Adopting a family member from the philippines

[Happily Married]

can anyone offer me advice on how to adopt a family member from the philippines? not sure if age makes a difference but she is 11 years old. Thanks Ps we live in england.

[hawk]

this is what i found out dont know if it helps A family who wishes to adopt a relative child must consider the following before starting the adoption process. Is the child considered (by US immigration and DSWD standards) an eligible child for the inter-country adoption process? A child can be determined eligible if one or both of the birth parents are deceased. If there is one surviving parent, that parent must give up their parental rights to the child through the Philippines court. If both biological parents are still alive but they wish to have their child adopted by a family member, often times the answer is case specific. Our staff here at Child and Family Service can help you determine potential eligibility for Philippines Adoption.

If a child cannot be classified to be adopted through the inter-country process by the Philippines, the child will not meet the immigration requirements to come to the U.S. on through the petition I-800. Rather, the adoptive family will need to adopt domestically in the Philippines and fulfill the requirement of residing in the Philippines with the child for two years. They must show financial support of the child and be the primary care giver. After the two year commitment, the adoptive family may file an I-130 form with immigration. The I-130 is the petition to bring a relative to the United States.

The International Adoption Program at Child and Family Service can assist a prospective adoptive family if there is question that the child may or may not be considered eligible for inter-country adoption (i.e. abandonment, financial hardship) or if a family is unable to reside in the Philippines for the two year requirement. Our program works with the ICAB and the DSWD to help determine a child's eligibility status. If the child is considered eligible, our program will assist the family in gathering the necessary documents required by both U.S. Immigration and the Philippines government. There are fees involved to our agency, to U.S. Immigration, and to the ICAB in the Philippines. It is important to know that an adoption from the Philippines can take two years to complete.
this was taken from agency site but i yhink this will be same for uk too as couples trying to adopt in uk can take sometimes 2-3yrs its all down to red tape in uk and the hoops you need to jump through good luck

[Happily Married]

Brilliant thanks. Two years is fine by us. thanks for your help.

[hawk]

its ok hope all goes well you might try your local soucial sevices as they maybe able to give you more info as differant areas have differant rules

[Terpe]

The source of the information posted by hawk is the CFS (Child & Family Service) The website is here (http://www.childandfamilyservice.org/philippines-adoption.htm)

May I also suggest you read through the Philippines Republic Act No. 8043

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE RULES TO GOVERN INTER-COUNTRY ADOPTION OF FILIPINO CHILDREN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. (http://www.pctc.gov.ph/initiatv/RA8043.htm)

Also worth reviewing is the document IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9523 (http://www.dswd.gov.ph/phocadownload/irr/irrra9523stb.pdf) as it explains eligibility and the processes to follow from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

Sorry if it looks like a lot of reading, but it's not too long and you'll find it invaluable as a guidance.

Good luck

[Terpe]

Sorry forgot to include the UKBA information INTER-COUNTRY ADOPTION AND THE IMMIGRATION RULES (http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/residency/intercountryadoption.pdf) which is also required reading. (yep, even more reading)