Adoption Voices

History

Family Requirements

About the Children

India Adoption Laws

Adoption Process

Adoption Costs

Post-Adoption Services

Humanitarian Aid in India
 

Family Testimonial

NRI program
 

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The Republic of India is a country of extreme contrasts -- from water buffaloes plowing fields to high-tech satellite tracking stations. As the second most populated country in the world, many of its people live in near starvation on the streets in overcrowded cities. India's rich and colorful heritage is reflective of its varied people and a strong belief in social harmony in spite of their differences. 

Children are received at birth through Dillon International's sister agency, The Indian Society for the Rehabilitation of Children (ISRC) in Kolkata, India. The infants are well cared for while they await adoption at the Matri Sneha babies home.  Children become available for adoption in India primarily because of the extreme economic disadvantages of their birth family or the social stigma of single parenthood. 

Since the 1980's, Dillon International has been placing Indian children with U.S. families.  Dillon International is a licensed agency with CARA, the government of India's Central Adoption Resource Agency, which oversees the placement of Indian children with foreign families.  (Click "Foreign Placement Agencies" on CARA's website to see the listing of US adoption agencies licensed by CARA to work in India.)

In April 2008, Dillon International had put a HOLD on new applicants for our India program in anticipation of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in New Delhi, India, issuing new Guidelines for Adoption from India.  To date those new guidelines have NOT been issued although two drafts have been shared with adoption agencies.  Although we DO anticipate the new guidelines will be issued in the future, we have no way to determine when the guidelines will be implemented.

Therefore, with no definite date on the horizon and the continuing need for children to be united with forever families, we have made the decision to resume accepting applications for our India Adoption Program effective August 7, 2009.

SPECIAL NOTE:  Dillon International’s license with CARA was renewed on May 8, 2007 and will remain current through May 7, 2012.

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• Heterosexual married couples between the ages of 28 and 40 at the time of application

• Maximum age difference between husband and wife should be no more than 15 years

• First time marriages must be a minimum of 3 years

• Second marriages must be a minimum of 5 years

• Only one past divorce is acceptable

• Families may have no more than 3 children under the age of 18 already living in their home

• Applicant(s) with a history of any kind of depression or mental illness must be stable for 5 years with or without medication (applicant(s) will need to provide a letter of confirmation from an appropriate physician and/or counselor)

• U.S. citizens in all 50 states are eligible to adopt from this program

• Families in which at least one spouse is a non-resident Indian (NRI) and at least one spouse is a U.S. citizen may also apply to adopt
   

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• Children usually range in ages between 13 - 18 months upon arrival in the U.S.

• Both boys and girls are available for adoption

• Families MUST be open to a child of EITHER gender

• At minimum, families MUST be open to the following medical needs of children potentially referred:  pre-mature birth, low birth weight, moderate to severe malnourishment, delayed developmental milestones, increased tone in the limbs, septicemia, pneumonia, birth asphyxia, jaundice, and a child that has received plasma transfusions.  We also recommend that families also consider being open to children with Microcephaly, Hydrocephaly, and mild Cerebral Palsy.

• Moderate medical treatment is available and a physician visits the orphanage daily to check babies' health

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Adoption Process

• Sign an Acknowledgment of Risk that your family is aware of the potential change that could occur in the Indian adoption process when CARA's new guidelines for adoption are implemented and that you understand the risk involved in beginning the adoption process at this time.  All fees paid will be for services rendered and will be non-refundable should your family no longer meet the new CARA guidelines for Adoption from India.  Submit the Acknowledgment of Risk with your Application - Part #1. (Acknowledgment of Risk form will be included in the Application - Part #1 packet.)

• Families complete a home study and submit their dossier to Dillon International 

• Families will wait approximately 12-24 months for a referral of a child after submitting their dossier to Dillon

• Families wait another 5 - 7 months after accepting an assignment of a child to receive their child's legal documents authorizing them to receive guardianship

• Within 1 - 2 months after receiving their child's legal documents, families will travel to receive their child

• Families must travel to Kolkata (Calcutta) to receive their child

• Families will book their own airline reservations

• Plan for a 1 - 2 day stay in Kolkata (Calcutta) and a 3 - 4 day stay in New Delhi

• Dillon International will arrange families' hotel accommodations and shuttle service only for the Kolkata portion of their trip

• Sharing small gifts of appreciation with orphanage caregivers is encouraged

• Finalize the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing 3 post-placement visits with the family's caseworker, which usually takes 6 months

• Upon adoption finalization, child becomes an automatic U.S. citizen

• Families are encouraged to apply for a Certificate of U.S. Citizenship from USCIS to verify their child's citizenship as soon as their adoption finalization is complete

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The official national agency that oversees intercountry adoptions in India is the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA).  The laws and regulations regarding foreigners adopting children from India may be found on CARA's website or by visiting the U.S. State Department's website.

Indian law gives the birth mothers the right to change their minds for up to two months after the child’s abandonment or relinquishment.  After this two month period, Indian citizens living in India are given a chance to adopt the child.  If no family in India adopts the child then the child can be cleared and referred for international adoption, with first priority given to NRI/OCI families.

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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 INDIA PROGRAM ADOPTION COST:  $16,265 - $18,730
(Estimate includes agency, international, and travel fees ONLY.)

Other individual fees and expenses families will incur during the adoption process include:

• home study and post-placement services,

• USCIS fees,

• ICPC fees,

• refundable deposit*, and

• 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 (in California slightly higher)

For a complete breakdown of expected fees and services for Dillon's India program, please see the Explanation of Fees and Services in Dillon's adoption application packet which can be downloaded from our website.

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*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.

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To qualify to adopt through our Non-Resident Adoption Program, at least one spouse must be of Indian heritage and one spouse must be a citizen of the United States.  Indian heritage is defined as having been born in India or being the son or daughter of parents who were born in India.  The Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) will no longer consider third generation Indian heritage as being an NRI.

NRI couples may be required to show proof of their Indian heritage through photos and copies of their passports.  A family's home study must also clearly describe the couple's Indian heritage.

NRI families are given priority for adoption by the Indian government.  Dillon International also has a system that gives preference to families of Indian heritage.  

NRI families can expect to receive a referral of an infant with a shorter adoption process overall.  The adoption process through Dillon International for NRI families is as follows:

• Families complete a home study and submit their dossier to Dillon International 

• Wait approximately 9-12 months for a referral of a child after the family's home study is approved

• Families wait another 4-7 months after accepting a referral for their child's legal documents to be processed in the Indian court system which authorizes the adoption

• After receiving their child's legal documents, families will travel to Kolkata to receive their child

• Families will book their own airline reservations

• Plan for a 1-2 day stay in Kolkata and a 3-4 day stay in New Delhi

• Dillon International will arrange families' hotel accommodations and shuttle service to and from the airport

• Sharing small gifts of appreciation with orphanage caregivers is encouraged

• Finalize the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing 3 post-placement visits with the family's caseworker, which usually takes 6 months

• Upon adoption finalization, child becomes an automatic U.S. citizen

• Families are encouraged to apply for a Certificate of U.S. Citizenship from INS to verify their child's citizenship as soon as their adoption finalization is complete

Dillon International has been placing children from India since 1989 and has placed over 200 children with both Indian and non-Indian families.  For more information regarding adopting through this program, please contact Dillon's India Program Director.

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• 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 Indian heritage

• For more information on specific Indian heritage events, visit the post-adoption section of Dillon's website

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Dillon International is committed to improving the lives of India's children whether they are available for adoption or not. 

• Dillon's orphanCare International supports the work of the Matri Sneha orphanage located in Kolkata, India, which provides 24/7 care for 35 infants and approximately 80 toddlers.  Funding helps the orphanage to be able to maintain a staff of full-time doctors, nurses, physical therapists and 35 ayahs (caregivers) to monitor each child's physical development while nurturing them.

• Other funding projects in Kolkata include the "Innocent Smile" program that is dedicated to the treatment, welfare and upkeep of children between 3 months to 9 years old who have special needs, a daily lunch program to feed 60 school children, and a milk program to feed local children between 2-4 years old

• New funding projects are developing in Hyderabad, India, for Dillon's orphanCare International that will allow for more children to receive care in this impoverished area.

For more information on how Dillon is improving the lives of children in India and in other countries, please visit Dillon's humanitarian aid website: www.orphancareintl.org and click on India.

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