International or "Inter-Country" Adoption

At the present time, there are no licensed adoption agencies in the Yukon for private or international adoptions. Yukon families wanting to adopt from abroad will have to look outside of the territory and employ the services of licensed adoption agencies in provinces like Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta etc,.

The Yukon's Health and Social Services Department is the central authority on adoption and families must first fill out application forms and have a homestudy conducted by the Department before proceeding with an outside agency. Health and Social Services doesn't charge families adopting privately or internationally for homestudies, but they will have to pay for their criminal record checks and medicals.

What is the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption?

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.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

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.

International Adoption Expenses

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 Yukon, adoptive parents are responsible for the following costs:

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:

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.

The Role of the International Adoption Agency

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 Yukon.

Your licensed international adoption agency will:

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.

The Process for International Adoption

STEP 1: Contact Yukon's Health and Social Services Department. You will be sent adoption application forms as well as be required to get medical and police checks done as well as get three reference letters from family, friends and/or colleagues. You will then return the completed forms and wait for a social worker to contact you for the home study (this can take several months as there is a long waiting list in the Yukon).

STEP 2: Decisiong Making! While you wait to be contacted (or even before), your family should investigate and decide on a country from which you wish to adopt. Each country has its own criteria for adoptive families. For example, some countries require couples to be married and for a set number of years. Other countries will not approve applicants who have mental health issues or are overweight. Learn everything you can about the country, its laws and adoption programs.

STEP 3: The Home Study Report. All families wishing to adopt internationally must have a home study completed by a licensed social worker at the Health and Social Services Department. You will meet with, and be interviewed by your social worker several times (4 to 6 minimum) to discuss a variety of topics including your relationship with spouse/partner, your family and childhood, your financial and employment situation, your health, lifestyle and home, your interests, your parenting styles and attitudes, as well as your understanding of open and closed adoptions. You'll also discuss your motivation for adopting as well as the characteristics of the child you're hoping to adopt.

The social worker then submits your home study and supporting documentation to the Health and Social Services Department with recommendations for approval (or not). If your family has been approved to adopt internationally, you can proceed to the next step.

STEP 4: Hire an Adoption Agency. Since there are no licensed private adoption agencies in Nunavut, you will have to employ the services of a licensed agency from a province like Ontario or British Columbia. 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. Many couples also gain some assistance from their worker at Health and Social Services. 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 Health and Social Services 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 worker from Yukon's Health and Social Services 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).

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