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How to Adopt from Ecuador
Source: Wikipedia.com.
This page is for steps 1-4 of How to Adopt from Ecuador. To learn about steps 5-6 please read How to Adopt from Ecuador Part 2.
1. Choose an Accredited Adoption Service Provider:
The first step in adopting a child from Ecuador is to select an accredited or approved adoption service provider in the United States that has signed an Agreement with the Government of Ecuador. Only these agencies and attorneys can provide adoption services between the United States and Ecuador. A list of U.S. accredited and approved adoption service providers may be obtained in person from the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Quito or Consulate General in Guayaquil or online from the Department of State. Learn more.
2. Apply to be Found Eligible to Adopt
After you choose an accredited or approved adoption service provider, you apply to be found eligible to adopt (Form I-800A) by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Learn how. Once the U.S. Government determines that you are "eligible" and "suitable" to be an adoptive parent, your information will be forwarded to the Central Authority in Ecuador. The Technical Adoptions Unit will review your application to determine whether you are also eligible to adopt under Ecuadorian law.
3. Be Matched with a Child:
If both the United States and Ecuador determine that you are eligible to adopt, and a child is available for intercountry adoption, The Family Assignment Committee (Comites de Asignacion Familiar), will provide a referral for a child and assign a child to the prospective adoptive parent(s) and forward this information regarding the assigned child to the parent's(s') adoption service provider. You cannot identify a specific child that you would like to adopt prior to the referral. Prospective adoptive parent(s) must express acceptance of the referral in writing, after which, they must travel to Ecuador to complete the judicial part of the process. If married, both spouses are required to travel to Ecuador for an adaptation period. The length of the adaptation period with the child depends on each orphanage's policy and program, but it usually takes three or four days.
After this, based on the prospective adoptive parents' relationship with the child, the orphanage will send a report to the Technical Adoption Unit. That office will then give the report along with other adoption documents to the adoption service provider's representative. The documents will be filed at the Minor's Court along with the adoption petition, which must be signed (jointly by the petitioners if a married couple). The judge will then schedule an appointment (usually one or two days later) with the prospective adoptive parent(s) to acknowledge the signature(s) on the adoption request. The prospective adoptive parent(s) must go personally to that appointment and bring their passport(s).
4. Apply for the Child to be Found Eligible for Adoption:
After you accept a match with a child, you will apply to the USCIS for provisional approval to adopt that specific child (Form I-800, Petition to Classify a Convention adoptee as an Immediate Relative). USCIS will determine whether the child is eligible under U.S. immigration law to be adopted and enter the United States. Learn how.
If the Form I-800 is provisionally approved, DHS will send it to the NVC and the NVC will forward it to the U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Either you or your adoption service provider will submit a visa application to a Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The Consular Officer will review the child's information and evaluate the child for possible visa ineligibilities. If the Consular Officer determines that the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States, he or she will notify the Central Authority (Consejo Nacional de la Niñez y Adolescencia, CNNA) and the Adoption Service Provider (Article 5 letter). For Convention country adoptions, prospective adoptive parent(s) may not proceed with the adoption or obtain custody for the purpose of adoption until this takes place.
REMEMBER: The Consular Officer will make a final decision about the immigrant visa later in the adoption process.
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