# Adopting as an expat - can anyone advise us?



## Lilia (Jun 15, 2006)

Hi there

I hope everyone is well - I've been so inspired by all the stories here.

I haven't posted on this board before but I wondered if someone could give me advice.

We live abroad ( probably locating again in the next couple of months) and after one round of IVF we want to consider all our options before deciding what to do next.

Does anyone know how you go about making enquiries about adopting when you are an expat. All the starting advice I've seen is based on going to your local authority etc. We have a flat in London - but we don't live there so couldn't do any home study etc. I've tried to look on the internet but there is pretty much no information on anyone who's adopted while living abroad.

Someone has suggested contacting your local British Embassy which I will try and do.

Thanks in advance

xx


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## thespouses (Jan 5, 2006)

I think it might depend on which country you are in.  Even in countries that don't allow international adoption, if you are resident there you would be able to adopt locally.  Unless you are with the forces I don't think you can adopt a UK child if you are not living in the UK.  But some of the countries that don't allow international adoption do have a lot of children who need homes (I can think of a couple as I've lived there) so if you were interested in adopting a child locally to where you are, that might be an option.


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## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

Hi Katea and Lilia,

Lilia - thanks for the IM. I'll send you reply soon - hope you have a good flight - Dh is due to fly out to HK this evening and DD and I will probably follow in January ( depending on what happens with my FET of course ).

Katiea - thanks for posting - we are in a similar situation to Lilia, although a bit different as we have just started talking about adopting from China when we move out there. I have no idea if it would be at all possible but am going to research it, it is something I have always dreamed of doing.Sounds like you've lived abroad a lot - where have you been? ( sorry too nosy!   ).

Rsmum


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## thespouses (Jan 5, 2006)

I've lived in Tanzania and Zambia and spent a lot of time in Kenya.  Don't know about Zambia but Tanzania and Kenya only allow adoption by overseas citizens if they are resident there. But all three countries have a lot of AIDS orphans.


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## Lilia (Jun 15, 2006)

Hi

Thanks for the comments. I have a feeling this will be a very long haul.

I wrote to the government adoption agency in the UK stating very clearly that I was an expat - I recieved a reply last week where they advised me to organise my homestudy in Tower Hamlets ( in my email I mentioned I had a flat there although I don't live there). Obviously this is no help at all and I guess I just got a standard reply. I wrote back asking again and being 100% clear about living abroad...at least this one now has a case number.

Katie do you still live abroad?

RSMum - we loved KL...fingers crossed!

xx


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## thespouses (Jan 5, 2006)

No - I'm in the UK now. We are talking about starting the approval process in October, it is however possible we'll go abroad for about 9 months starting Jan 2008 (we will find out this month, it would be with my work). If we went ahead with adoption the approval process _should_ be over by then, and there is a faint possibility we'd be matched by then.

If we were approved but not matched, or not yet approved, we'd put things on hold while we were overseas. If we were matched we would probably not go (as I'd be on adoption leave), unless it seemed really appropriate to take the children with us (very unlikely but we might be matched with children who have family in the region so we could take them to visit the family), in which case my husband might take the adoption leave instead. I have talked to him about adopting over there, but he is not keen, which is fair enough - we would just about be able to do that if we stayed there for a year.

Have you not got a possibility of adopting where you are placed at the moment?


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## Lilia (Jun 15, 2006)

Hi 

We're in Moscow - and apparently you need to go through the embassy here after being approved in the UK. I haven't really pursued it here as we're moving and knew we were after settling on this as a real possibility. I need to contact the embassy in KL - in fact might do that later.

I did finally get a good response from the SS in the UK. They say that if the UK is not our " habitual domicile " then we need to go through the embassy abroad for approval. At least this is some guidance.

It sounds like you are a long way down the line with plans and thoughts. I still feel like there is lots to think about for us - especially as we might wait till after another treatment in KL and i know we need to have a break after that.

xx


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## thespouses (Jan 5, 2006)

I think if you are resident somewhere, even if you are not a citizen, you can go through the adoption process locally.

I just looked up on Google and found this

http://tinyurl.com/puqfn

so it looks like, if you were interested in adopting a child out there, it would be possible. But it says you must be there for two years before the process, and then during the process. If you are going to be there for a while, you could do the treatment, have a break, and then look into adoption locally.

Yes I have had quite a few thoughts about this!


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## RSMUM (Sep 3, 2003)

God katiea - you are amazing! I shall be doing the same in Hk for adopting in China - IF my next TX is a BFN and WHEN I move out there..all over the place at the moment but we'll see.. I keep finding websites for U.S. citizens adopting children from HK, HK citizens adopting from HK, U.K. citizens adopting from China..etc.. but I think as we'll be chinese residents we'll need info like you've found...hmm food for thought.. 

and Lilia - I got an e-mail too which said something about adopting in the U.K. if you are living abroad..you;ll need to be here for the 6-9 months the home study stakes place  etc.. etc.. but didnt you already say that - duh! sorry, brain getting a bit mushed   must be the Prostrap injection getting to me ( ha! any excuse! )  

take care all of you and best of luck with everything


Rsmum X


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## KarenM (Jul 30, 2002)

Hi Ladies

I can't really add anything to what has already been posted, but just wanted to wish you all luck for your treatment and/or adoption processes.

Karen x


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