Country Programs Overview
At Family by Adoption Inc. we manage the complexity of intercountry adoption processes and complete adoptions abroad for the children and families we serve.
The agency is licensed to facilitate adoptions from South Africa, Nigeria, Lagos, Haiti and Guyana. If you are seeking to adopt a child from a country other than listed here please contact our office as we may be able to assist you. In 2018-2019 we completed adoptions from Uganda and the Ivory Coast.
International adoption programs evolve over time and changes may include eligibility requirements of applicants, oversight systems abroad, documentation required, timelines and fees. We strive to have current information for inquiries and our staff are on-site daily.
Below is a overview of our current programs.
- Each applicant must be between the ages of 25 and 43 at the time of application
- Most children are between 2 and 4 years old at the time of placement
- Single applicants are accepted but currently the agency is at capacity until further notice
- Married applicants must be married for a minimum of two (2) years
- Applicants who have one, two or no children may apply to adopt one or two children, with some exceptions. Contact our office.
- No recent history of cancer or mental health disability
- At least one person of a couple must be a Canadian citizen
- No record of criminal convictions
- More information
- For couples at least one applicant must be at least age 30 and both must be no older than age 50 years
- Single applicants must be over age 35
- Single female applicants, without children and under age 50 are eligible
- Married couples, who have been married for at least 5 years
- Common law partners must verify a committed relationship for more than 5 years
- More information
- Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 65 to adopt
- The age difference between the adopter and the adoptee must be no more than 50 years and no less than 17 years
- Single female applicants are eligible to adopt
- Applicants who are married, defined as one woman and one man and/or who have been in a common law relationship for more than 5 year
- Children over the age of 12 must give their consent to the adoption
- More information
- Ghana has implemented the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. FBA is licensed to facilitate international adoptions from Ghana. Information about the progress will be added to our website in early 2023. Please contact our office for more information.
- More information
- Eligibility of Applicants
- Adoptive parents may be single or married, childless or already parenting other children
- Applicants may be as young as 18 years of age if they are adopting a relative.
- There is no restriction regarding age difference between adoptive applicant and the child
- Relatives are defined in Jamaica as niece/nephew, sister/brother, stepson/daughter, “etc”
- If applicant is a single male, Court does not normally allow him to adopt a female child unless there are special circumstances to justify the adoption (the Court makes the decision)
- Children in the Program: Children in this program are mainly relatives of the adoptive applicants and are any age up to 18 years old.
- Wait Time to Adopt: From the time the agency receives your homestudy and provincial approval, it takes about 1-2 years to complete a non-relative adoption in Jamaica. Relative adoptions take around 6 months from the time the agency receives your homestudy and provincial approval.
- Travel: Families adopting non-relatives are required to make three trips to Jamaica. Families adopting relatives are required to make one trip to Jamaica.
- Costs: Program costs do not include travel and accommodation overseas. Please see Program Summary Chart and contact our office to receive the Schedule of Services of Fees.
- Eligibility of Applicants
- At least one adoptive parent must provide proof of Bangladesh citizenship
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.
- Adoptive parents may be single or married, childless or already parenting other children.
- Children in the Program: Children in the program may be 0-12 months of age.
- Wait time to Adopt: From the time the agency receives your homestudy and provincial approval, it takes about 1-2 years to obtain a guardianship order of the child in Bangladesh.
- Travel: Families are required to make one trip to Bangladesh to complete the process necessary to obtain a guardianship order and complete the immigration process for the child to come to Canada to complete the remainder of the adoption in Ontario. A timeline of several months may vary.
- Costs: Program costs do not include travel and accommodation overseas. Please see Program Summary Chart and contact our office to receive the Schedule of Services of Fees.
- Married applicants must be at least age 25 and the combined ages of both applicants cannot exceed 100. Single applicants must be at least age 35 and can only adopt a female child.
- There must be at least 21 years age difference between the child and adopter unless the child is a relative
- Nigeria does not recognize common law partnerships as married couples.
- More information
Since 1993 the agency has also completed adoptions from Russia, Ukraine, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Antigua, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.
View our current Program Summary Chart 2023
Application Instructions: Please print, complete, sign and scan or mail the attached application form to our office for review. Families will receive confirmation in writing that their application is received and if eligible can proceed to register with FBA to adopt from their country of choice. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us at 416 449-0018 or by email at jborgia@familybyadoption.com