beckafreud said:
What is the name of your state? Florida
I am currently working to adopt a child from Nigeria and I was wondering if there are any resources out there to verify international information. For example I was give the email address, name and phone number of the travel agency that is working on travel plans to bring the child to the united states but I am unable to verify that it is a real person, etc. Is there any kind of agency that works to verify things like that or international addresses.
There are legitimate facilitators and agencies arranging international adoptions. Holt International is one, for example. If you are not using a reputable agency, at minimum use an attorney qualified in international adoption. Nigeria is NOT a do-it-yourself country!
WHAT steps have you taken to assure that the adoption will be final BEFORE you make travel plans? Have you gone through the I600 Visa process? Have you completed a home study? Has your dossier been submitted the the appropriate government agency in Nigeria? Has it been approved by the court in the "state"/region of Nigeria that needs to approve it?
Travel plans is the very LAST thing that happens AFTER the adoption has gone through all the steps the government requires.. If someone is making travel plans BEFORE you've gone through all the normal, necessary steps in an international adoption, something is not right. If the child cannot be proven to meet the former INS definition of an "orphan" and you can prove that you have gone through the proper adoption process, you will not be able to obtian a visa to bring your child here.
Actually, you can make your own travel plans for your return trip with your child. Go through a US based travel agency. We had an agency with connections in our daughter's country, but who was based in the US and was recommended by our aoption agency make our travel arrangements for our pick up trip.
Some families I know of HAVE arranged their international adoptions without the agency. But ONLY after they had already completed one or more adoptions in that country and were well versed on what the process there entailed. And had established connections there. And they still used an attorney!!!!!!!
There are weblists of adoptive parents who will willingly share information about who they used and what they experienced. They are good resources. There are region and country specific sites. EEAC is one for Eastern European adoption. Some parents there have also done Ethiopean adoptions.
