Foreign Adoption
Each year, an average of 2,000 foreign children are adopted by Canadians.
There are two
processes that you must go through when you adopt a child from another
country before you can bring the child to live with you in Canada:
-
the adoption process; and,
-
the immigration and
citizenship process.
To be eligible for
an international adoption, you must meet:
-
the adoption requirements of your province or territory, and
-
the adoption requirements in the child’s home country.
Immigration and Citizenship Process
If you (or your spouse) is a Canadian citizen, your foreign-adopted
child may now, in some circumstances, be able to obtain Canadian
citizenship right away, without first having to apply for permanent
residence. This new citizenship process was implemented by the Canadian
government on December 31, 2007.
In all other cases, you will need to follow the regular immigration
process, which has two parts, to adopt a child from outside Canada:
-
your application for sponsorship;
and
-
the application for permanent residence
for the child.
In these other cases, you can apply for citizenship once your child has
become a permanent resident and has arrived in Canada.
If you are thinking about adopting a child from
another country, contact us
as we would be happy to provide you with further advice and to prepare
your child's immigration/citizenship application (if applicable).