Program and Process

Families are assisted with creating an adoptive parent profile during their home study process.  This helps determine which types of special needs you are open to and can most-successfully parent.

Families work closely with our China team throughout the matching process. Once your family’s guidelines are established, Carolina Adoption Services will utilize China’s national waiting child registry to identify a child.

The matching process may take up to 24 months, depending on the children waiting for their forever families and your parent profile.  If you are matched with a child from the CCCWA shared list, you will be notified and will have 48 hours to submit the necessary paperwork. This paperwork is sent to the CCCWA to be reviewed and approved. If approved, the CCCWA will issue a pre-approval letter.

Families hoping to be matched with a younger child with minor and correctable special needs must first submit their dossier to China before receiving a match. Single women and couples who will consider a child on the Special Focus list may receive a match before their dossier is completed.

After your dossier and your match are both approved, the CCCWA will send the final acceptance confirmation letter. You will sign this letter and submit your I-800 application to US Immigration.

Parents will travel about 4 to 7 months after receiving a referral.  The trip lasts 14 days. This single trip will be where you meet your child and take the steps to complete paperwork in China.

More About the Children

Children waiting to be adopted from China have varying special needs. These may be minor, correctable needs such as cleft lip/palate to non-correctable needs, where their family may need to provide on-going medical care. Some children may have already received surgery or other corrective medical treatment in China.

Children may also have non-correctable needs, such as Down syndrome or albino pigmentation. Many waiting children are older than 5 years old and do not have any special needs.

About the Country

China is a country of great contrasts, with vast rural regions and heavily populated cities. It is one of the largest countries in the world by land area, and unquestioned as the largest country by population, with 1.3 billion people.

China recognizes 56 ethnic minorities among its population, and at least 10 different languages or dialects are spoken, though “Standard Mandarin” is the official national language.

Chinese inventors and artists have had a profound impact on the rest of Asia and the rest of the world for almost all of the country’s 5,000-year history. China is credited as the source of everyday things as diverse as ice cream and opera.

Though the political system of China is Communism, free-market reforms have taken root there in recent decades and made its economy one of the fastest growing in the world. Manufacturing, mining, and technology are among the industries where China is headlining world business news.

 

 

More About Parent Eligibility Requirements

 

Age: 30 years or older. The maximum age difference between the youngest married parent and child to be adopted is 50 years.

 

Marital status: Married couples must be married at least 2 years. No more than two divorces are permitted. Parents with two divorces must have been married to their current spouse for at least 5 years. Single women are eligible to adopt.

 Children in the Home: Married couples may have no more than 5 minor children living in the home. In the case of single women, there should be no more than 2 minor children living in the home. The youngest child must be at least 3 years old. In the case of families who have previously adopted from China, at least 12 months must have passed since the adoption was finalized before the family may apply for subsequent adoption.

Criminal Records: Adoptive parents should not have any criminal record history. Parents who have had no more than 3 criminal charges with minor violations and no severe outcomes may be considered if at least 10 years have passed since the most recent criminal history. Parents should have no more than 5 minor traffic violations.

Health, Finances, and Other Considerations:

• Adoptive parents must have a body mass index (BMI) under 40; body mass index is a calculation comparing your weight and height.
• Finances: At least one family member must have stable employment. Families must demonstrate a minimum gross annual income of $10,000 per household member, including the child to be adopted. Married couples must demonstrate a net worth of $80,000 and single women must demonstrate a net worth of $100,000.
• Certain past or current medical conditions and/or criminal records may exclude applicants for adopting through the China Waiting Child program. You are encouraged to discuss any questions about your eligibility during a family consultation, prior to submitting an application to adopt.
• Parents cannot belong to a religion that forbids medical care such as blood transfusions and immunizations.