Reaching out and providing a child with a home is one of the most rewarding and challenging things a family can do. With that in mind, it is important to avoid some of the pitfalls in what is often a lengthy and complex process. The vast majority of inter-country adoptions require the involvement of a British Columbia licensed adoption agency. The licensed adoption agency will work with the prospective adoptive family to complete an adoption homestudy and ensure that all other BC legal requirements are met.
Prospective adoptive parents should contact several agencies to determine which one might best meet their needs. Although a licensed agency may be physically located outside of the area where prospective adopters reside, the agency may have registered social workers designated to work in the prospective adopters community.
British Columbia's Adoption Act requires a homestudy for those intending to bring a child into BC for adoption. It is very important that you inform an adoption agency so there are no delays in planning for the child. Federal immigration regulations also require most prospective adoptive parents intending to adopt, or who have already adopted, to have completed an approved homestudy.
Please note: Citizenship & Immigration make the final decision of whether the child will be allowed to enter the country.
To have a homestudy done, and for assistance in the inter-country adoption process, please contact a BC licensed adoption agency. The licensed adoption agency will assist families to determine the applicable fact sheet for their specific situation and provide the services necessary to comply with the requirements.
| Fact Sheet 1 | Adoptions Outside the Hague Convention - Related or Non-related Child - adoptions already completed outside of BC |
| Fact Sheet 2 | Adoption Outside the Hague Convention - Related or Non-related Children - adoptions which are going to be completed outside of BC |
| Fact Sheet 3 | Interprovincial and Inter-country Adoptions Outside the Hague Convention - Non-related Child - to be completed in BC |
| Fact Sheet 4 | Adoptions Outside the Hague Convention - Related child- to be completed in BC |
| Fact Sheet 5 | Hague Convention Adoptions - adoptions following the Hague Convention for related and non-related children. |
In an effort to make inter-country adoption a safer and more secure process, many countries have signed the Hague Convention, which lays out guidelines to govern adoption processes in these countries and protect both adopted children and adoptive families. Both Hague Convention adoptions and non-Hague Convention adoptions are carried out by a licensed adoption agency. For more information on the Hague Convention please see:
The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption
Adoptions that take place between Canada and countries that have not ratified the Hague Convention have similar steps that take place but lack the assurances of Hague Convention adoptions.
There may be difficulties processing adoptions from certain jurisdictions because of the requirements of these countries may not be aligned with the laws of this province. Additionally, some countries do not govern their adoption process as carefully as Canada. The following alerts inform families of the closure of adoptions and suspect adoption practices in other countries, as well as advising of procedural delays.
China Alert
Liberia Alert
Azerbaijan Alert
Sarawak Adoption Alert
Guatemala Adoption Alert
Republic of Georgia Alert
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