• This program has been in operation since 1991 and we have successfully completed over 2000 adoptions from this country.
  
• Families may qualify for an expedited referral if a) one of the adoptive parents was born in China, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan or b) if both parents of one of the adoptive parents were born in China, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan (government issued documentation is required as proof).
  
• Please contact the office for information about our Waiting Children’s or Relative adoption programs.
  
• Open to all provinces except Quebec.
  

Considerations:

• Children are waiting for families mainly due to China’s one-child policy.
  
• The majority of adoptions have been infant girls between 7 and 16 months of age at referral.
  
• Older children are also in need of families (referral is NOT expedited due to age of child)
  
• Most of the children reside in orphanages.
  
• Minimal health information and no familial history is provided with referral.
  
• Adoption finalized in China.
  
• Neither China nor most provincial Ministries will permit placement of a baby if couple is pregnant or has a baby under nine months of age
  

Requirements:

• Applicants must have reached the age of 30 and be under 50 years of age (Waiting Children’s Program, 30 – 55 years of age).
  
• No same sex couples or single applicants permitted to apply.
  
• Couples must be married for 2 years and have no more than 2 previous marriages. If previously married, current marriage must be minimum 5 years in length.
  
• You must be free from criminal record and in good physical and emotional health.
  
• Applicants must be free from the following conditions: AIDS, cancer, intellectual disability, infectious disease, blind, deaf, physical disability, lupus, epilepsy, schizophrenia, less than two years after stopping medication for mental illness such as depression, 10 years post surgery of organ transplantation, 10 years free of drinking if history of alcohol abuse.
  
• Cannot be noticeably overweight (BMI (Body Mass Index) cannot exceed 40) You can go to www.nnlbisupport.com/bmi to calculate your BMI
  
• Both applicants must have a high school education (or equivalent vocational education) or higher.
  
• The family’s net worth cannot be lower than $80,000 US (for conversion to CAD go to www.xe.com/ucc.convert.cgi)
  
• Family must have fewer than 5 children in the home with the youngest at least one year of age.
  
• At least one of a couple MUST be a Canadian citizen.
  

Process:

• Completion of a home study and approval in province.
  
• File translated and notarized by The Children’s Bridge, sent to China and processed through central adoption service in Beijing (China Centre for Adoption Affairs - CCAA).
  
• Family must travel to China to complete the adoption and must stay for 13 – 17 days in which a translator/guide accompanies the family and is available 24 hours a day.
  

Timelines:

• Referral timelines are expected to reach 5 years from the date your file is received in China. When you are ready to being your homestudy, please contact The Children's Bridge for a current estimate.