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 China
Adoption Program
Children available for adoption
* Infants, toddlers, and children up to age 12
- mostly girls - are available for adoption.
* Special needs boys and girls up to age 12 are
available.
* Most of the children available for adoption
have been abandoned.
* There is virtually no background or health history
available.
* Children are tested for Hepatitis B and HIV.
Eligibility requirements
* Please download the PDF file at right
for the complete list of adoption eligibility
requirements from the China Centre of Adoption
Affairs (CCAA).
* First time married couples must have at least
2 years of marriage. If either member of the couple
has been married previously (not more than 2 times)
they must be in their current marriage for 5 years
or more.
* Both members of the couple must be between 30
- 50 years of age. If couples wish to adopt a
special needs child, the upper age limit is 55.
* Must be physically and mentally healthy and
free from contagious diseases.
* Must have no past criminal history.
* At least one member of the married couple must
have a regular income. The total of the family's
regular income must exceed $10,000 x the number
of people in the family, including the prospective
adoptive child. A family may have no more than
4 children living at home in order to apply.
* Family assets must exceed $80,000.
Process before travel
* Apply to INS for advance approval to be eligible
to adopt.
* Satisfy the laws of the state where applicant
resides.
* Complete a home study by a licensed agency.
* Provide the necessary documents to the Chinese
government including birth certificates, marriage
certificate, health forms, occupation letters,
financial status, and criminal history, etc.
Time frame
* It takes approximately 1-3 months to obtain
INS approval, complete a homestudy, and prepare
a dossier.
* The time between the dossier being sent to China,
where it is examined, verified and approved until
the time that a family receives an assignment
varies and the wait time has been increasing each
month. Please check with Alliance to get an accurate
current wait time for the China adoption program.
* Referrals for special needs and older children
may be expedited.
* Upon receiving the child's assignment which
includes a photo and a medical, and after a travel
approval is made by the CCAA, the Alliance will
assist in scheduling the family’s trip to
China. Travel is about six to eight weeks from
acceptance of the referral. If necessary, it is
allowed for only one parent to travel to China
to adopt the child.
* The stay in China is less than two weeks.
General information
about China
(Statistical information taken from the 2000
CIA Fact Book)
The People's Republic of China is located in eastern
Asia. The size of China is slightly larger than
the United States, making it the third largest
country in the world. The terrain of China is
mostly mountainous, although there are areas of
desert, plateau, and plains. The majority of the
population lives in the eastern part of the country
where the land is most fertile. The climate of
China varies greatly by province due to the diverse
landscapes. The south tends to have a tropical
climate and the extreme north has a sub-arctic
climate. The coastal areas of China face yearly
monsoons in the summer time. China is just beginning
to address the pollution problems that have been
becoming more and more severe in areas of new
development.
China is known worldwide for its production of
rice, tobacco, grains, and peanuts. Nearly 61%
of the population is in the agriculture industry.
Although China produces large amounts of food,
most of the food must be used to feed the enormous
population. There are nearly 1.3 billion people
in China, making it the largest population in
the world.
China people and culture
The Mandarin dialect is the basis for standard
Chinese, which is spoken by 70% of the population.
The other 30% speak their native dialects. Fortunately,
the characters are very similar, so that if they
cannot communicate by speech, they can communicate
by writing. Mandarin Chinese is taught to all
of the children in schools, but they may speak
their native dialect at home.
The diet in China has basic staples common in
all of the provinces, while each region must rely
on the food grown nearby for variety. Noodles,
rice, grains, or tofu are the basic ingredients
of most meals. Due to the high price of meat,
vegetables and sauces must provide the individual
flavors and variety.
The appropriate dress in China is conservative,
western-style clothing designs. Women tend to
wear dresses more than slacks.
The rate of population growth in the past led
the Chinese government to offer incentives to
families with only one child. For this reason,
many of the children available to adopt in China
are in orphanages because their families cannot
support them.
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CCAA Guidelines
Please read through this PDF file containing
the complete list of adoption eligibility requirements
from the China Centre of Adoption Affairs (CCAA):
CCAA Requirements
Contact us
The Alliance for Children assists families
throughout the entire adoption process, which
includes document gathering, assignment, travel,
accommodations and the in-country process.
Alliance for Children has a very strong service
team in China including an experienced nurse,
an adoption facilitator and a travel guide.
To discuss our Chinese adoption program, or
adoption in general, please contact a staff
member at Alliance for Children: info@allforchildren.org
or (781) 444-7148.
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