Citizenship and Immigration Canada
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International adoption
About 2,000 foreign children are adopted by citizens or permanent residents
of Canada every year. Canada’s immigration system works to deal with
these adoptions as quickly as possible. However, international adoption
can be a long process. Before you travel, see the Important Notice for Adoptive Parents in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
Before you apply
It is important to understand that you must complete two processes for
an international adoption: the adoption process and the immigration process. You
need to understand the steps in both of these processes if you are thinking about
adopting a child from overseas.
The adoption process
- The provincial and territorial governments are responsible for
adoptions in Canada. Your first step should be to contact your provincial
or territorial government office to get information about adopting a
child. See Provincial and territorial government offices in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
- Some provinces and territories use licensed agencies to handle
most of the adoption process. Your provincial or territorial government
office will tell you if you will need to contact a licensed agency.
- If you want to adopt a child from a foreign country, you must
obey the laws of that country about adoption. Make sure you
understand the laws before beginning the adoption process. Your province
or its licensed adoption agency can advise you on these requirements.
- The Hague Convention governs international adoptions in many
countries, including Canada. Your provincial government office will explain
the requirements if your adoptive child is coming from a country that
follows the Hague Convention. Follow the Hague Convention link
in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page to learn more.
The immigration process
- You must meet all the immigration requirements before Citizenship
and Immigration Canada can issue a visa for your adoptive child
to come to Canada. You must also meet all the requirements of your
province, and of your adoptive child’s home country.
- There are two parts to the immigration process:
- applying for sponsorship and
- applying for permanent residence.
- See Who can apply and How to apply below for more
information.
While the process may seem long, it is necessary to protect adoptive children.
Learn about:
Related Links