FAQ re-do Q8

Dr.Loretta

If adopting internationally, how do you choose a country?

CaptainSerious

Start with what feels right to your family.  It will be your job to help raise your child proud of his heritage, so pick a country/area whose culture you enjoy and want to share throughout your lives.

 

Once you have it narrowed down, turn to the US Department of State's website, which lists the requirements to adopt from each country (https://adoption.state.gov/).  Adoption programs can be very volatile, as they are dependent on the laws of multiple countries/compacts, diplomatic relations, public perception, etc.  There’s a lot of places where less than ethical adoption practices have been unearthed, so do your research.  You don’t want to adopt from a place where suspicions may be raised about baby stealing/buying, nor do you want to start the process from a country that will drastically slow down their process or close entirely, in the wake of such claims.  Pay particular attention to the UN/UNICEF and other international organizations are saying about adoptions from any country you are considering.  They have unbelievable sway with governments and can effectively shut down adoptions overnight (like they did from Haiti).

 

Once you find a country that you love and whose adoption procedures seem beyond reproach, double check against that site above to make sure you meet their criteria.  If you do, you probably found your country.  Go ahead and find an agency that has a strong program in that country.  There are some great agencies that have some really strong programs in countries they've been working in for some time...and some fledgling programs in countries that are new to them.  Even though these agencies are generally highly recommended, their newer programs may not work as well as those that are more renowned, because they haven't had the time and experience to figure out all the kinks, establish strong contacts, and become aware of all the pitfalls.  It's also a good idea to find an agency that has a strong program in more than one country you are interested in.  That way, you should be able to transfer to another program with limited difficulty or cost if your country slows/shuts down its adoption program (you should make sure of this when interviewing agencies).

hansa11

Captain Serious already gave a lot of great advice, but I would like to suggest talking to any agencies you're interested in working with about eligibility for specific countries.  I had done a lot of research into the eligibility requirements of specific countries and then discovered after talking to agencies that the requirements were a lot more nuanced and that agencies have varying interpretations or comfort levels with the eligibility requirements.  One agency told me that we were flat-out ineligible for a country and another said we were.  With eligibility requirements continuously changing, I think the first agency hadn't had enough experience to say with confidence that those with certain medical histories or family make-up would be accepted, while the second agency either had a slightly different interpretation of the requirements and/or a larger track record of similar families being successfully matched.