I don't live in North California. Can I still work with your agency?

Absolutely. Aurora International Adoption works with families throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Who should consider international adoption?

Mature persons who can love and celebrate a child from another heritage. These individuals also must understand and accept the risks and uncertainties of international adoption, such as generally limited background about the child and possible delays in the adoption process due to international factors beyond the agency's control.

What kind of adoption expenses should I expect?

Your adoption fees will cover both agency services fees and international fees. Agency fees cover office overhead, program development and relief efforts. International fees cover expenses overseas related to your adoption such as facilitator fees for time and services, legal costs, and orphanage donations. Families considering a program receive a written description of anticipated expenses. Your program coordinator will provide a detailed account of specific fees and expenses.

When are fees due?

Payment of fees are staggered throughout the adoption process. Specific fee arrangements are prepared for each family as they enter the program showing the fees and when monies are due.

How long will it take?

The majority of placements occur within one year of submitting the homestudy application. Timeframes vary somewhat according to the country and the type of child sought.

Do I have to travel?

Most countries require one or both spouse to travel; in some cases it is possible for a child to be escorted home by a third party. Travel also is a time for meeting and bonding with your new child and acquiring first hand experience of the country and culture.

What is a homestudy?

The homestudy is a document and a process conducted by a licensed child placement agency in your state of residence. It consists of severanl interviews and the compilation of certain information. An approved homestudy is required by your state of residence, the INS and the placing country. When initiating the homestudy process, families need not have selected a country or program.

What type of support services are available to adopting families?

Each family is assigned to a program coordinator who is a specialist in adopting from their country of choice. The program coordinator assists throughout dossier preparation, referral, travel plans, travel and post placement. She/he is there for "hand holding" and dealing with the anxieties and uncertainties that arise. AURORA prides itself on having professional, experienced staff who are caring and compassionate. While in the foreign country families will be assisted every step of the way by an in-country, English-speaking liaison. Families are met at the airport, taken to their lodgings, the orphanage and escorted throughout the legal process to finalize adoption. According to the program, there may be opportunities for sightseeing and shopping. Sightseeing is not included in the services of the facilitator and are arranged separately.

Are there any risks to international adoption?

There are many aspects of the international adoption process that are beyond the control of AURORA. Foreign governments may change requirements or procedures without notice, moratoriums may be declared to revise adoption laws, strikes and illnesses may occur. Birth mothers may change their minds, or the child may be adopted by an in-country family. While we provide as much medical information as possible about the referral, we cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information. We do all we can to minimize the risk, but we cannot offer certainty and request you enter this process with an attitude of flexibility with the process and trust in the agency.

May a person request to adopt a child of a particular sex?

We request childless families be open to a referral of either sex, although a preference can be expressed. Families with children in the home may request a child of a particular sex, although this is limited by the policies of the placing country. We prefer families who are flexible about the age of the child they hope to adopt, and who are able to accept a child who may need minor medical treatment or surgery.

When do families become eligible for referrals?

Families are eligible for a referral when all required adoption documents have been submitted. Generally families need about 4 to 6 months to complete their homestudy, gather their dossier and obtain INS approval. The wait for a referral varies according to country and type of child requested. In some cases we have referrals of children who are waiting for families. We encourage families to have the medical information on the referral evaluated by a physician of their choice; we can provide them with the names of developmental pediatricians. Should you decline a referral based upon a reasonable assessment, we will accept your decision and work to identify another referral.

Can we be specific about the age, sex and health of a child we wish to adopt?

Yes you can in most all of the countries. We try to match a child that fits the family acceptance criteria. All of your choices can be listed on our application.

What information will I receive about the child?

You will have a photo to review prior to the commitment to your referral child. You will receive a current medical report and usually if available a social history explaining how the child came to be in the orphanage. These reports vary in quantity and quality of information. Sometimes you will receive observations about the child's personality and school records. Very little information is usually available about the birth parents unless documentation exists to prove health or social problems. The children are all tested for communicative diseases, and must pass an additional medical exam to receive the exit visa out of their countries, however one cannot assertain what has occured with the child after the initial medical evaluation before we receive the information. All of our children are legally available for adoption.

How is the child selected for our family?

Our social work staff, combined with your homestudy agent's recommendation, along with the support of our foreign social work staff, starts at the beginning by counseling parents to locate their strong and weak spots in order to make decisions regarding the age, race, gender, health and number of children to be adopted at the same time. We consider whether the parents can handle the risks involved in adoption of two unrelated children, two unrelated children of the same age "artificial twinning" and the placement of children out of birth order. All of these criteria will be evaluated on each and every family. We work with the foreign staff, after your home study is complete to locate a child or children that will best suit your family according to the descriptions we are able to come up with in our information gathering about your family. We only place siblings in the same family when there is knowledge of available siblings.

Will my child be a U. S. citizen?

Because of the passage of the Child Citizenship Act on October, 2000, foreign adopted children will become U.S. citizens automatically upon their arrival in the U.S.

What is our first step to adopt the child of our dreams?

You will need to fill out a Aurora application and send it in with the application fee. If you wish you may send it in for prior review without the fee, but your adoption will not be processed until the fee is paid. Then the adoption process will begin.