International adoptions,
although complicated and can take several years to complete,
are another option for families in the Northwest Territories.
Families living in the Northwest Territories must employ
the services of southern licensed agencies to facilitate
international adoptions since there aren't any private licensed
agencies in the territory.
International adoptions are
regulated under the Northwest Territories Act, the Hague
Convention, federal immigration laws as well as the laws
of the child's country. In order for an adoption to succeed,
all of these laws must be observed. Adoptions completed
in the Northwest Territories once the child joins his/her
new family in Canada are governed by the Northwest Territories
Adoption Act. Adoptions that are completed in the child's
country of origin are governed by the Intercountry Adoption
Act and must involved a licensed international adoption
agency.
With the increase of child
abduction and trafficking around the world, many countries
have signed the Hague Convention in an effort to make international
adoption a safer and more secure process. The Hague Convention
is an international agreement which lays out guidelines
to govern adoption processes in these countries and to protect
the best interests of children. The Convention also has
safeguards in place to protect birth and adoptive families
but its main goal is to ensure that an international adoption
is in the best interests of a child and that his/her fundamental
rights are protected. More
information about the Hague Convention.
Canada has been a partner
in the Hague Convention since 1993 and all provinces and
territories follow the Convention's guidelines. Canadians
can adopt from countries that have not ratified the Hague
Convention. These adoptions have similar steps but lack
the assurances of Hague Convention adoptions.
Choosing the citizenship
process or the immigration process
According to Citizenship
and Immigration Canada's web site, as of December 23, 2007,
anyone adopted by a Canadian citizen after February 14th,
1977 can apply for a grant of Canadian citizenship without
first becoming a permanent resident. Some new adoptions,
however, will still need to use the immigration process.
The following explains the two processes and will assist
you in deciding which to pursue.
The
Citizenship Process:
You can apply for citizenship for an adopted person if:
- at least one adoptive parent
is, or was, a Canadian citizen when the adoption took
place
- the adoption severs (or severed)
all ties with the adopted person’s legal parents
- the adoption was or will be
completed outside Canada (except for Quebec)
The adopted person
does not meet the requirements for the citizenship process
if:
- neither parent was a Canadian
citizen when the adoption took place
- the adoption took place before
February 15, 1977
- the adoption did not fully
sever all ties with the child’s legal parents
- the adoption will be completed
in Canada, or
- a probationary period is to
be completed in Canada before a final adoption order
is issued from the child’s birth country.
More information on how to
apply for Citizenship can be found here: How
to apply for Citizenship
More information on what happens after you apply for Citizenship
can be found here: After
applying for Citizenship.
The Immigration
Process:
You can use the immigration process
to apply for permanent resident status for the adopted child
if:
- the adopted child is going to Canada
to live right after the adoption takes place, or
- one or both parents are Canadian
citizens or permanent residents.
The adopted person does not
meet the requirements for the immigration process if:
- the adopted person is not going to
Canada to live right after the adoption takes place
- you are an adult adoptee living
outside Canada and not returning to Canada to live right
after your application is approved.
More information on Immigration
can be found here: How
to Apply for Immigration, After
Applying for Immigration, Arriving
in Canada with Your Child
For more information
regarding immigration issues, contact Citizenship and Immigration
Toll Free at: 1-888-242-2100.
The expenses for international
adoptions are quite high and will vary based on the requirements
of the child's country of origin, agency programs, coordinator
fees and several other factors. On average, most international
adoptions cost anywhere from $18,000 to $50,000.
In the Northwest Territories,
adoptive parents are responsible for the following costs:
- the home assessment report fees
and parent training courses
- application and registration fees
for a licensed adoption agency
- translation and courier fees
- immigration fees
- the child's medical evaluations
- the agency fees in the child's country
- travel and accommodations
- legal fees and post placement reports
** NOTE ** In addition to the
fees you will be required to pay the licensed international
adoption agency, the Department will charge a fee of $500
to complete the pre-placement report and $100 for any
updates or post-placement reports.
Like Canada, there are children
of all ages waiting to be adopted from overseas. Most children
waiting to be adopted are available due to poverty and lack
of family services. Many children are abandoned by their
biological families or made orphans due to war and/or disease.
Prospective adoptive families
pursuing international adoption must be aware that these
children are considered special needs. Why? In most cases,
these children have had traumatic early life experiences,
health problems, poor pre-natal and/or postnatal care, or
malnutrition. These special needs could arise due to such
situations:
- the child has lived in an orphanage
where there were many children and few caregivers. This
leads to attachment problems and disorders.
- there is little or no background
on their biological families or their own early life
experiences
- they had to fend for themselves
“on the street” and their past independence
may make it difficult for them to adjust to life in
a family environment
- they suffered physical or emotional
deprivation, leading to long-term problems despite receiving
loving care in their adoptive homes.
Adopting a Child
of Another Culture or Race
With an international adoption,
the child is often a different race and/or culture from
their adoptive family. An inter-racial adoption raises a
number of issues that adoptive parents should be prepared
for ahead of time.
An Asian child adopted by
a Caucasian couple will be recognizably different and might
have more difficulty 'fitting in' than a child from Russia
or the Ukraine. Adoptive parents are now being encouraged
to learn about the child's country and culture so that they
can teach their child about his/her heritage and incorporate
parts of the child's culture into their family life and
identity. Honouring the child's heritage will instill a
sense of pride in the child and help them in the teenage
years with their sense of identity.
Some adoptive families also
face the reality of racism and attitudes from others (even
relatives, friends and colleagues) towards those who are
culturally or racially different. Adoptive families must
also be prepared for inappropriate inquiries from others
(often inquisitive strangers) about the child's origins
and adoption. Many adoption agencies offer seminars and
training courses that can prepare families for such situations
and issues. There are also support groups for families that
have adopted internationally. These groups are wonderful
supports for not only parents but as well, their children,
who find friendship with other adoptees possibly from their
country of origin.
When hiring a licensed private
adoption agency, it's important adoptive parents do their
research and ensure that the agency they choose has a good
reputation, reasonable policies and payment schedules, as
well as staff who are compassionate and knowledgeable. The
agency you choose is ultimately responsible for the total
management of your adoption process until the adoption is
completed and your child safely enters the Northwest Territories.
Your licensed international
adoption agency will:
- Ensure that the laws related to international
adoption in Canada, Northwest Territories, and the child’s
country of origin are followed
- Help you understand the laws and
procedures of the Northwest Territories and the country
from which you wish to adopt
- Provide information to assist you
in choosing the country from which you wish to adopt,
if you have not yet made the choice
- Review immigration procedures with
you
- Prepare you for your experience
of adopting from another country
- Present you with a service contract
for your signature, as indicated under costs
- Review and explain the Memorandum
for Adoptive Applicants to you
Your licensed agency is also
responsible for arranging the preparation and submission
of follow up reports where required by the child's country
of origin.
STEP 1: Decision
Making! First and foremost, you need to choose
the country from where you want to adopt. Each country has
its own expectations of potential adoptive parents. For
example, some countries require adoptive parents include
a psychological report or that the applicant(s) be of a
certain age or married for a set period of time. A licensed
international adoption agency will be able to assist you
in this area.
STEP 2: Application
forms! In the NWT, prospective adoptive parents
must complete an adoption application form and related documents
as they would in a private adoption. Once the application
and associated documents are completed, you must forward
these to the Director of Adoptions along with the required
fee of $500 for preparation of the pre-placement report.
The Director will review the application and if approved,
assign the assessment and Pre-placement report to the appropriate
HSS Authority.
STEP 3: After
the Director of Adoption processes the application to adopt,
a social worker will contact you to arrange appointments
to complete an Adoptions Family Assessment. The Adoptions
Family Assessment will lead to the preparation of the written
Pre-placement report.
There are many areas to examine during the Adoptions Family
Assessment including obtaining information on your:
- family history;
- education and employment history;
- leisure time activities;
- financial situation;
- home and community; and relationships
With the social worker you will
discuss your thoughts and ideas about parenting as well
as explore your feelings, attitude, and expectations about
adoption. The Adoption Family Assessment process will
lead the social worker to make a decision whether to recommend
you to be an approved adoptive parent(s) or not.
Once the pre-placement report is completed,
the NWT Director will review and approve (or not approve)
your eligibility and suitability to adopt.
STEP 4: Hire a private,
licensed international adoption agency. As mentioned
above, there are no licensed international adoption agencies
in the North West Territories.You will have to employ the
services of a licensed agency in another province. A directory
of licensed international adoption agencies can be found
in each province's section on this web site.
STEP 5: Adoption
Dossier. A dossier refers to the paperwork requested
by the child's country of origin. Your home study report
is just one of the many documents that will be included
in your dossier. Your adoption agency will work with your
family to collect and complete all of the necessary authentications
and translations and to ensure your dossier is complete.
During this time, prospective adoptive parents should also
be researching the processes of Citizenship and Immigration
to Canada.
STEP 6: Wait for
a match! Once your dossier has been completed and
forwarded to the child's country, you'll wait a period of
time for a child to be referred as a match for your family.
Once your adoption agency and the Director of Adoption in
the Northwest Territories have reviewed and approved the
referral, you will be able to review the referral. (Sometimes,
a country will send the child proposal directly to the Director
of Adoption, and the Director presents the the child to
your family.)
A referral for a child contains
the child's description, a photograph (and maybe a video)
as well as the child's medical and social histories. Your
adoption agency's professionals will be on hand to review
the information with you and discuss any concerns or issues
in the referral. If there are any concerns, you should do
some research and consult with professionals like your family
doctor or a pediatrician.
STEP 7: You
will be asked to submit a Letter of Acceptance/Decline to
your agency who will then forward it to the Central Authority
in the child's country of origin. If you decline the referral,
your agency will request that the country refer another
child. If you accept the referral, your agency will forward
the Letter of Acceptance to the child's country.
STEP 8:
Adoptive parents are responsible for their child’s
entry into Canada. As of December 23, 2007, families can
now choose from two processes: citizenship or immigration.
Detailed
information can be found here about Citizenship and Immigration
Canada. For more information
regarding immigration issues, contact Citizenship and Immigration
Toll Free at: 1-888-242-2100
STEP 9: Travel!
Your child's country will advise you and your agency on
when you can travel to pick up your child. Depending on
the country, you may be required to spend a certain amount
of time in the country. During this time, you will be
able to bond with and form attachments to your child as
well as learn more about their heritage/culture. In most
cases, you will also attend a court session where the
adoption will be finalized.
STEP 10: Post-Placement.
Once you've returned home with your child, your
family will be required to submit post-placement reports
to the child's country of origin. Most countries require
that a social worker submit these reports which detail the
child's safety and well-being, as well as include several
photographs. These post-placement reports are often mandatory
and some countries require the family to continue sending
reports about the child(ren) on their own for several years
(sometimes until the child is 18 years of age). The Department
will charge a fee of $100 for any updates or post-placement
reports.
