Following is a summary of the main features of the India placement program:

How does the Indian adoption program operate?

After coming into our care and after being medically evaluated, a child is first offered for adoption to families in India (this process is mandated by Indian law governing adoptable children).  After this process, which may last several months, those children remaining are cleared for international adoption. His/her profile (social/medical history and photo) is then presented to a prospective family for prayerful consideration, discussion with health care professionals, etc. Upon acceptance of the referral by the family, foreign court documents are then completed and sent to India.  Average time for an adoption to proceed through the legal process and for the adoptive parents to be granted guardianship of the child averages at least nine months.

Upon court completion, an Indian passport is obtained, as is the child's U.S. entry visa, at which time the child is ready to leave India.  One of the adoptive parents is required to travel to bring the child home.  After arrival in the U.S., the adoption must be finalized in the adoptive family's state of residence, according to state adoption laws.

The "Child Citizenship Act", ratified in 2001,  guarantees automatic citizenship for your adopted child once the adoption is finalized in your state.  However, it is strongly recommended that once the adoption is finalized and you have a U.S. Adoption Decree, you obtain either a Certificate of Citizenship from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or a U.S. Passport for the child from the U.S. State Department.

How long is the wait from the time I’m assigned a child until the child arrives in my home?

Once a child has been assigned to you and your paperwork is in India, it takes a minimum of nine months to complete the adoption process and for the child to be ready to travel to the U.S.

Total time from application to placement of the child with you should approximate twelve to sixteen months. Because so many variables are involved in adopting, the time period may be somewhat longer or shorter. For example, we cannot control how long the court in India will take to process an adoption and the child’s passport, nor how long your local immigration office will take to give its approval for an entry visa.

How do children come to your attention in India?

Children are referred by various institutions and individuals - from hospitals or individual physicians to pastors, social workers and others who know of our work. Most of our children are newborns of unwed mothers. When a child is brought to us, we initially ascertain whether or not the child is available for adoption. (i.e., is there a parent who willingly and irrevocably released the child for adoption or is he or she without family and therefore considered abandoned?)

How are the children cared for in India?

We work mostly with a foundling home in Chennai (formerly called Madras), a city overflowing with inhabitants. Our foundling home provides a residence where newborns and children are loved, cared for and then placed for adoption. Children range in age from birth through age six.

Our staff in India has contacts with physicians and others who refer women in crisis pregnancies to us. Older children are also available for adoption.

What is life like in the foundling home?

There is a regular daily routine, with scheduled feedings for infants or meals for older children, and other activities. Every effort is made to assure consistency of care givers so that the same workers care for the child whether infant or toddler. This fosters a positive nurturing and bonding experience for the child which helps the child make the transfer to the adoptive parent(s). Most of the staff have been working in the homes for a long time, further assuring good care for the children.

What about the health of the children?

The children are generally healthy; However, premature birth and/or low birth weight are common.  There may be more available children who have special needs, which will differ from child to child.  Available medical and social information is shared with adoptive parents at the time of referral and throughout the legal processing in India.

Although they will receive better medical care than the norm, all of the children coming to the U.S.A. will need a thorough medical examination upon arrival. We cannot "guarantee" the health of any children, and they may arrive with, or later develop, undiagnosed health problems. Any information we receive on the child’s health or possible medical problems will be shared with the adoptive parents.

Each child is tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, TB, and syphilis in India, with the results made known to adoptive parents. We have had one or two children test positive for HIV in the last several years (they were immediately referred to hospices in India that care for terminally ill children; none were kept at the foundling home or referred for adoptive placement). We have also had a few test positive for Hepatitis B. Again, these results are made known to the adoptive parents as they are received in our central office. Other medical problems on arrival may include intestinal parasites, lice, ear infections, etc., all of which are fully treatable.

May I send items of clothing and/or toys to my child after assignment?

Shipping and custom charges for packages sent to India can be expensive. In addition, the process of clearing packages through customs in India can take considerable time and effort for our foreign staff. We respectfully ask that you not do this.