• For Albertans adopting Ukrainian orphans, there are many advantages. First, adopting a child from Ukraine can be completed in as little as eight to ten months, whereas domestic adoption waiting lists can be much longer. Secondly, adoptions in Ukraine are done independently and not through an agency, and therefore the costs of the international adoption are reduced considerably. Thirdly, adoptive parents are able to choose their own child or children as opposed to having a child selected for them. This may be changing, and due to the large numbers of couples adopting from Ukraine over the past two years, children are being matched with parents to a greater degree than before.  Because of the large numbers of parents wanting children, the Adoption Center wants to make sure that there will be children available when parents arrive.  It has been the case in 2001 that some parents travelled to Ukraine and there were virtually no children available meeting the description they were looking for, and the Adoption Center has taken some measures to avoid this by making sure that some children will be available before they allow prospective parents to travel.  Other benefits include the fact that single adoptive parents are accepted by the Ukrainian government, and facilitators and interpreters can be hired to assist in the adoption process in Ukraine.
  • As well as advantages, there are some drawbacks to an international adoption through Ukraine. For instance, parents need to travel to Ukraine to get their child, whereas some other countries do not require this. Another challenge with the Ukrainian adoption is that the time needed to spend in Ukraine for the adoption is considerable. On average, parents must spend between 3-4 weeks in Ukraine to go through the entire process, and it may take even longer.  Up until late 2001, the mandatory waiting period after the court date in Ukraine was 10 days.  In some regions, this waiting period is now 30 days, and that means 30 days from the court date until you can get your new birth certificates and return home.  Don't panic - this is not the case in all adoptions and once you get a facilitator to help you in Ukraine you will find out more information regarding this. This can be costly in terms of lost wages and expenses while in Ukraine.

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