The International Adoption Program

Alberta does not license, monitor or endorse individuals/agencies that arrange international adoptions in foreign countries. Families can hire an individual/agency of their choice to help prepare their family’s adoption dossier and make travel and legal arrangements, however it is up to each family to ensure the individual/agency is reputable and is authorized to finalize adoptions in the foreign country the family wishes to adopt from.

The Alberta government's role is to train and approve families in our province for adoption, review information on children proposed for adoption, and work with families to determine whether a match is suitable.

Because there are always risks involved, when adopting from a foreign country, the Alberta government has developed a "Guidebook to International Adoption"  (see link below) to ensure Alberta families know abou the type of risks that they may face when adopting from another country.

We rely on the originating country to provide accurate information about the child in the matching referral. However, there may be little information available, because the child may have been abandoned at birth and has no birth certificate or health record.

We remain committed to continually doing what we can to ensure the integrity of the international adoption program.  

Please feel free to contact Alberta Adoption and Permanency Services at 780-422-0178.

Q & A on Adopting a Child from the United States

International adoption is extremely complex and programs change as the requirements of the countries of origin change.  Therefore, in order to provide assistance to families who want to adopt internationally, Alberta Children and Youth Services decided to deliver the International Adoption Program from one central office, and not involve the local Child and Family Services Authorities in the process.  That means that all the work done by Alberta is done through the International Adoption Program from the Adoption and Permanency Planning Unit.  Anne Scully, Manager of Adoptions, is also the Manager of the international adoption program, and the Central Authority for the Province of Alberta under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. 

An international adoption Guidebook for Albertans (requires Acrobat Reader) is available for Albertans considering an international adoption application. It is printable, and is a valuable tool for adoptive families to work through the complexities of an international adoption.

If you want to adopt a child from another country, you have two distinct options: you may adopt a child through the government of the other country or you may adopt a child privately.

If the country you want to adopt a child from has adopted the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions, only government adoptions are possible. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is responsible for the immigration process that allows the child you have adopted or intend to adopt to come to Canada. Hague Convention information is also available on the Government of Canada website.

Adopting a child from another country is complex and international adoptions are the most difficult to arrange because:

legislation, regulations and policies in the child's country of origin change on a regular basis.

highly sensitive and political issues which countries face when their children are adopted by foreigners.

unscrupulous practices of some private adoption intermediaries in other countries.

the requirement of meeting requirements of three or more levels of government legislation - Canada's federal Immigration and Citizenship Acts, Alberta's Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act and the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions, as well as the requirements of the child's country of origin.

  • technical difficulties in reaching officials in foreign jurisdictions, as well as differences in languages, cultures and interpretation of procedures.

In international legal matters, there are no guarantees. You might begin the process to adopt a child, only to have the process or costs change or the program end without notice. Also, you need to allow reasonable time for each agency and department to complete its procedure and to forward documents. Most international adoptions take an average of 1-2 years to complete, and cost an average of $18,000.

Completion of an International Adoptive Parent Preparation Course and the preparation of a home assessment report are required prior to being approved for an international adoption. Assessments are valid for one year and annual updates are required.
Please note that the current wait time for Adoption Services to review home assessment reports is four to six weeks.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is responsible for the immigration process that allows the child you have adopted or intend to adopt to come to Canada. Approximately 2,000 foreign children are adopted by Canadian citizens or permanent residents every year.

The government process regulates international adoptions and provides standards and procedures to protect children, birth parents and adoptive parents. There are adoption arrangements with countries in Central America, South America, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Currently there are arrangements with the following countries: (Note: Detailed information is in PDF format.  Unless you have it, you will have to download the free version of Adobe Reader to view the country profiles.)

If a country has adopted the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, Private International Adoption is not possible.

Relative Adoption

Relative Adoptions from The Republic of The Philippines are also completed under the Hague Convention, not through domestic adoption processed in the Regional Trial Court. For Relative adoption applications from the Philippines, please complete the Relative Adoption application form and submit it with your dossier. Pre-identification of non-related children for adoption is not allowed under the Hague Convention or under Philippine legislation. Please refer to the InterCountry Adoption Board of the Philippines website for excerpts from laws governing pre-identification.

Canadian citizens wishing to adopt a relative in China must be approved by the China Centre for Adoption Affairs (CCAA). It should be noted that the refusal rate for blood relative adoptions is high. It is not possible for relatives to adopt more than one child in the same family at the same time.

The adoptive parents are responsible for costs of:

  • parent training and home assessment reports
  • preparation of supporting documents and notarization, authentication and verification of signatures
  • translation
  • courier fees
  • immigration fees
  • child's medical
  • agency fees in child's country
  • travel and accommodations
  • adoption finalization
  • legal fees
  • post placement reports

In a government international adoption, Adoption Services is responsible for the following:

  • providing information/procedures for adopting from specific countries.
  • reviewing home assessment reports completed by licensed agencies and determining that the applicants are suited to adopt.
  • ensuring all documents are provided as per the requirements of the country of origin (e.g. translated, notarized, authenticated, verified).
  • forwarding the adoption dossier to the child's country of origin.
  • agreeing to the adoptive match.
  • proposing the match to the adoptive family.
  • ensuring that the child meets immigration requirements and will be admissible to Canada.
  • providing provincial acceptance of the match for immigration purposes.
  • finalizing the adoption order in Alberta if the order cannot be finalized in the child's country.
  • forwarding post-adoption reports to the child's country of origin.

Children available for adoption

Governments from originating countries decide which children are available for international adoption.

How to apply

Select a country to which you want to apply. Make sure you meet all the criteria for adopting.

Complete the International Adoption Registration form which is also available at private adoption agencies. Please print on "legal" size paper to be sure that the Authorization at the bottom of the form is included on your application.

Supply all required documents to Adoption Services, who, upon approval, sends the dossier to your country of choice.

Use of Co-ordinator/Representative

Families in Alberta may use a co-ordinator/representative for services that do not facilitate the adoption. These services include:

  • preparation of all required documentation on the family's behalf including translation, notarization, certification and authentication of the Home Assessment Report and supporting documents.
  • obtaining travel visas and making travel/hotel arrangements for adoptive parents who travel to the child's country of origin.
  • arranging for a translator who is knowledgeable about the events which must occur upon the applicants' arrival in the child's country.

The legal opinion on the above indicates that co-ordination services are not in contravention of s.83 or s.84 of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act because the co-ordinator does not facilitate the placement of the child. Rather, the co-ordinator/representative completes the administrative procedures required to complete the international adoption process. The intent of the co-ordination process is not to procure children for adoption, or to facilitate the placement of children for adoption. Agencies licensed in other provinces to facilitate international adoptions are considered a co-ordination service in Alberta and are able to provide services, as indicated above.

Private licensed adoption agencies in Alberta are authorized to prepare international adoption dossiers.

Adoption Match Proposals

An adoption agency in the child's country proposes a match and sends the child's information to Adoption Services. Adoption Services approves the match and gives you the information about the child. You supply an acceptance letter if you want to proceed. Upon receiving your acceptance letter, Adoption Services sends its approval to Canada Immigration and advises you when you are able to travel to the child's country.

Obtaining the Adoption Order

The child's country decides where the Adoption Order is granted. Some countries issue an Order immediately. Others ask Alberta to send post-placement reports after the child arrives in this province and the Order is finalized here once the child's country provides consent. Adoptive parents are responsible for all costs. Under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, an Adoption Order made in another country has the same effect as one made in Alberta, as long as it creates a permanent parent-child relationship.

Post-adoption services

Children's Services is not authorized to provide services after an Adoption Order is obtained. If the child's country requests progress reports, a licensed adoption agency completes these reports, which are forwarded by Adoption Services to the child's country of origin.

Edmonton and Calgary Adoption Clinics

The Edmonton Adoption Clinic and the Calgary Adoption Clinic are resources for adoptive parents both pre- and post-adoption. In Edmonton, a team of professionals headed by Dr. Cecilia Baxter at the Royal Alexandra Hospital is dedicated to consulting and supporting adoptive families. For more information see Edmonton Adoption Clinic brochure.  The clinic in Calgary is headed by Dr. Susan Kuhn and Dr. Katharine Smart at the Alberta Children's Hospital.  The Calgary Clinic can be contacted at 403-955-2200 or by fax at 403-955-2853.

Traveller's Health Clinics

Adoptive families who are travelling to their child's country of origin need to have current information regarding immunization prior to travelling, as well as prevention and safety during their stay. Information regarding Traveller's Health Clinics in Alberta is available, as well as in other provinces, through the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

International Adoption