| Ukraine is the second largest
country in Europe, Russia is the largest. The country’s
capital and economic, cultural, and educational center is Kiev.
The economic circumstances in Ukraine have led to an ever increasing
number of orphans. Many orphanages struggle daily to provide
for the basic needs of each child. Thousands of children need
the security and love of a family.
Your adoption process begins
with a home study report. Your social worker compiles
information gathered through interviews with you, and information
from background and abuse reporting agencies as well as other
documents. NHIA will complete the home study report for families
residing in the state of UTAH and help families residing outside
of UTAH by refering them to a home study provider in their state
of residence. While you are working on your home study, you
will send an immigration application to Citizenship and Immigration
Services (CIS) and also gather other documents for your dossier.
The documents that make up your dossier will be verified by
notarization and an apostil from your Secretary of State. NHIA
advises you throughout this process and checks your Dossier
for accuracy before it is sent to our coordinator in Ukraine.
When your dossier is sent to our coordinator
in Ukraine a final check for accuracy is performed. Translations
are then completed before delivering your dossier to the State
Department for Adoptions and the Protection of the Rights of
the Child (SDA).
Once your dossier has been sent to the SDA, there is a wait
for the SDA to review and approve you to adopt. When the review
and approval process has been completed, you wait for an invitation
to travel to Ukraine. This invitation will require you to be
in Ukraine on a specific date for an appointment at the SDA.
You will not be matched with a child before you travel. You
will receive several referrals of children to consider and select
from at this appointment at the SDA. After you have been matched
with a child, you will travel to meet your child at the orphanage
where they live . There you will receive further information
about him or her and make your final decision.
There is a required waiting period, then a
court hearing presided over by a judge in your child’s
region. Once the court hearing has been completed, you will
be able to travel back to Kiev with your child and then go to
the U.S. Embassy. At the U.S. Embassy you will get your child’s
visa to be able to come home. With that done you are ready to
return home with your child!
Your in-country travel will involve time spent
in Kiev where the SDA is located, and time spent in the city
where your child’s orphanage is located. Your time in
Ukraine will vary from 4-6 weeks, depending on the region where
your child’s orphanage is located.
Our facilitator or an appointed staff
person will be with you throughout your entire stay, translating
for you and helping you through each stage of the in-country
adoption process. You are well taken care of by our staff throughout
your 4-6 week stay in Ukraine. |
