Russia Adoptions
(Non-Hague)
CAFAC accesses
Russian adoptions through an established accredited Russian program. Applications
are processed in the regions of Vladivostok, Perm, and Moscow. Children
are available for adoption because of economic, medical or social reasons.
All children are relinquished for adoption through the child welfare system.
Orphanage Care: All children available for adoption in Russia are in orphanages and baby houses. Orphanages staff physicians, pediatricians, and teachers in addition to care giver staff. Schooling is offered in orphanages for older children.
CAFAC assists families with documentation preparation for Russia, after the family has gathered the required documentation. Translation into Russian is done in Canada before the documents are sent overseas.
Parent
requirements: Applications are welcomed from married couples, with
or without children already in the home. All applicants must be older than
20 years of age. Single women will also be considered.
Children: All children are of Eastern European heritage, and range in ages from 9 months to 12 years old at the time of proposal. Some school-aged siblings are available and, in rare cases, twins. All are tested for HIV, Hep B, and Syphilis.
Child
Proposals: Depending on the region, families may or may not get
a formal proposal of a child before leaving for the country. In either case,
families are presented with a child to consider upon arrival to the orphanage
in Russia.
Waiting Time: Waits for invitations to travel, or child proposal information can range from 9 - 24 months depending on what age range families are approved to adopt. Please see the Travel section for the second part of the waiting process. Adoptions are finalized in Russia.
Travel:
Travel to the country is compulsory. Two trips are required to
complete the adoption process. The first trip is about 21 days in length,
and the second trip is 14 - 21 days in the country. There are usually 3
months between the two travel times. It is allowable for one parent to travel
the first trip alone, but both parents must be present for the second trip
when the adoption hearing takes place in court. Travel home via Moscow is
required to finalize CDN immigration processing for the child's entry to
Canada.
Fees: Couples report that the complete cost for the adoption process ranges from $35,000 - $50,000 CAD depending on exchange rate, price of plane tickets, length of stay and Canadian province in which they reside.
Immigration: Canadian Immigration office is located in Moscow, Russia.
Currently our facilitators are Caring Homes for Orphaned Children, www.chocadoption.com and CHOICES agency in British Columbia; www.choicesadoption.ca