption, unclear laws or laws that change constantly, dangerous conditions that could bring harm to agency staff and prospective parents, paperwork that does not meet USCIS requirements, etc. Check the website of the U.S. State Department, at adoption.state.gov for more information. There's a drop-down box with a list of countries, and if you click on your country of interest, you can learn about whether it allows adoptions, whether or not it has ratified the Hague Convention on international adoption, what the requirements are for parents, what the characteristics are (age, health status, etc.) of the children who may be adopted, and what the process is like. The website also gives you good information about international adoption in general.Sharon

I am curious as to how is ' Life ' Today, and in what direction did ya'll decide to go on with your Family's Adoption?I ' Ditto ' and well said with what Sharon said as well also!!

1. Does the agency you use have to be located in your state? My Husband and I prefer an Agency we can make personal contact with . Preferably ' Physical Contact ' or walk into their office.As well as the same ' Time Zoning .'2. Does the agency have to have a program in the country we are looking to adopt from, or can any agency adopt fro, anywhere. International Adoption is a 3 component processing.The ' Receiving and Home Study Agency. 'The ' Placement Agency 'You gave the assumption in your earlier posting. ' That you are or were from the United States?? 'Our United States Immigration Services has Advocacy. Solely designed in the ' Best Interests of the Child. 'Good Luck and Best Wishes on your Journey;