Important notice for adoptive parents — Before you travel (Citizenship process)

Adopting a child from another country brings joy to thousands of Canadian parents every year. CIC is proud to play an important part in helping these children join the Canadian family.

But adoptive parents should be aware that the process can be complicated and, unless the proper procedures are followed, even heartbreaking.

Long waiting periods can seem unreasonable to a family anxious to welcome a new member but, to ensure the child’s rights are protected, international adoption is complex.

There are two processes involved in international adoption:

1. The adoption itself, which is governed by the laws of the child’s country of birth, the province or territory where the adoptive parents live, and international conventions;
2. The citizenship process. Before an adopted child can be brought to this country, citizenship requirements must be met and necessary travel documents issued for the child.

Understandably, adoptive parents are anxious to complete both processes as quickly as possible. Time frames for the citizenship process vary widely from country to country and even from case to case within one country. Canadian families planning to adopt a child in another country should understand that, even under ideal conditions, the adoption and citizenship processes together will take at least six to eight months from start to finish. Depending on the child’s country of origin, it is not unusual for the process to last for two years or even longer.

There are instances where, following screening by the visa office, an application for citizenship may be denied where requirements under local law or international law are not met.

Adoptive parents should therefore exercise caution. Each country’s rules are different.

To avoid unnecessary expense and disappointment, you should not plan to return to Canada with your adopted child until you know with certainty that all citizenship requirements have been met.

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the rights of families and children. We have obligations under international Conventions to ensure children are not abducted, bought or sold, or removed from their biological families without their biological parents’ legal consent. In some cases, extra steps in the citizenship process will be needed to make sure the adoption is truly in the child’s best interest.

In order to be granted Canadian citizenship, a child must meet a number of requirements. The Citizenship Act and its Regulations specify that children must be protected when they are adopted from foreign countries. In certain countries lengthy investigations may be needed to determine a child’s status. This can delay a child’s entry to Canada. If a child is not found to be available for adoption, the application for Canadian citizenship will be refused.

For these reasons, adoptive parents must remember that the adoption and citizenship processes are separate. If the citizenship portion of the process is lengthy and you have chosen to travel to the child’s home country, you may want to return to Canada between completing the legal adoption and completing the citizenship process. This is especially true when adopting from countries that do not have a well-established adoption program in place with Canada. Please remember: It is mandatory for a child to have received a grant of Canadian citizenship and be issued the necessary travel documents before that child can be brought back to Canada.