Agency Adoption Requirements
These intake eligibility requirements are a combination of agency, foreign country and immigration requirements and are used to help us determine potential eligibility for an adoption in a foreign country.
  1. Prospective adoptive families and orphans must meet eligibility requirements of the country from which they are adopting, Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) and their respective state laws.
  2. One parent must be at least 25 yrs. old to be accepted. If they are applying to China, they may not begin the paper chase until both spouses are at least 29 and 1/2.
  3. Prospective parents can not have more than two (2) divorces per person. Two (2) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  4. Prospective parents must be married for one (1) year before applying to AWAA. Single applicants who become engaged while in process will be required to suspend their adoption and reapply as a married couple one year after the marriage.
  5. Single males are not permitted to adopt through AWAA.
  6. Prospective parents must be free of cancer or other life-threatening diseases for at least three (3) years before applying to AWAA.
  7. Applications will not be accepted for prospective applicants who are pregnant or whose youngest child is less than 6 months old.
  8. Families who are in the process of adopting from China who become pregnant must withdraw from the adoption process until their birth child is one year old. Families who are in the process of adopting from other countries who become pregnant must withdraw from the adoption process until their birth child is 6 months old. A family whose adoption has been withdrawn should inform us if their pregnancy does not come to term.
  9. One or both prospective parents must agree and initial the Statement of Faith.
  10. If prospective parents, who previously adopted a healthy infant (under 3 years old) are applying for a subsequent adoption with America World, we will consider application after receiving a favorable post placement report at six months post adoption.

    If prospective parents, who previously adopted a child with special needs are applying for a subsequent adoption with America World, we will consider applications after receiving favorable post placement reports at both 6 and 12 months post adoption.

    If prospective parents, who previously adopted a child over the age of three years are applying for a subsequent adoption with America World, we will consider applications at 18 months post adoption. America World will consider the content of the 6 and 12 month post placement reports as part of the application as well as requested information.
  11. If prospective parents are applying for a subsequent adoption with AWAA, timeliness of post placement reports and the behavior of the family during the previous adoption(s) will be taken into consideration in determination of eligibility.
  12. Families desiring to adopt from China, who have a history of chronic illness will be asked by China to accept a child with special needs.
  13. Neither spouse may have felonies or multiple misdemeanors on their police records. Families with any criminal history that shows up on their police records , including a misdemeanor, are not eligible for El Salvador, Ethiopia, or Kazakhstan.
  14. Any illegal drug usage must be at least 15 years old in order to be considered to adopt from Russia or Ukraine; China will not accept any drug usage except marijuana usage that is at least 15 years old.
  15. Families being treated for mental health conditions including depression and anxiety are not eligible for China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia or El Salvador. All other mental health concerns will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
  16. Families who are eligible for multiple discounts (i.e. second time adopters, who are associates or a pastor adopting a child with special needs) will receive the highest discount for which they are eligible but the discounts are not cumulative.
  17. At the discretion of the Executive Director of Programs or Designee, additional information may be required to determine eligibility. Failure to disclose important information may affect client’s eligibility.
  18. America World requires that a single parent’s income be at least $30,000.
Note: Applicants are expected to disclose any issues regarding health, criminal background, history of physical and sexual abuse, bankruptcy, financial stability, disabilities and special needs. Nondisclosure will impair America World’s ability to serve your needs and may result in termination. Please call the office if you have questions or concerns about these items affecting your eligibility.



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