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Who Can Be Adopted from Jamaica
Source: Wikipedia.org.
In addition to U.S. immigration requirements, Jamaica has specific requirements that a child must meet in order to be eligible for adoption. In all cases, the CDA will assess the child’s suitability for adoption by conducting visits to the child’s place of residence, as well as interviews and counseling with the child, the birth parents, if applicable, and the prospective adoptive parents.
Relinquishment: If the birth parents have not already relinquished their parental rights or had their rights separated by the state, Jamaica requires the child’s birth parents to provide consent before the adoption can be finalized.
Abandonment: None.
Age of Adoptive Child: Only children between the ages of six weeks and 18 years old are eligible for adoption.
Sibling Adoptions: The Jamaican Adoption of Children Act does not include any provision prioritizing sibling placement in order to preserve sibling unity. However, the CDA and the Adoption Board are concerned about child welfare and are willing to work with prospective adoptive parents to ensure that siblings are placed together.
Special Needs or Medical Conditions: Each child must undergo a medical examination in Jamaica by a registered Jamaican medical practitioner before the Adoption Order or License can be approved. This is separate from the medical examination the child must undergo prior to obtaining an immigrant visa.
Waiting Period or Foster Care: None.
Caution: Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that not all children in orphanages or children’s homes are adoptable. In many countries, birth parents place their child(ren) temporarily in an orphanage or children’s home due to financial or other hardship, intending that the child return home when this becomes possible. In such cases, the birth parent(s) have rarely relinquished their parental rights or consented to their child(ren)’s adoption.
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