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Adoption Information
for Ukraine |
A Little About Ukraine
Ukraine is an Eastern European and former Soviet Union country. It is bordered by Russia on the east, the Black Sea on the south, Belarus on the north, and the countries of Romania, Hungary and Poland on the west . Ukraine voted for its independent status on December 1st, 1991, and the U.S. recognized its independence on December 25th of the same year. Over the past decade, the Ukraine has struggled with its new status. Some residents look back at the Soviet rule as more stable although poor, so their transition is not completely supported by all of it citizens. Ukraine's capital, Kiev, has over 3 million inhabitants. Ukraine does not recognize adoption agencies through a licensing process. CHI maintains its own program in Ukraine.
Ukraine was open to international adoptions from 1997 to 2005. They closed temporarily due mainly to post placement reports from families that were not submitted as per requirements in Ukraine and have reopened as of 2007.
Kiev, Ukraine
Ukrainian Government Requirements:
- Married couples only between the ages of 25-45
- Average of 3-4 week stay in country (2 trips)
- Must have an approved home study
- I-600A USCIS /immigration approval
- List of documents (i.e., dossier) will be provided upon entering the program
The Ukrainian Adoption Process
Ukraine, like other countries that process adoptions, has its own unique process. This process requires families to first complete their dossier (i.e., documents) and have it notarized and apostilled. We will guide you through each step of the process. The paperwork is then submitted to the facilitator in Kiev, who reviews, translates and delivers it to the Ministry for Family, Children and Youth so that the adoptive family may be given an appointment/invitation. Your appointment in Kiev will occur approximately 2-4 months after your paperwork is received and approved. At this appointment in Kiev, the family will meet with the representative of the Ministry and be provided with a referral of a child in an orphanage. Perhaps the most unique aspect of Ukrainian adoptions is that referrals are not provided in advance to traveling to Ukraine. In fact, pre-selection of children is strictly prohibited.
Once the family accepts the referral, the translator will travel with them to the orphanage to meet the child. Once there, they will also receive more detailed medical and social reports on the child. Our facilitators will assist the family in telephoning and sending photos and/or copies of the medical and social reports to their local pediatrician, family doctor, or medical specialist of choice.
Families should be prepared to adopt an older child in Ukraine. Baby referrals are not usual. Children in Ukraine must be registered for one year before they are eligible for adoption by a non-Ukrainian family. Boys, girls, and siblings are available but there are more boys than girls. Ukraine is flexible about the parent's age, number of children, and divorce. Parents must maintain the child's Ukrainian citizenship until age 18 (along with their US citizenship), register them with the Ukrainian Embassy or Consulate within 30 days of their arrival home, and provide post placement reports on the child's well-being until the child turns 18.
Waiting... waiting... waiting... why are these children without families? They are available for international adoption for many reasons. This is most often due to their birth families inability to parent based on poverty. Poverty worldwide creates the need for international adoption, but it is not the only reason.
Education is another common factor. In many countries, birth control is not widely offered nor is it taught in the family, community or in school. Birth mothers also can lack education on how to parent a child or have the capability to earn a living wage to support the child. So education can play a large part in children becoming available for international adoption.
In some situations, when a birth mother does become pregnant she may be shunned by both her family and her community. Many times this leads to desperate situations that force a birth parent to either abandon or relinquish their child.
Sadly, there are other factors that create orphans, war, worldwide famine, drought and in some countries the AIDS epidemic have also created a need for adoptive parents.
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Ukraine Adoption Fees:
For more information including fees email: Inquiry@CHIadopt.org
Or you can click on this link: http://chitr.xtranet-designs.com/public.php to receive information on the agency contract, financial agreements and statistical information on: the number of adoption placements per year for the prior 3 calendar years, the number of placements that remain intact, the number of families who apply to adopt each year, and the number of waiting children eligible for adoption.
To Get More Information
Please contact our office via email or call 360-383-0623. Or if you prefer, you can fill out this simple Information Request Form if you would like us to contact you with more information.
More Cultural Information:
http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Ukraine.html
Medical Information about Ukraine
http://www.who.int/countries/ukr/en/
Additional Link:
http://adoption.state.gov/country/ukraine.html
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