International Adoption: Do you Have to Declare You've Already Been Found Unfit to Adopt in your Home Country?

kangaroo

If anything, the requirements for adopting internationally are often even more stringent than for domestic, depending on the country. Many countries have requirements on age, fertility, BMI, no-antidepressant medication-ever, etc. This makes sense to me. If a country is losing some of its most precious "resources" (its children), then they damned well better be able to set their own criteria for what kind of families they want for their children. Not that it always works out that way.

Randy B

I had to go back and look at the forms we kept copies of from our adoption from India and there was a question asked to that effect. The question read "Have you ever been found unsuit (sic) for adoption before?" It was a locally produced form and I'm not sure if it would be used in all cases of international adoption but it was asked in our case even though our case was a bit different.

If it isn't asked all the time, it should be.

mom of many

not sure on an answer for that one...but I would think that if a person was found "unfit" to adopt in home country then that would be a red flag that no one would let them adopt. International adoptions are harder to do then domestic.

Kim

I am not sure I understand your question.

If you are wondering if you are supposed to declare *if* you have been found unfit, the answer is yes. We were asked something along the lines of "In the past, have you ever had a homestudy in which you were not approved to adopt?"

If you are asking if everyone who adopts internationally must declare that they are unfit in their home country (as though that is the reason people adopt internationally), then no, because we were *not* found unfit to adopt in our home country. I know many people are against international adoption on principle, but international adoptive parents have to pass all the same requirements as domestic adoptive parents PLUS whatever additional requirements the child's country sets.

There are ways for dishonest people to get around it, and I am not opposed to closing any loopholes, but the questions are asked. (For instance, I don't know of any place that catalogs 'failed' homestudies. So if someone answered the 'have you ever failed a homestudy?" question by saying "no" even if the truth was that they had failed, I don't know how anyone would ever find out.) I think 99% of people are truthful, but for the sake of the children, there should be a better way to catch the other 1%.

ETA: Skykisser -- If what you say is true, the agency they used should be reported. ALL adoptions, including Russian ones, require a homestudy -- and for international adoptions, you have to send a copy of it to USCIS to get a visa to bring the child back to the US. I don't see a way to get around that requirement -- and any jail time *should* show up on the FBI fingerprint/background check required for the homestudy (that is one area where your answers are *not* self-reported.) Not every arrest equals immediate disqualification, but either drug possession or assault ought to disqualify them. Psychological examinations are required on a region-by-region basis in Russia. Most regions require it now, and some agencies do even if the region does not... but it might be possible to go to a region that did not require it. However, I still do not see how your co-worker could have adopted from Russia through the "normal channels." Very shady sounding, indeed, and whatever agency helped them should be turned in.

DevonChaos

If not you darn well should HAVE to. This is a little gem of info I'm sure most people would leave out.

Jennifer L

Yes. We had to answer a question about whether we had ever had a homestudy rejected.

Angela R

No, chances are if you are found unfit to adopt in the US, then you will also not be allowed to adopt internationally. I'm not sure where people get the idea that the rules for adopting from other countries are less strict, but I really think it's the opposite. I've met many people who've adopted domestically or through US fostercare, who would have never met the requirements that many countries have for international adoption.

I think the reason many people say it's "easier" to adopt internationally is because with dom. infant adoption, just because you meet all of the qualifications, doesn't mean you are going to be chosen by a woman planning to place her child. That's when what you look like, what type of jobs and education you have, and how nice your home is comes into play. WIith fostecare adoption it's "harder" because the system doesn't always work quickly or logically, and despite the fact that there are many children waiting to be adopted, families may in some cases still wait years to have a child placed with them, and jump through many hoops that don't always make since.

With international adoptions, the requirements for things like marriage length, physical and mental health, and age may be stricter, but if you meet the requirements and pass the home study then you will eventually get a referral (even if you don't have a pool and a pony).

mom to be

Yes this should come out in the home study process. My husband and I are adopting internationally, we not only had to do a home study, but we had to also had to join a support group, have IQ testing (even thought I have a masters degree), and personality testing. I am sure people can lie about being found unfit here in the US, but if that is found out you will also loose your ability to adopt internationally as well. In some countries you are not able to adopt if you have been arrested for anything more than a traffic ticket.

Penny P

I am not sure about other countries, but in the US you have to be found as a fit parent in the US FIRST, and then prove yourself as a fit adoptive parents according to the country that you are adopting from. Meaning, you have to prove yourself TWICE. There are home studies, medical exams, psych exams, financial investigations, police clearances, educational requirements, religious requirements, just to name a few of the things that come to mind. It is no easy feat to prove yourself fit as adoptive parents. People who think all you have to do is lay money on the table and you get a child....are misinformed.

Erin L

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. Both international and domestic adoptions require a homestudy. If the homestudy agency wouldn't approve someone to adopt domestically, then they wouldn't be approved internationally, either. So, it's not possible that someone could fail a background check and still adopt intenationally. In fact, international adoption requires another level of background checks: U.S. immigration. There could be a case of a family passing a homestudy (being approved to adopt) but they don't meet the requirememts for a certain program (age, single status, BMI) but do meet the requirements of another program, but that is different than being declared unfit to adopt (not passing the homestudy). Typically, there are more requirements for international adoption programs than adopting domestically.

ETA: What Skykiss is saying is just outright wrong and is just uneducated repeating something incorrectly. Now, she could have been told about some shady practices in Russia or some shady practices by the agency used. But, all international adoption require a homestudy or the child WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE U.S. by U.S. immigration. They wouldn't be given a visa. Neither the agency or the foreign government can change that.

AdoreHim

NO- so you think it would be a good idea to adopt internationally if you are unfit to parent. Those children in other countries deserve a parent that is fit. What are you saying?

cantstopLinnyG

Foreign countries only lose their most precious resources to the highest bidders.
Just as couples adopting domestically can find ways to get around pap checklists, IA pap's do the same...except they have more cash.

SkYkIsSeR

Unfortunately these days not many international adoption agencies care to ask questions like those. A few months ago a co-worker of mine finalized her adoption from Russia. There was no home-study and no psychological evaluation. If they would have done an extensive background check they would have discovered that only 2 years ago she spent 90 days in jail for possession. And her husband just recently got out of PRISON for assault! I'm not joking either. I wish I was.

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