The Korea Adoption Process
When the appropriate child is available, AAC will present the child's information (Social & Medical Information) to you in a meeting. A.A.C. will usually let the waiting family know a time frame for when this might happen.
The information available from Korea includes the process of intake for adoption, date of birth, birth parents' information, pregnancy information, and medical information. Korea provides much more information than any other program.
Korea's fees and A.A.C. Adoption's program fees are due when you have made the decision to adopt the presented child/infant. At this time, you will sign the "Assignment Documents" that A.A.C. has prepared for you.
These signed documents are mailed to the Korean agency (Eastern Social Welfare Society) soon after you have signed the assignment documents, and submitted them along with the Korean agency's fees.
Next Step
Korea will mail us the legal documents for your assigned child. This usually takes place about one week to two months from the date of assignment.
A.A.C. then submits to the State of Colorado a request for an approval letter for INS. This usually takes about one week to ten days.
You need to be getting ready for your 2nd USCIS filing (A.A.C. will assist you) and then mail your 2nd filing packet to our agency. We will then mail this to INS by certified mail. DO NOT DATE THIS.
You will receive an approval letter from USCIS. You will then need to fax this letter to us, and we will fax the letter to the Korean agency. INS will cable your INS approval letter to the American Embassy in Seoul, Korea. The Korean agency will then visit the American Embassy to obtain your child's entrance visa to enter the United States.
The Korean agency will arrange your child's travel to the United States. Selected escorts from the Korean agency will escort the child.
A.A.C. receives arrival information usually two to five days in advance.
The escort from the Korean agency will usually escort the child from Korea to the West Coast "port of entry." This might be L.A., San Francisco, or Seattle. A.A.C. has an "escort coordinator" in Denver who arranges the flight from the port of entry to Denver. These escorts are usually airline personnel. A.A.C. has arranged this program to eliminate the high costs in airline fees for the adoptive parents.
PLEASE NOTE that a sick child will not travel. Please be prepared to learn that your child's flight has been cancelled at the last minute. The trip is very hard on children and they will not fly if there is any concern for their health. Your child will be rescheduled as soon as he/she is well enough to travel.
Arrival Preparation
Your child might feel comfortable, they may be in tears and withdrawal, or they may refuse to interact at all. Be prepared for all responses and try to act accordingly. You are excited and happy and the child might not have the same feelings.
Ask the escort about what he/she knows about your child, for example what they have eaten, if he/she slept on the plane, and how the child communicates any wants or needs.
Some children become ill during the flight. If your child shows any signs of illness, see your pediatrician immediately. Conditions such as colds, dry skin, ear infections and diarrhea are not uncommon. Other more serious conditions are less common, but they can occur. If your child has a serious contagious illness, notify A.A.C. so that we may inform others who have been in contact with your child. The State of Colorado has a higher altitude and a drier climate than Korea. Your child might show cold-like symptoms.
Post-Arrival Procedures (CO families)
If your child is in good health, you may wish to delay the Physical Exam for a few days, you will received updated information on the child when they arrive. PLEASE INSIST THAT YOUR DOCTOR COMPLETES ALL REQURIED TESTS.
Court Procedures
A.A.C. will prepare the Petition to Adopt for your child, within 30 days of your child's arrival, and submit it to the court. Once all material has been submitted, a placement hearing will be schedule; and there will be a final hearing in six months to a year. Most of the court hearings will be submitted to Larimer County District Court, where we have Jurisdiction. Larimer County does not have a pre-placement hearing they only have the final hearing.
Supervision Period
Your social worker will initiate routine contact with you to check the progress of the placement. Post-placement reports from the social worker will be submitted to the court and also to the International Agency. Generally, the supervision period is six months to one year long. Some cases can be extended.
ANY problems or concerns should be discussed with your social worker. She may be able to help you before it becomes serious later on. Your worker is here to help you and will understand that problems are natural in the adjustment period.
FAMILY PROGRESS REPORTS ARE VITAL. The family progress reports you submit to us are shared with the International Agency. Their interest in the children continues long after the child has joined his/her new family. Letters from teachers, physicians, and special friends are a nice addition. We also use the reports to help prepare other families in the adoption process. The 1st report is due four to six weeks are the arrival and every 2-3 months until finalization. Please use the report forms given in the Acceptance packet.
A.A.C. will have custody of the child we place until the U.S. adoption is finalized. If at any time prior to finalization, the child/ren are removed from the home and the adoption placement terminated, either at the discretion of the adoptive parents, or A.A.C. Adoption, A.A.C. will assume responsibility for the care and re-placement of the child/ren.
Finalization Procedures
Upon finalization, you will receive one Certified Final Decree and A.A.C. will need two CERTIFIED copies of the Final Decree. One will be forwarded to the International Agency and the second will be put in your file, which will then be closed and a permanent file will be maintained with A.A.C. All information will be strictly confidential. After the final court hearing, the court will initiate the process for you to obtain your child's birth certificate. It takes up to 8 weeks for the birth certificate to be mailed to you.
We Welcome News from families after finalization. Pictures hit the spot!! And while it is fun to hear good news, we are also here to help through hard times. The staff at the International Agency, Foster families, and others are always eager to hear how your child is doing, and we are happy to forward pictures and letter to those who cared for your child before arrival. Foster mothers are very anxious to receive pictures and letters from you. Please send these to A.A.C. and we will forward them to the foster mothers.
Naturalization
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 - Adopted children, under the age of 18 years old, will be granted automatic citizenship upon the finalization of their adoption in the United States.