I have long wondered why people in the states tend to adopt kids from foreign countries. I have read locally that a couple was adopting a kid from russian and the russian govt has come down on americans adopting russian kids. just wondering..
I have long wondered why people in the states tend to adopt kids from foreign countries. I have read locally that a couple was adopting a kid from russian and the russian govt has come down on americans adopting russian kids. just wondering..
Because it makes them feel like they are making a difference around the world. That and the fact that all the celebs are doing it. Gotta stay trendy!
Folks are always bragging about 'rescuing' a pet from the local pound, you would think that 'rescuing' a local child from a life without a family would hold more weight.
Wow, now there's a ridiculously uninformed and jaded answer.
1- Many time it is significantly easier
2- Many times it is significantly cheaper
3- Fear of the birth parents causing problems
4- Love of a particular people group
5- Recognition of a greater need
6- Some people are not bound by prejudices, fears, and ethno-centricities that would bind them to the local area.
7- Heritage relations
8- I'm sure there are MANY more good answers.
...and yeah, Russia has just locked the borders to American adoptions. Apparently they'd rather their children rot in a God-forsaken institution somewhere.
BTW, I am pretty sure that the majority of adoptions are not international, and that US foster adoptions are less expensive by a long shot. YMMV.
People sometimes choose to avoid foster adoptions because of the initial difficult involvement of US foster agencies and government involvement.
SVreX wrote: BTW, I am pretty sure that the majority of adoptions are not international, and that US foster adoptions are less expensive by a long shot. YMMV.
Though the government yes cheaper. Through a agency not a chance.
I was mostly kidding with my reply. I should have inserted a 
to make it clear :)
I have no real answer, but have always wondered the same thing.
BARNCA wrote: I have long wondered why people in the states tend to adopt kids from foreign countries. I have read locally that a couple was adopting a kid from russian and the russian govt has come down on americans adopting russian kids. just wondering..
The short version is that it is a royal PITA to adopt in the US, whereas it used to be that you could adopt out of Russia in under a year. I think it's supposed to have been cheaper, too, even with all of the "friendly contributions".
My sister adapted three different children, all from overseas.
Fear of the birth parents causing problems was reason #1. We've both watched friends go through the ringer here in the US on this one. American laws are slanted to the birth parent, not matter how horrible they are, or how many years ago they gave up custody, or anything else. She had friends lose custody after something like 10 years to a witch who came back. Courts ruled that as the US birth mother, she had rights that superceded the custody agreement. My sister wasn't willing to run that risk. She would only adopt from a host country that guaranteed her 100% custodial rights as the adoptive parent. That you cannot get in the USA.
Cost and easiness varies. Almost as much to do with the individual case worker conducting the home inspection as with the host country. Get the wrong case worker, and you may not ever be able to adopt. Get upset and attempt to fight back, just proves you're emotionally unsuited for parenting.
You can always make more money, but you can't E36 M3 a pair of scissors for the red tape....
wearymicrobe wrote:SVreX wrote: BTW, I am pretty sure that the majority of adoptions are not international, and that US foster adoptions are less expensive by a long shot. YMMV.Though the government yes cheaper. Through a agency not a chance.
I'm not even sure what you are saying.
Are you saying a US government adoption? I'm not even sure there is such a thing. The US government isn't in the adoption business.
The statistical average of a US agency adoption is VERY similar in cost to a US lawyer adoption. It is also VERY similar in cost to the statistical average of an International Agency adoption, although it varies greatly by country.
There are, however, BIG exceptions to every approach.
A US foster adoption will (on average) run approximately 5% of the cost of a US agency or lawyer adoption. It is MUCH less expensive.
don't know how long or how expensive it is to adopt out of the country ... but my sister is in the 2nd yr of trying to finalize the in country of an 8 yr old little girl ( from the neighboring state ( that's one of the problems ) maybe by the end to this yr ( '13 ) it'll be final .. that'll make nearly 3 yrs of red tape
My wife and I have looked into adoption within the US through a few different agencies. They all have different rules and criteria you have to meet. I think we looked through 3 different agencies. Each one had some criteria we don't meet, each one different.
I know we looked at an overseas adoption and depending from where, it can get more expensive than a domestic adoption, but there is much less red tape to go through.
Have you looked into foster adoption?
Spoolpigeon wrote: Because it makes them feel like they are making a difference around the world. That and the fact that all the celebs are doing it. Gotta stay trendy! Folks are always bragging about 'rescuing' a pet from the local pound, you would think that 'rescuing' a local child from a life without a family would hold more weight.
Actually from the responses of people I know who've done it (3), Spoolpigeon is pretty much right on.
But there is the additional fact that it is supposedly a little easier & faster than the hoops you have to jump thru in American adoptions.
SVreX wrote: ...and yeah, Russia has just locked the borders to American adoptions. Apparently they'd rather their children rot in a God-forsaken institution somewhere.
I believe it was in response the US condemning them for human rights violations.
Yup... not letting us help your children... that will definitely teach us not to do that again...
I have heard though, that adopting some of there orphanage children can be risky from a behavioral perspective (they have been in such a bad situation for so long, they never recover).
...also, there is the issue of white vs black babies, but I don't know how true that is and it might not be a good street to go down here...
The reason the child is up for adoption is a major factor. China, for example, has a a social structure that puts many many female children from perfectly normal social and health situations into orphanages at birth. There is also the HUGE issue of never having to worry about birth parents coming back to contest the adoption. The international adoptions all vary in price and ease by country of choice, but adopting from Russia is and has been a mess for the last 8 years that I have been paying attention. Sadly in the last few years China has become very slow so the attractiveness of that option has diminished as well.
Foster is definitely the cheapest by far, but holy crap is that a system in need. The regular foster care and foster to adopt system are one and the same and the foster care side has far to few foster homes and far to many foster children. Because of that they tend to take advantage of people wanting to adopt by "exaggerating" your chances of actually adopting so you will foster the child. It is a heartbreaking process that rarely turns out the way people expected when they enter it. It also has a much more stringent home study than private or agency adoption.
wbjones wrote: don't know how long or how expensive it is to adopt out of the country ... but my sister is in the 2nd yr of trying to finalize the in country of an 8 yr old little girl ( from the neighboring state ( that's one of the problems ) maybe by the end to this yr ( '13 ) it'll be final .. that'll make nearly 3 yrs of red tape
It seems like it is harder to adopt across state lines than from other countries.
My sister has adopted four children, all from the US. It's a hard process, and very expensive. Sadly I think it is just easier to adopt an out of country child.
SVreX wrote:wearymicrobe wrote:I'm not even sure what you are saying. Are you saying a US government adoption? I'm not even sure there is such a thing. The US government isn't in the adoption business. The statistical average of a US agency adoption is VERY similar in cost to a US lawyer adoption. It is also VERY similar in cost to the statistical average of an International Agency adoption, although it varies greatly by country. There are, however, BIG exceptions to every approach. A US foster adoption will (on average) run approximately 5% of the cost of a US agency or lawyer adoption. It is MUCH less expensive.SVreX wrote: BTW, I am pretty sure that the majority of adoptions are not international, and that US foster adoptions are less expensive by a long shot. YMMV.Though the government yes cheaper. Through a agency not a chance.
I'm pretty sure he's referring to local government, not national. We adopted last year through a local county's children's services department and it didn't cost us a single cent. Our lawyer did all the paperwork for the state's reimbursable stipend rate and the county had many lawyers who would do that if ours hadn't agreed to. Going through a private agency, even for a local adoption, does jack the cost by a huge amount - they've got to pay salaries, make a profit (or "not"), pay for insurance premiums, etc.
My cousin and her husband adopted two Russian kids before the lockdown. It was definitely cheaper and easier than going the US route and they adpoted babies (both were under 1 year old). I want to say it was about $10K per child, including the airline tickets etc.
In reply to fastEddie:
I've never heard of "free". Since you said it was through child services, I am assuming it was a foster adoption of some sort. It also sounds like you were extremely fortunate. That is not the way it usually goes.
All 3 of ours were "Free" in the end. They were private but ended up with a final price of less than the Federal Adoption Tax Credit. We paids the bills and kept receipts along the way, but Uncle Sam (all of you) paid us back in the end. Thanks guys! 
In reply to fastEddie:
would you mind pm-ing me some details? was this a foster adoption? my wife and I have been kicking the idea of adoption around for a while, and cost has always been the big block. free would change the game quite a bit...
szeis4cookie wrote: In reply to fastEddie: would you mind pm-ing me some details? was this a foster adoption? my wife and I have been kicking the idea of adoption around for a while, and cost has always been the big block. free would change the game quite a bit...
The Federal Government allows approximately a $12,000 Adoption Tax Credit for successful domestic or foreign adoptions. That is a tax credit not deduction meaning you get that credit toward the taxes you owe. If you have already paid those taxes you get a refund. In recent years if tax credits exceed the amount owed the govt cuts you a check for the surplus.
Rough figures Ive heard or experienced: If you adopt through an agency it will cost around twice the credit or $25k. If you adopt from China it will cost you around $20k. A private adoption through an attorney can run anywhere from $3k for a non contested adoption up to $10k-$20k per child for a difficult case. Remember to deduct the up to $12k Federal Adoption Tax Credit for final out of pocket expenses. Foster adoptions can truly be free and can sometimes include future college financial credits. That depends entirely on your state.
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