China Center of Adoption Affairs
Encyclopedia
The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) was established on June 24, 1996 by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs. The CCAA is responsible for the welfare of children in the care of Child Welfare Institutes (orphanages), domestic adoption
, and international adoption
.
, the CCAA has one office that is divided into the following eight departments with specific administrative responsibilities: Administrative Office; Adopter’s Eligibility Review Department; Child’s Inter-Country Placement Department; Domestic Adoption Department; Child-Raising Department; Archives Management Department; Information and Technology Department; Finance Department; and General Affairs Department.
service for the program, and the fourth mission is to coordinate and develop an inter-province domestic adoption service.
ratified the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoptions on September 16, 2005. Pursuant to Article 6 of the Convention, the CCAA is the Central Authority responsible for all inter-country adoptions in China. As such, the CCAA has the overall responsibility for the inter-country adoption of Chinese children. Chinese law
governs the adoptibility of Chinese children, regardless of the country where potential adopters reside. Pursuant to Article 4 of the Adoption Law of the People’s Republic of China (Adoption Law), the following children under the age of 14 qualify for adoption: orphans; children who have been abandoned by their parents; and children whose parents are unable to care for them due to “unusual difficulties.”
Adoptions must be fully completed in China, as it is not possible under Chinese law to obtain guardianship over a child for later adoption in a foreign country. Adoptive parents must travel to China to finalize the adoption of a child. In the event only one parent is able to travel to China to finalize the adoption, the spouse
who travels to China must bring a notarized power of attorney
for the other spouse.
; marital status certificate; certificates of profession, property and income; health examination certificate; home study report
; certificate of child adoption approval by the competent department of the prospective adopters’ country of residence; copy of applicants’ passports; and two full-face photographs of each adopter, as well as several other photographs reflecting the family’s life in their home country.
In addition to the application documents, prospective adopters are also required to submit the following certifying documentation: notarized medical certificate completed by a physician for each prospective adopter; notarized medical certificate of infertility if applicable to the prospective adoptive couple; a certificate of good conduct from a local or national law enforcement department, which needs to either be notarized or bear the department’s official seal; notarized and authenticated verification of employment and salary; two notarized and authenticated letters of reference; a certified home study prepared by a CCAA-licensed adoption agency; notarized and authenticated bank statements; notarized and authenticated power of attorney if only one spouse travels to China to finalize the adoption; family letter of intent to adopt; and copies of any forms required by the prospective adopters’ home countries.
All materials submitted to the CCAA must have a certified Mandarin Chinese translation, and the material must include a notarized statement by the translator
attesting to the validity of the translation. The CCAA will have the documents translated for a $200 (U.S.) fee.
and any preferences with regard to the child’s age, sex, physical/mental condition, or Chinese region of origin. Once received, the CCAA reviews the application packet and requests that the prospective adopters submit any omitted documents or authorizations.
If the CCAA approves the application, it will then match an available child with the prospective adopters and will send the prospective adopters information about the child, commonly called a “referral,” which includes photographs and the child’s health records. If the prospective adopters have additional questions after receiving the information, they may contact the CCAA either directly or through their adoption agency.
Within 45 days after the CCAA sent the referral, the prospective adopters must notify the CCAA, via their adoption agency, whether or not they have chosen to accept the referral. If the prospective adopters reject the referral, they must provide a justified explanation
to the CCAA; otherwise, the CCAA may withdraw their application for Chinese adoption. If the prospective parents accept a referral, the CCAA will send them an approval notice (Notice of Coming to China for Adoption).
After the prospective adopters receive the approval notice form the CCAA, they may then travel to China to finalize the adoption process. Although the CCAA is located in Beijing, prospective adopters will not be required to travel to Beijing during the adoption process. Instead, the location of the child to be adopted determines which city the prospective adopters travel to. Prior to the arrival of the prospective adopters, the CCAA will have forwarded a copy of the adoption approval notice to the Child Welfare Institutes, the Civil Affairs officials, and the Notarial Offices in the locality where the child to be adopted resides.
In order to finalize the adoption, the prospective adopters must first meet with the adoption registry office. Prospective adopters are sometimes required to meet with the local Notarial Office as well. Prior to the completion of the adoption, the prospective adopters may request to see the child in person. Any additional questions about the child must be resolved prior to finalization of the adoption.
After interviewing with the various Chinese government offices, the prospective adopters must pay a fixed donation
of between $3000 to $5000 (U.S.) to the Child Welfare Institute where the child was cared for prior to the adoption. The prospective adopters will then be required to sign agreements with the Child Welfare Institute, register the adoption at the provincial Civil Affairs Bureau, and pay all of the remaining required fees.
After the local Notarial Office approves the adoption, that Office will notarize a certificate of adoption, a birth certificate, and either a death certificate
for the child’s biological parents or a statement of abandonment from the Welfare Institute. The child is officially adopted on the day of the notarization, after which the adopters are fully and legally responsible for the child.
Once the adoption has been finalized, the Child Welfare Institute must obtain a Chinese passport and exit permit from the Public Security Bureau in that jurisdiction.
The new CCAA requirements are in response to an increase of adoption applications that have been submitted by prospective adopters. The requirements are also due, in part, to a decrease in the number of available children for adoption. The decrease in available children has been attributed to increased wealth
of Chinese citizens, such that they are able to pay the “social compensation fee” to have more than one child under China’s one-child policy
.
The CCAA claims that the rationale for the new requirements is to protect the best interests of children, as well as to shorten the waiting time for the most qualified applicants.
China first allowed adoptions to the United States in 1991, when 61 children were issued immigrant visas. Between 1991 and 2005, the number of American adoptions of Chinese children had increased tremendously, with a total of 62,906 children have been adopted by U.S. residents during that time. However in recent years, in light of China's tightening regulations of international adoption, the number of American of adoptions of Chinese children plummeted from a high of 7,906, in 2005, to 5,453, in 2007. According to U.S. State Department statistics, the number of immigrant visas issued to Chinese orphans per year is as follows:
, Canada
, United Kingdom
, France
, Spain
, the Netherlands
, Belgium
, Denmark
, Norway
, Sweden
, Finland
, Iceland
, Ireland
, Australia
, New Zealand
, and Singapore
.
After the United States, Spain is the country that adopts the most children from China. In 2005, over 2,700 children were adopted by Spanish families. Like the United States, families in Australia, Canada, and Spain adopt more children from China than from any other country.
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, and international adoption
International adoption
International adoption is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple becomes the legal and permanent parents of a child that is a national of a different country...
.
Administrative structure
Located in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, the CCAA has one office that is divided into the following eight departments with specific administrative responsibilities: Administrative Office; Adopter’s Eligibility Review Department; Child’s Inter-Country Placement Department; Domestic Adoption Department; Child-Raising Department; Archives Management Department; Information and Technology Department; Finance Department; and General Affairs Department.
Nurture of children in Social Welfare Institutions
The CCAA has announced four concrete missions with regard to its role in overseeing the welfare of children in social welfare institutions. The first mission is to conduct studies and make recommendations concerning child-raising programs in such institutions. Second, the CCAA aims to promulgate standards to be implemented in social welfare institutions. The third mission is to manage the training of care-providers. Fourth, the CCAA seeks to implement advanced methods and programs in child-rearing.Domestic adoptions
The CCAA also has four missions with regard to the handling of domestic adoptions. First, the CCAA is to conduct studies aimed at furthering the development of its domestic adoption program. The second mission is to develop and implement regulations for domestic adoption. The third mission is to develop a consultingConsultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
service for the program, and the fourth mission is to coordinate and develop an inter-province domestic adoption service.
Intercountry adoptions
ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
ratified the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoptions on September 16, 2005. Pursuant to Article 6 of the Convention, the CCAA is the Central Authority responsible for all inter-country adoptions in China. As such, the CCAA has the overall responsibility for the inter-country adoption of Chinese children. Chinese law
Chinese law
Chinese law is one of the oldest legal traditions in the world. In the 20th and 21st century, law in China has been a complex mix of traditional Chinese approaches and Western influences....
governs the adoptibility of Chinese children, regardless of the country where potential adopters reside. Pursuant to Article 4 of the Adoption Law of the People’s Republic of China (Adoption Law), the following children under the age of 14 qualify for adoption: orphans; children who have been abandoned by their parents; and children whose parents are unable to care for them due to “unusual difficulties.”
Adoptions must be fully completed in China, as it is not possible under Chinese law to obtain guardianship over a child for later adoption in a foreign country. Adoptive parents must travel to China to finalize the adoption of a child. In the event only one parent is able to travel to China to finalize the adoption, the spouse
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
who travels to China must bring a notarized power of attorney
Power of attorney
A power of attorney or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter...
for the other spouse.
Eight missions of the CCAA
The CCAA claims to have eight concrete missions with regard to intercountry adoptions. First, the CCAA receives and reviews applications and certifying documentation from foreign persons wishing to adopt. Second, the CCAA also receives certifying documentation from persons placing children out for adoption. Pursuant to Article 5 of the Adoption Law, the following individuals are entitled to place children out for adoption: guardians of an orphan; social welfare institutions; and parents who are unable to care for their children. The third mission of the CCAA is to locate and assign children who are available for adoption under the Adoption Law. Fourth, the CCAA is to follow up with the life and growth of adopted children in foreign countries. The CCAA’s fifth mission is to assist other departments of the Chinese government that are involved in the adoption of Chinese children. Such departments include Child Welfare Institutes, provincial Notarial Offices responsible for issuance of the final adoption certificate, and the Public Security Bureau responsible for issuing Chinese passports and exit permits for adopted children. The sixth mission is to archive all documentation for each party involved in a child’s adoption, including the application for adoption, certifying documents, and materials concerning the life of the child in his or her new home. Seventh, the CCAA is to conduct any liaison, counseling, or coordination work involved with inter-country adoptions. The final stated mission of the CCAA is to handle any other matters regarding the intercountry adoption process that has not been delegated to another office or authority.Required documentation
The CCAA requires prospective adopters to submit the following application documents: adoption application; birth certificateBirth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
; marital status certificate; certificates of profession, property and income; health examination certificate; home study report
Adoption home study
A home study or homestudy is a screening of the home and life of prospective adoptive parents prior to allowing an adoption to take place. In some places, and in all international adoptions, a home study is required by law. Even where it is not legally mandated, it may be required by an adoption...
; certificate of child adoption approval by the competent department of the prospective adopters’ country of residence; copy of applicants’ passports; and two full-face photographs of each adopter, as well as several other photographs reflecting the family’s life in their home country.
In addition to the application documents, prospective adopters are also required to submit the following certifying documentation: notarized medical certificate completed by a physician for each prospective adopter; notarized medical certificate of infertility if applicable to the prospective adoptive couple; a certificate of good conduct from a local or national law enforcement department, which needs to either be notarized or bear the department’s official seal; notarized and authenticated verification of employment and salary; two notarized and authenticated letters of reference; a certified home study prepared by a CCAA-licensed adoption agency; notarized and authenticated bank statements; notarized and authenticated power of attorney if only one spouse travels to China to finalize the adoption; family letter of intent to adopt; and copies of any forms required by the prospective adopters’ home countries.
All materials submitted to the CCAA must have a certified Mandarin Chinese translation, and the material must include a notarized statement by the translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
attesting to the validity of the translation. The CCAA will have the documents translated for a $200 (U.S.) fee.
Adoption process
The U.S. Department of State has outlined the following procedures for intercountry adoption of Chinese children. The process starts when a CCAA-licensed adoption agency sends a complete application packet, including all required documentation, directly to the CCAA. In addition to all documentation required by the CCAA, the application packet should include a cover letterCover letter
A cover letter, covering letter, motivation letter, motivational letter or a letter of motivation is a letter of introduction attached to, or accompanying another document such as a résumé or curriculum vitae.- For employment :...
and any preferences with regard to the child’s age, sex, physical/mental condition, or Chinese region of origin. Once received, the CCAA reviews the application packet and requests that the prospective adopters submit any omitted documents or authorizations.
If the CCAA approves the application, it will then match an available child with the prospective adopters and will send the prospective adopters information about the child, commonly called a “referral,” which includes photographs and the child’s health records. If the prospective adopters have additional questions after receiving the information, they may contact the CCAA either directly or through their adoption agency.
Within 45 days after the CCAA sent the referral, the prospective adopters must notify the CCAA, via their adoption agency, whether or not they have chosen to accept the referral. If the prospective adopters reject the referral, they must provide a justified explanation
Explanation
An explanation is a set of statements constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes, context, and consequencesof those facts....
to the CCAA; otherwise, the CCAA may withdraw their application for Chinese adoption. If the prospective parents accept a referral, the CCAA will send them an approval notice (Notice of Coming to China for Adoption).
After the prospective adopters receive the approval notice form the CCAA, they may then travel to China to finalize the adoption process. Although the CCAA is located in Beijing, prospective adopters will not be required to travel to Beijing during the adoption process. Instead, the location of the child to be adopted determines which city the prospective adopters travel to. Prior to the arrival of the prospective adopters, the CCAA will have forwarded a copy of the adoption approval notice to the Child Welfare Institutes, the Civil Affairs officials, and the Notarial Offices in the locality where the child to be adopted resides.
In order to finalize the adoption, the prospective adopters must first meet with the adoption registry office. Prospective adopters are sometimes required to meet with the local Notarial Office as well. Prior to the completion of the adoption, the prospective adopters may request to see the child in person. Any additional questions about the child must be resolved prior to finalization of the adoption.
After interviewing with the various Chinese government offices, the prospective adopters must pay a fixed donation
Donation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
of between $3000 to $5000 (U.S.) to the Child Welfare Institute where the child was cared for prior to the adoption. The prospective adopters will then be required to sign agreements with the Child Welfare Institute, register the adoption at the provincial Civil Affairs Bureau, and pay all of the remaining required fees.
After the local Notarial Office approves the adoption, that Office will notarize a certificate of adoption, a birth certificate, and either a death certificate
Death certificate
The phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
for the child’s biological parents or a statement of abandonment from the Welfare Institute. The child is officially adopted on the day of the notarization, after which the adopters are fully and legally responsible for the child.
Once the adoption has been finalized, the Child Welfare Institute must obtain a Chinese passport and exit permit from the Public Security Bureau in that jurisdiction.
Revised intercountry adoption requirements
The CCAA has promulgated the following new intercountry adoption requirements, set to take effect on May 1, 2007.- Prospective adopters must be married for at least two years prior to the adoption, with marriage defined as being between a man and a woman. If either the husband or wife has been divorced in the past, the prospective adopters must be married for at least five years prior to the adoption. If either the husband or wife has been divorced more than twice, the couple is precluded from adopting a Chinese child.
- Single persons will no longer be eligible to adopt Chinese children, although they were previously allowed to by the CCAA. In fact, approximately one-third of all children adopted from China in the past were adopted by single parents. This restriction is due, in part, to the belief that the child will be without a parent if the single adopter dies. Chinese law has always precluded homosexual individuals or couples from adopting children.
- Both the husband and wife must be at least 30 years of age, and both must be under the age of 50. If a couple is adopting a special needs child, neither spouse can be older than 55 years of age.
- The age restriction is meant to lessen the chances that a child will lose a parent before turning 18 years of age, or that a child will be burdened with the responsibility of providing for elderly parents.
- Both the husband and wife must be physically and mentally fit, and must not have any of the following conditions:
- AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
; - Mental handicap;
- Infectious diseaseInfectious diseaseInfectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
that is actively contagious; - BlindnessBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
in one or both eyes or wearing a ocular prosthetic; - Hearing impairmentHearing impairment-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
in both ears or the loss of language function; those adopting children with hearing or language function loss are exempt if they have the same conditions; - Non-function or dysfunction of limbs or trunk caused by impairment, incomplete limb, paralysisParalysisParalysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
or deformation; - Severe facial deformation;
- Severe diseases that require long-term treatment and that affect life expectancyLife expectancyLife expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
, including malignant tumors, lupus erythematosusLupus erythematosusLupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
, nephrosisNephrosisNephrosis refers to a non-inflammatory nephropathy.It should not be confused with nephritis, where inflammation is implied. However, some sources equate nephrosis with nephropathy.It can also be used to indicate an emphasis on the renal tubule....
, epilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, etc.; - Major organ transplantOrgan transplantOrgan transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
within the past ten years; - SchizophreniaSchizophreniaSchizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
; - On medicationMedicationA pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...
for more than two years for severe mental disorders, such as clinical depressionClinical depressionMajor depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, maniaManiaMania, the presence of which is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses, is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression...
, or anxiety disorderAnxiety disorderAnxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety. Conditions now considered anxiety disorders only came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century. Gelder, Mayou & Geddes explains that anxiety disorders are...
; - Body mass indexBody mass indexThe body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
(BMI) greater than 40.- One spouse must have stable employmentEmploymentEmployment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
. The family’s annual income must be $10,000 per household member (including children), and the family’s assets must total at least $80,000. The requisite family income excludes welfare income, pensions, unemployment insurance, government subsidies, etc.; - Each spouse must be a high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
graduate, or have vocational training equivalent to that of a high school graduate; - A couple must have fewer than five children in the family under 18 years of age, and the youngest child should be at least 1 year of age. Families adopting special needs children will be exempt.
- Neither spouse may have a criminal recordCriminal recordA criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history, generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to assess his or her trustworthiness. The information included in a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country...
, as well as any of the following histories:
- One spouse must have stable employment
- Domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, sex abuse, child abandonmentChild abandonmentChild abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. An abandoned child is called a foundling .-Causes:Poverty is often a...
or child abuseChild abuseChild abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
(even absent an arrest or conviction for such behavior); - Use of narcotics, like opiumOpiumOpium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
, morphineMorphineMorphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
, marijuana, cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, heroin, methamphetamineMethamphetamineMethamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, etc., or any medication for mental illness that has addictiveSubstance use disorderSubstance use disorders include substance abuse and substance dependence. In DSM-IV, the conditions are formally diagnosed as one or the other, but it has been proposed that DSM-5 combine the two into a single condition called "Substance-use disorder"....
qualities; - Alcohol abuseAlcohol abuseAlcohol abuse, as described in the DSM-IV, is a psychiatric diagnosis describing the recurring use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. Alcohol abuse eventually progresses to alcoholism, a condition in which an individual becomes dependent on alcoholic beverages in order to avoid...
. If prospective adopters do have histories of alcohol abuse, they must show that they have been sober for at least ten years.- Prospective adopters must understand the responsibilities of adoption, the expectation to provide a warm family environment for the orphaned child, and must be able to provide for the proper development of the child. Prospective adopters must also have an understanding of intercountry adoption, and must be prepared for potential risks associated with intercountry adoption, such as potential diseases, developmental delays, post-placement maladjustment, etc.;
- In their adoption application letter, the prospective adopters must clearly indicate that they are willing to allow post-placement follow-ups and to provide post-placement reports as required by the CCAA;
- The fixed number of years or age requirements that prospective adopters must meet, as will be indicated in their adoption application letter, shall be dated from the day when the adoption application documents are logged in at the CCAA.
The new CCAA requirements are in response to an increase of adoption applications that have been submitted by prospective adopters. The requirements are also due, in part, to a decrease in the number of available children for adoption. The decrease in available children has been attributed to increased wealth
Wealth
Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. The word wealth is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem...
of Chinese citizens, such that they are able to pay the “social compensation fee” to have more than one child under China’s one-child policy
One-child policy
The one-child policy refers to the one-child limitation applying to a minority of families in the population control policy of the People's Republic of China . The Chinese government refers to it under the official translation of family planning policy...
.
The CCAA claims that the rationale for the new requirements is to protect the best interests of children, as well as to shorten the waiting time for the most qualified applicants.
Adoption to the United States
The United States is ranked as the number one destination for children adopted abroad, and since 2000, U.S. residents have adopted more children from China than any other country.China first allowed adoptions to the United States in 1991, when 61 children were issued immigrant visas. Between 1991 and 2005, the number of American adoptions of Chinese children had increased tremendously, with a total of 62,906 children have been adopted by U.S. residents during that time. However in recent years, in light of China's tightening regulations of international adoption, the number of American of adoptions of Chinese children plummeted from a high of 7,906, in 2005, to 5,453, in 2007. According to U.S. State Department statistics, the number of immigrant visas issued to Chinese orphans per year is as follows:
- FY 2008: 3,909
- FY 2007: 5,453
- FY 2006: 6,493
- FY 2005: 7,906
- FY 2004: 7,044
- FY 2003: 6,859
- FY 2002: 6,119
- FY 2001: 4,681
- FY 2000: 5,053
- FY 1999: 4,101
- FY 1998: 4,206
- FY 1997: 3,597
- FY 1996: 3,333
- FY 1995: 2,130
- FY 1994: 787
- FY 1993: 330
- FY 1992: 206
- FY 1991: 61
Adoption to other countries
As of September 30, 2005, China has agreements with the following 16 nations for inter-country adoption: United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
After the United States, Spain is the country that adopts the most children from China. In 2005, over 2,700 children were adopted by Spanish families. Like the United States, families in Australia, Canada, and Spain adopt more children from China than from any other country.
External links
- CCAA Website
- Chinese Adoption Resources. How To Adopt Babies from China