Nepal Adoption

History
Thousands of Nepalese babies are separated each year from their biological parents and family. Through no fault of their own, and perhaps through no fault of their biological parents, these children are abandoned and institutionalized. The Nepalese government has seen fit to make these children available for adoption worldwide in order to give them an opportunity to grow up in a loving, permanent family.

Dillon International is pleased to announce that effective 1/1/2010, we will be licensed to coordinate adoptions and humanitarian aid work in Nepal. We are now accepting applications from families who qualify and meet the requirements to adopt from Nepal.

The Ministry of Women, Children an Social Welfare (MWCSW) within the Nepalese government is responsible for the oversight of the adoption process and matching children available for adoption with families in process. According to the NWCSW, each foreign adoption agency may only submit 10 dossiers per year. Essentially, Dillon International can only have 10 families in process to receive referrals from Nepal in 2010. After we have 10 families in process for 2010, we will begin a 2011 waiting list of families interested in adopting from Nepal.

Family Requirements
The standard requirements for adoption from Nepal are more difficult than many countries. The program is limited to families meeting very specific criteria, which include:
• Heterosexual married couples, between the ages of 30-55, are eligible to adopt from Nepal
o Couples between the ages of 30 -45 will qualify for a referral of an infant
o Couples between the ages of 45 - 50 will be referred a toddler
o Couples between the ages of 50 - 55 will qualify for a referral of a child, ages two and older

• Heterosexual single women, who are living alone and are between the ages of 35-55, are also eligible to adopt a child from Nepal
• Married couples must have been married for at least 4 years prior to submitting an application to adopt
• There must be at least 30 years age difference between the age of the child and adoptive parent(s)
• Parent(s) with a child already in the home are required to adopt a younger child
• Childless applicant(s) may request to adopt a child of either gender
• Families with one child already in the home are required to adopt a child of the opposite gender
• Families with two children of the opposite sex already in the home are NOT allowed to adopt from Nepal.(Nepal requires that families with one child must adopt a child or the opposite sex. Families with no children have a choice in gender preference. Therefore, families with a boy and a girl already in their household do not qualify to adopt from Nepal.)
• Parents may adopt siblings of the opposite sex as long as there are no children already in their home.
• Parents are required to travel to Nepal once to receive their child and finalize the adoption.
• U.S. citizens in all 50 states are eligible to adopt from this program.

About the Children
• Children may be between 12 - 18 months old at the time of arrival in the U.S.
• Boys and girls are available for adoption
• Some older children are also available for adoption including children with special needs
• Medical information about each child is limited and there is limited medical care available for the children

Adoption Process
• Families complete a home study and submit their dossier to Dillon International
• Families will wait approximately 12-15 months for a referral of a child after their dossier is submitted to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare in Nepal
• Families wait 3 - 6 months after accepting an assignment of a child to receive their child's legal documents, which will allow the family to travel to receive their child and complete the adoption process
• Families must travel to Nepal to receive their child
• Families should plan on spending approximately two weeks in Nepal to finalize their child's adoption
• Re-finalize the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing 3 post-placement visits with the family's caseworker,usually takes 6 months SPECIAL NOTE on US Citizenship: If both parents travel to receive their child and complete the adoption in Nepal, the child will become a U.S. citizen upon entering the United States.If only one parent of a married couple travels to Nepal, their child will become a U.S. citizen upon re-finalization of the adoption in the United States.

Adoption Costs
Specific fees are only due after a particular service has been rendered in the adoption process and are considered non-refundable after payment has been received. All fees are subject to change and services are charged at the rate that is current at the time of billing.
ESTIMATED NEPAL PROGRAM ADOPTION COST: $ 22,925 - $25,070
(Estimate includes agency, international, and travel fees ONLY.)
Other fees and expenses families will incur during the adoption process include
• home study and post-placement services,
• USCIS fees,
• refundable deposit,*
• out-of-pocket expenses related to the family's state of residence and the country adopting from.

Dillon International has relationships with licensed home study providers across the U.S. and can assist families living outside our service area in locating a licensed agency near them for these services. For families living in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and southern California (counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial), Dillon International will provide their home study and post-placement services. Dillon's home study & post-placement fees = $3,150 .For a complete breakdown of expected fees and services for Dillon's Nepal program, please see the Explanation of Fees and Services in Dillon's adoption application packet which can be downloaded from our website.

*Each family adopting with Dillon International will also be required to pay a $500 Refundable Deposit which will be returned in a lump sum after the family provides Dillon with the following:
1) proof of a will
2) proof of their child's U.S. final adoption decree/ registration
3) copies of their child's in-country adoption documents (exception for Korea)
4) proof of their child's Social Security Number
5) proof of their child's U.S. Certificate of Citizenship
6) submission of all post-placement reports required by their child's birth country
Families must provide this documentation within three (3) years after their child arrives home in order to receive their refund.

Post-Adoption Services
• Dillon International believes that post-adoption support fosters an overall positive adoption experience for both adoptee and adoptive family
• Our long-term experience has shown us that adoptees develop a better sense of identity, purpose, and boost in their self-confidence from an understanding and appreciation of their birth heritage
• The agency provides a variety of activities and events to allow an adoptee and his/her family to celebrate his/her birth heritage
• For more information on specific heritage events, visit the post-adoption section of Dillon's website