Why is adopting overseas so expensive & difficult?

Question

I am going to try to phrase this without sounding condesending. My husband & I have been struggling with fertility problems for 3 1/2 years. We just can't afford IVF or any ART. We would love,& be willing, to adopt. The US really has very restrictive rules regarding adoption. By the time all the fees are paid-we could have done ART or had a surrogant. Anyway-we decided to look to overseas adoption. After all...Angelina Jolie has made it look so simple-yet fullfilling. We knew we were acceptable with a child up to 6 or 7 years old even. I understand the red-tape regarding transfering children intercontinentally, but why all the additional fees? Really. All the time people are talking about the overcrowed, understaffed orphanages. Make sure people aren't killers, or pediphiles...but there are a lot of people willing to love, raise, and provide for these children. Please save the money speach. I am a teacher, my husband is a mechanic, and we own a business. Still,100g is alot

Answer 1

Probably because there are so many of our own children here to adopt first,  the law was deliberatly made tougher to discourage it.

Too bad some people can't take a hint

So there were no newborns left ....BOO f***ing HOO

Kids are growing up here without parents and ending up all alone in the world  because because you want to be elbow deep in diapers???

Answer 2

I have absolutely no idea where you're getting your information, but it's wrong. My wife and I are adopting from Ethiopia and the cost for us is about 20 grand. If you are willing to adopt older children, a lot of the fees are simply waived. We're going through Adoption Advocates International. Here's the link;

http://www.adoptionadvocates.org/AAI/Hom...

Email them and get real info. Good luck!

Answer 3

I am so sorry that you are still waiting to be a parent.  I know that must be heartbreaking.  God must have a very special and specific child picked out just for you for a very specific time.

We adopted from Guatemala and it cost right at $30,000...but that included travel expenses as well.  

I think that Thailand is one of the cheapest routes to take.  A friend of mine has adopted older children from their twice and they are precious and beautiful.  By the time she got the tax credit back (which is over $10,000) the adoption amount balanced out pretty much.  

Of course you have to pay for the adoption FIRST and then you get credit for it later....but still...it all balances out in the end.  

Good luck and pray about where your child might be.  That is how we found our little boy.  God led us right to him.

Answer 4

I agree with you 100% I could not afford it either I think it is ridicuoulse how they say people can't adopt kids but if it was not to much money I think more people would do.  There are tons of kids out there that need a loving home and family but don't get that option because it is just to expensive.  Anyway I could go on about this for hours it just makes me mad.  Any way go to what ever state you libe in and find a state fund program and it is much cheaper and if you are willing to take an older child like you said the wait won't be that long.  I adopted my son and it is the very BEST thing I have ever done!  Good luck!

Answer 5

There is no way it costs $100,000. I don't know where you got that amount from but, it is completely off. I read your whole question and I do not know why international adoption is so expensive (when it comes right down to it -- it's probalby what the market will bear) and I was all set to completely agree with you (and I still do) but, your number of $100,000 is way off. It is at most $25 - $30,000 which is outrageous enough. All your arguments still hold and I wish you luck finding a child. Try looking for more agencies until you find one that costs a lot less than $100,000.

Answer 6

It is really expensive because you are bringing in a person to this country that doesn't need to be here. It's like our problem with illegal immigration, yes we are a country of immigrants, but at some point we have to say no and conserve the country for the families that are already here. No other country in the world is as lenient about immigration as the US. I'm not trying to knock your desicion at all, I think it is wonderfull that your trying to adopt, but I believe that what every way you choose to go about it is going to cost you time and money.

Answer 7

Politics.  I know people who have adopted from other countries.  In addition to all the standard fees, you have to have bribe money as well.  Everyone has their hand out.  They are not concerned about the welfare of the children.  Most of these countries are poor, so everyone is trying to make a buck somehow.  They believe all Americans are rich and will pay any price for a child.  It's sad because none of these children asked to be born and everyone should have a chance at a good life.  I know many people that would love to adopt, but just don't have the outrageous funds to do so.

As far as IVF, check out fertilitylifelines.com.  They have (or at least they use to) some sort of insurance to were if you pay for so many months of IVF and are unsuccessful, you will receive some free treatments.  

Best of luck to you!

Answer 8

It is not international adoption alone which is expensive, it is private adoption agencies in general -- whether in the U.S. or abroad.  

And the expenses are for many reasons.

I have worked in adoption for a long time and I have never heard of a legal adoption costing 100K!

Most private adoptions are between 10K-40K and involve infants and young children, but many state adoptions (through foster care) are 0-$2000 and involve older school aged children, siblings, or very special needs babies and children (severel developmental delays, extreme medical issues, etc.)

Adoption fees are for all the services the agency provides to every birthmother helped.

Most full service licensed adoption agencies receive calls from hundreds of women a year. They may provide these women and their children with counseling, emergency food, clothing, formula and diapers, taxi fare, doctor visits, etc. and these are just the women who are NOT placing their babies for adoption.

And then there's the birthmothers who get housing paid for for 10 months, along with all their utilities, groceries, clothing, transportation, medical care, etc., and then choose to PARENT their babies.

Then there are the cases where a baby has been placed for adoption already, and the birthmother or birthfather then comes back before the adoption is finalized and tries to get custody of the baby from the adoptive parents. It often takes 1 - 2 years of court hearings and trials before the case is settled.

And then, there are the special needs babies that the agency reduces or eliminates the adoption fee for, so they may be adopted. These babies may have HIV, born with no brain, born blind or very ill.

And of course, there are the birthmothers who DO place their babies for adoption, and may recieve all the above mentioned -- housing, groceries, clothing, utilities, transportation, medical care, etc.

The agency pays for all of this. That is why adoption fees are so high. And if your adoption fails, good agencies try to absorb that financial loss, too - not the adoptive parent.

And then there are the lawyers. Agencies have to hire an attorney to represent the baby, one for the birthmother, and one for each named possible birthfathers. Sometimes a diligent search is conducted to find the birthfather, and sometimes a private detective has to be hired, too.

And there is office rent, phones, salaries, office supplies, etc.

You see, you do not pay JUST for YOUR child's birthmothers expenses and that is it. The expenses have to be paid for ALL birthmothers, so that those who do choose to place their baby for adoption, can. This is what it really takes to keep those doors open and those calls answered. That is where that fee goes.

Timeframe? With international adoptions taking longer and longer, domestic adoption agencies are getting more applicants, so the wait time is now getting longer, too. Expect 1-3 years on an average.

Hope that helps!  Good luck to you!

And if you are able to parent to school aged children, why not go through the foster care systems?????  See web address below!

Answer 9

We intend to adopt from China, and it is indeed difficult and expensive.

The difficulty is due to us having to meet the adoption requirements of not only our state, but also the country we are adopting from and United States requirements for obtaining a visa to bring the child into this country.  

A lot of the expense is related to those requirements, and I believe that other than travel and the orphanage donation most of the expense is in the US.  It <IS> ridiculous, when you think of so many thousands of children waiting for homes and so many parents that want to give them a home but can not afford the adoption costs.

There ARE programs to help.  Please contact me via email and I would be glad to discuss this with you in more detail.  I just realized the time and have to start supper.

Answer 10

(newbornadoptionteensplacing@yahoogroups... become a member of this grupe.I met my babys birth mom their and we are doing an indapendant adoption.If you are worryed about the high cost of adoption indapendant is the only way to go.I also like how we have been able to get ver cose to the B/M devolup a relanship.She lives in anouther state so it costs us a little more than if it was in our state.resurch indapendant adoption go to that grupe ask all the questions you want people their are willing and able to help.Alot of us get contacted regarding adoption sistuations that dont fit our familys and recomend outher familys .Thell post something that sais(Adoption sistuation avilable)and get started on a home study as soonas possable. You can adopt for as little as 4,200.00 plus home study

Answer 11

We paid less than 20k for three full tries at  IVF at a top clinic via their shared risk program. I think you have misconceptions about the costs of ARTand I don't know anyone who has spent 100k (unleess they tried it 20 times).

You should do some more research into your options.

Answer 12

Our international adoption cost approximately $25,000, including travel expenses.  There is the adoption tax credit, which is about $11,000 which you will get back when you file your taxes, and many employers have adoption assistance (you have to look, though, they may not advertise.)  So, for us, we got back $13,500, leaving our total cost $12, 000.  It is a lot of money to come up with up front, but there are low interest adoption loans and you can pay a big portion of it off once you get your adoption tax credit.  Also, if you are open to an older child as you say you are, sometimes they are waiting children and there fees are reduced.

Also, you're getting some inaccurate information here from some other people.  Bribery is NOT the reason international fees are higher.  I'm not saying it's never happened, but USCIS (U.S. immigration) does have rigid requirements of governments that it issues orphan visas to.  Also, with international adoption you have travel expenses, visas, and donations to the orphanage (not bribery).  These are some of the extra costs in international adoption.  However, a big chunk of the fees goes to the agency in the states coordinating the adoption and doesn't go to the foreign country at all.