2. Foreign Adoption in P.R.C.

After approval from DHS (USCIS), the second phase of your adoption process begins. The approved I600A is valid for eighteen months, during which you may proceed with an adoption of a foreign child in any country in the world. You must, however, satisfy host countries’ laws on adoption. For China, you must submit a comprehensive application to the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing; this dossier includes much of the same information used in the DHS I-600a application process. The CCAA has a website at www.china-ccaa.org that may give more information about what documentation is required by the Chinese government. To satisfy the Chinese government’s requirements for adoption, CCAA requires that you utilize the services of an adoption agency licensed to do business as an agency in China.

If the Chinese government makes a favorable determination about particular parents, they will send a letter of referral to the parents, recommending a particular child for adoption. The parents can accept or reject the referred child. If a referred child is rejected, the Chinese government may refer a different child, or elect to deny further referrals to the prospective parent.

If the referral is accepted (signed by the prospective parents indicating their wish to adopt the referred child and returned to the CCAA), the CCAA sends notice to the orphanage, provincial authorities, and the parents that the particular child has been approved for adoption by the parents in question. This includes permission to travel to China to adopt.