Intercountry Adoptions
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Catholic Charities offers home study and post-placement services to couples interested in Intercountry Adoption. Prospective adoptive parents must complete a required home study investigation process on behalf of a licensed child placement agency in order to adopt internationally.
Many Intercountry Adoption Agencies are located outside of Wisconsin. Having a local agency, such as Catholic Charities, complete the home study and post-placement services can be more cost-effective for the adoptive family.
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Steps to Adopt
Are you considering intercountry adoption but don’t know where to start? We know the process can seem daunting, but we are here to help break it down for you.
Steps of Adoption
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Financing Your Adoption
We know that adoption costs can feel overwhelming! Did you know that there are actually many different resources to help you pay for your adoption? There are many grants offered by different agencies to help offset the cost of an international adoption. You can also claim adoption expenses on your taxes under the Adoption Tax Credit. Other ways you can fund an international adoption is through a personal or adoption loan from some financial institutions, and your employer may offer adoption benefits. Even though some financial resources are not able to be claimed until after your adoption in finalized, they can still help to offset the total cost you end up spending.
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Myths Vs. Facts
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Fact: Almost all children eligible for international adoption have at least some degree of special needs. The vast majority of children have moderate, manageable, or correctable conditions. Very few children waiting for adoptive families are severely disabled. Special needs can range from developmental, physical, emotional, and even trauma. It is important to be aware that older children have spent more time living in institutional or foster care settings, so they will bring unique challenges and joys to their adoptive family. We mention trauma as a potential special need because some children have experienced abuse or neglect.
We understand that adopting a child with special needs is not a good fit for every family, but many families grow to be more open has they research different types and degrees of medical conditions, or as they learn that “special need” does not always mean a physical or intellectual challenge. During your home study, your social worker will assist you as you consider the special needs your family may be open to.
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Fact: Due to shifts in culture and greater efforts on the part of country governments and advocacy organizations, more children are now able to join domestic adoptive families in their home country. This gives them the opportunity to grow up in the country and culture of their birth. Additionally, many countries central adoption authority designate the first 6+ months of a relinquished or abandoned child’s life to look for a family domestically. Once this option has been exhausted, the central adoption authority will consider international adoption for the child. Typically, we do not see internationally adopted children joining families before the age of 3.
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Fact: While it is true that the majority of children available for international adoption reside in some sort of institutional care, it is not always an orphanage. Orphanages are the most known for having available children for international adoption; however, most counties also have foster care and group homes like we do in Wisconsin. These foster and group homes can have available children for international adoption.
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Fact: While international adoption can be a lengthy process most families are completing their adoption within 24 months from the time they apply. Some of this wait time is dependent on how quickly a family completes their dossier paperwork. It is important to also note that timeframes do vary among countries. There are many children waiting for their forever families, so the best time to start is once you feel called to begin the journey of growing your family.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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The biggest difference between an IH-3 and an IH-4 visa is where the adoption finalization occurs. With an IH-3 visa the child’s adoption with be finalized in their country of origin. You would then only have to complete an adoption registration in Wisconsin to receive a statement of birth facts, which looks very similar to a Wisconsin birth certificate. An IH-4 visa requires you to be foster home licensed and the adoption will be finalized in Wisconsin. This means that you will receive guardianship of the child in their country of origin and will then be filing for adoption registration in the state of Wisconsin to receive a Wisconsin birth certificate.
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A primary agency is the adoption agency that has connections to orphanages, group homes, and foster care facilities in the different countries. They are the ones that help you navigate the immigration processes and will be responsible for helping match you with a child(ren). The primary agency can be located anywhere in the United States. A local agency is the adoption agency that is close to where you live. This agency will complete your home study process, do the home safety walk throughs, and complete your post placement reports once returning home. Your local agency is the one helping to connect you with local resources, be a resource in helping you adjust to your new routine, and they will help with the re-adoption or adoption registration process in Wisconsin so you can get a Wisconsin issued birth certificate or statement of birth facts.
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Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay is a Hague Accredited Agency through CEAS. CEAS is designated as an Accrediting Entity to Accredit agencies and Approve persons to provide intercountry adoption services in the United States. The Hague Convention is an international agreement with a common set of standards for intercountry adoptions. It was developed to ensure that adoptions are conducted in an ethical and responsible manner with a focus on safeguarding the best interest of children.
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No, you do need to pick one or the other. Intercountry adoption and domestic adoption are two totally different processes that have differing requirements.
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Every country’s requirements are different. We typically tell our families to plan for 2-4 weeks. You can typically find estimates on travel requirements by looking at the country specifics page on USCIS’s website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Intercountry-Adoption-Country-Information.html
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Yes, typically your primary agency will be the one providing support while you are in the country. If there are language barriers, you will have a translator to help you communicate. Make sure to ask this question when researching primary providers since every agency has a different form of how they support you while in the child’s country.
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The total cost for Catholic Charities home study and post placement services can vary depending on how many children you are looking to adopt and how many post placement reports are required from the country.
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Contact Us
Please Contact Us for more information including information about the process and eligibility criteria.
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Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay is a Hague Accredited Agency through CEAS. CEAS is designated as an Accrediting Entity to Accredit agencies and Approve persons to provide intercountry adoption services in the United States. The Hague Convention is an international agreement with a common set of standards for intercountry adoptions. It was developed to ensure that adoptions are conducted in an ethical and responsible manner with a focus on safeguarding the best interest of children.
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