New adoption policy for 2007

I read about this several weeks back. It turned up last night on the news. It's good to hear that China has fewer children up for adoption. I hope that means more people are keeping their children. However, these new policies are probably the end of my potential plan to adopt someday from China (assuming I remain single). Single people are not outright excluded, but given that there are more applicants than children, "preference" to couples is a pretty dire statement.

Maybe I should convince someone who's unhappy with an accidental third or fourth child to let me have him or her. (Kidding, though I'm sad to know they would openly complain.)

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The Director *** attended a meeting held by officials from the China Center of Adoption Affairs on Friday, December 8, 2006. The main purpose of the meeting was to summarize CCAA’s work for 2006 and to address changes that will be implemented in 2007.

From 2003 to 2006, the number of dossiers submitted to CCAA continues to increase while the number of children available through international adoption continues to decrease as the focus on domestic adoption continues to grow in accordance with Hague Treaty policies. This will continue to impact the referral timeframe. The current timeframe is 15 to 16 months and may continue to lengthen in the future.

Since the number of children available for international placement has decreased, the CCAA prefers to place children with families who meet the guidelines listed below. Please note we are awaiting the official guidelines in writing from the CCAA. Therefore this information is subject to change. We will continue to update all families as we receive more information.

Based on current understanding of information released at the meeting, the following guidelines will impact families with dossiers registered (logged-in) at the CCAA after May 1, 2007:

* Couples must be married more than two years with no previous divorces. If previously divorced, the couple must be married at least 5 years. Couples with three or more divorces each are not eligible to adopt.

* Preference to married applicants over single applicants.

* The age for both parents should be between 30~50. If adopting a Waiting Child, the age of the parents should be between 30~55 if they adopt WC.

* Good health. No history of depression or anxiety within the last two years. Applicants that are hearing impaired are eligible for waiting children with similar medical issues. (We are requesting additional information on this requirement and will post more information as we receive it.)

* No criminal history. (We are requesting additional information on this requirement and will post more information as we receive it.)

* Body Mass Index (BMI) should be below 40. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htm

* The income per family member (including the adopted child) must be $10,000.00 with a net worth of $80,000.00 or greater.

* Education level of high school or higher.

* The number of children currently living in the home under the age of 18 is less than 5 including the adopted child. This may not be a restriction if the family wants to adopt a Waiting Child.

Please note: The CCAA will send agencies detailed requirements regarding the above guidelines at a later date and families will be immediately informed of these details.

Effective January 1, 2007, the fees to submit a dossier to China will also increase. As of January 1, 2007, the fee for registration/translation will increase from $635.00 to $850.00. This includes the wire fee. These fees will impact families that submit their dossier to China after January 1, 2007. Therefore, all dossiers submitted to *** and mailed to China after December 22nd will pay the updated fees.

As of January 1, 2007 the fee to register/translate the dossier through the Waiting Child Program will increase from $435.00 to $720.00. This includes the wire fee. These fees will impact families that submit their dossier to China after January 1, 2007. Therefore, all dossiers submitted to *** and mailed to China after December 22nd will pay the updated fees.