Families, couples and individuals regularly choose to bring children into their homes through the adoption process, and these children come from both in and outside of the United States. People in Georgia considering foreign adoption may face different challenges than those who decide to go through domestic adoption. Those who are considering an international adoption will benefit from understanding the steps involved in the process.
If a married couple is interested in adopting a child from a foreign country, at least one of the spouses has to be a U.S. citizen, while the other must be living in America legally. Unmarried individuals must be at least 25 when they file an orphan petition. When applying for advance processing, an individual may file an orphan petition at 24 years of age as long as he or she will be 25 before the adoption actually takes place.
To help the international adoption process move along more quickly, couples or individuals can file advance processing. This ensures that one is able to provide an acceptable home for a child even before a child has been located. Without being cleared as a suitable parent and provider, one cannot adopt and bring home a child from another country. This suitability is determined based on various factors, including a home study.
There are numerous aspects to adopting a child from a foreign country of which many people are unaware. As a Georgia resident works with experts and organizations to complete the adoption process, the associated challenges may seem overwhelming. However, the help of an adoption professional can often ease the stress and make the complex process appear simplified.
Source: findlaw.com, “Bringing a Foreign-Born Orphan to the U.S.“, Dec. 8, 2014