Adoption from Pakistan is one of the most affordable international adoptions for US families of Pakistani heritage. At first glance this may not seem to be true as new changes in Pakistan adoptions due to the implementation of the Universal Accreditation Act (UAA) that went into effect in July of 2014 increased the costs of every international adoption. These costs were passed along to the client.
To mitigate the costs of international adoption, the Federal Government grants an adoption tax credit for the tax year when the international adoption is finalized. This tax credit is approximately $13,400. The new regulations that have created more costs for a Pakistan adoption can be offset by this tax credit if your income in under $250,000.00 per year. Another way the costs of adoption are reduced is that Pakistan allows you to do much of the inter-country work yourself like obtaining the child’s birth certificate and passports, locating a child yourself, or having the medical exam of the child done by a pediatrician. In many other programs and countries you have to pay a facilitator or a US agency to accomplish this task.
Family Connections, Inc., is a New York State authorized agency that is Hague Accredited through the Council on Accreditation. The agency is a primary provider for Pakistan adoptions throughout the United States and they can also provide home study services for families who reside in New York as the agency has home study social workers throughout New York State.
Family Connections has enjoyed seeing families come home from Pakistan with their adopted children. Most families are able to adopt young babies. One family found a baby that joined their family at the age of forty eight hours old and another family received a child that was seventeen days old. All children adopted from Pakistan must be adjudicated by the US embassy to be a legal orphan according to the Immigration & Nationality Act. Consulting with a US immigration attorney before you become a guardian of a child in Pakistan can help you avoid a situation where you obtain legal guardianship in Pakistan but cannot obtain a US visa for the child to enter the US.
Children can be located in private orphanages operated by foundations or in government orphanages in various cities in Pakistan. As a prospective adoptive parent, you will have the opportunity to take your prospective son or daughter to a Pakistan Pediatrician to be evaluated when a child is handed over to you by the orphanage. This is important as many children who qualify to be adopted by Americans are abandoned and the parents of the children are unknown. This means that a child’s social, genetic and medical history is a mystery. Family Connections provides adoptive families with a suggested medical form for you to take to a pediatrician in Pakistan for the evaluation. This evaluation will provide you with the earliest possible medical history you will have on your prospective adoptive child. The evaluation is completed before you have any legal connection to the child as the orphanage cannot legally place a child they only hand over the child for you to meet and consider adoption.
If you work with Family Connections on your Pakistan adoption, Family Connections will help you locate and obtain the services of a competent and qualified attorney in Pakistan (to obtain guardianship) and the US (to finalize the adoption). As part of our adoption primary provider service you will have the services of an immigration attorney who is experienced with Pakistan adoption specifically. This will prevent you from making legal errors that could prevent or delay you from obtaining a visa for your prospective adoptive child. The merging and coordination of Pakistan laws and US laws regarding adoption can be a tricky technical legal process and requires the services of a qualified, experienced attorney in the US. Many families who have run into legal issues with the US government regarding the orphan definitions or home study requirements have received inadequate legal advice. Obtaining good legal advice can keep your adoption cost down and make the process go as quickly as possible.
Family Connections provides the services of a US/Pakistani Pediatrician who is developing a medical form for clients to use with their Pediatric examination of the child that is handed over to them by a charitable orphanage or a government orphanage. This pediatrician who is volunteering his services is also available to consult with our clients as they are deciding if they are a good resource for the child that is handed over to them. The Pediatrician is working with Family Connections to identify Pediatricians in Pakistan that would be good resources for our families. We are also obtaining feedback from our families as to the Pediatricians they found to be helpful. We hope that our efforts will assist our families to have a good Pakistan process that mitigates the anxiety and challenges of the Pakistan adoption process.
Of course there is much more information on Pakistan adoption. Check out Family Connections, Inc. Pakistan page at www.adoptfamilyconnections.org or give us a call. We welcome conversation regarding adoption from Pakistan!
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