India is open for waiting children adoptions. A waiting child can be a child age 9 months-12 years with a medical condition, sibling sets, or healthy children over the age of 7 years.HISTORYIndia gained independence from the British in 1947 after separating into the Republic of India and Pakistan. India’s 1.2 billion people represent one sixth of the world’s population. With over a million square miles of territory and more than 3,500 miles of coastline, India is one of the most vast and diverse countries in the world. From the enormous Himalayas in the north, to the tropical beaches of the west and south – India has a wide and diverse landscape. With India’s sharp population increase over the last half century there have been many social and economic challenges. The burden of extreme poverty and disease, added to India’s population explosion, has created a large orphan crisis. There are many reasons why children are no longer able to live with their birth families, including HIV/AIDS, child neglect, poverty and child abandonment.
NEW PROGRAMThe India Program is a new program at our agency. Our agency is licensed by
India’s adoption authority,
CARA, and is also accredited as a
Hague-Accredited agency.
Due to this being a new program, we consider it a “pilot program” and will be updating information regarding the process, timeframes and estimated expenses as the program develops. Please contact
india@awaa.org with questions.
ADOPTION PROCESSIndia’s international adoption process
is done in accordance with The Hague Convention’s guidelines on inter-country adoption of children.
After filling out an application, receiving approval through America World’s intake process, and signing an Agreement with America World, prospective
adoptive parents
initiate what we call the “paper chase," which takes 4-6 months to complete. During this stage of the adoption, families begin assembling their dossier (or set of adoption paperwork). America World assigns each adoptive family a member of our staff to work with to help them compile their dossier, which includes a home study and pre-approval from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Once this section of the dossier is complete, families wait to receive a referral of a child. America World Adoption works with Indian agencies to help match a child according to the family’s child request. The age, gender and health preferences of the child being adopted will factor into how long the wait for a referral lasts – ranging from 6 to 14 months. The referral generally includes a picture, medical test results and a socio-biographical sketch of the child’s life. All children are tested for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and other medical conditions. Prospective parents are given the option to accept or reject the child referral they receive. When reviewing a referral, we recommend that families consult an international specialist with experience reviewing medical referral information. After families choose to accept a referral, America World works with them to complete the necessary paperwork to process the adoption through the Indian court system.
Through the court process the family receives guardianship of the child and the parents can travel to India to meet the child and process a visa for the child with the U.S. Consulate in New Delhi. We will work closely with your family in making travel arrangements.
The in-country stay in India is generally one to two weeks long. America World’s staff will coordinate travel logistics, including air and ground transportation, lodging, and some meals. During this time, adoptive parents visit the U.S. consulate in Delhi to receive their child’s visa. This is the final step before returning home with your child.
