Considering Adopting from Pakistan?
For persons of Pakistani decent, adopting from Pakistan should be considered. The children placed usually newborn who were abandoned shortly after birth. Since the UAA has been approved, we have successfully guided many families through the guardianship process in Pakistan. Families should expect to complete the process and bring the child home in about one year to fifteen months. Families must travel and one parent would stay in the country for up to four or five months to be granted guardian and complete the visa process. If you would like to know more about the program, e-mail us or call us at 516-747-2204. New Beginnings’ Program Coordinator for Pakistan is Mohammed Osman. If you have questions about the process in Pakistan, he can be reached at 646-515-4902.
The Process
As with all adoptions, the process starts with the home study. Once the home study is completed, we will file the I-600A, the USCIS request for Advance Processing. After receiving the USCIS approval, the family would now travel to Pakistan. Many of our families use the Edhi Foundation, but there are many good institutions. The orphanage will identify a child for consideration. Some background information on the child should be provided at this time. In addition, the family will take the child for a medical examination. If the family wants to go forward with guardianship, the orphanage would give them custody of the child. Next, you will file for guardianship with the court. The court process will take about two months. Many families select to have one spouse stay with the child over this time. Once the final order from the court is issued, we will process a visa request for the child. This takes up to three months for approval. Then the visa is issued and you and the child return to the U.S. Because you have been issued guardianship of the child, you will need to finalize the adoption in court here. Lastly, you will file for citizenship for the child.
Who Does What?
One of New Beginnings’ roles as the primary provider is to coordinate the process. In doing so we assure the adoption services are done according to the laws and regulations of Pakistan, USCIS and the state you reside. Once the Home Study is approved, New Beginnings will file the I-600A. In Pakistan, you will need to work with a licensed orphanage. Do not identify a child for guardianship who is not in an orphanage. The orphanage will present a child for consideration. When filing the petition with the court, you will need a Pakistani attorney or representative. New Beginnings will cooperate with the attorney to assure the documents and information provided is acceptable under the Hague and USCIS. Once the court order is issued, (sometime called the no objection certificate) New Beginnings will assist with the filing of the I-600. After the child has immigrated, New Beginnings will supervise post-placement services. Once you are ready for finalization the adoption in the U.S., an adoption attorney will be needed. For more on the Steps in the Process, click here.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Nationality — In addition to being a U.S. citizen, one parent should be Pakistani.
- Religion — Pakistani law requires the parent(s) to be of the same faith as the child. The presumption is the child is Muslim. As such, the parent(s) would need to be Muslim as well.
- Age — Minimum age is 25. There is no age limit. Our guideline is there should be no more than a 45 year age difference between the child and the youngest parent.
- Marital Status — Some orphanages permit single females. If married, our guidelines are to be married at least two years, or evidence of established relationship.
- Income — Financial stability.
- Health — Good health without medical concerns.
Children Available
Healthy boys and girls are available, ages from newborn to fifteen years. Children with special needs are also available. The children are cared for at the orphanage. Institutions like the Edhi Foundation provide satisfactory for the care of the children and met their needs.
Relative Adoptions
New Beginnings will assist with relative adoptions from Pakistan on a case by case basis. Service under the Hague can be more complicated in a relative adoption. To know more about relative adoptions, visit our Primary Provider Services page. If you are considering adopting a relative, fill out a pre-application and we will schedule a time to speak.