About international adoptions

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services must approve your eligibility to adopt before you can proceed with an international adoption.

Learn about the international adoption process.

International adoption allows orphaned or abandoned children from outside of Canada, who don’t have a chance of being adopted within their country, to find a permanent home with adoptive parents in Ontario.

Children who are related to you may be placed with extended family in Ontario through international adoption, if adoption is in the child’s best interest.

Children from international adoptions can be infants, toddlers or school age and can have siblings too. Most of these children have spent time in an orphanage.

To arrange international adoptions, contact:

Cost

An agency or individual licensed for international adoptions usually charges $20,000 to $50,000 for their international adoption services. There are also additional fees for:

  • a homestudy assessment
  • a mandatory parent training program
  • travel and accommodation costs in a foreign country

Time to complete the process

Waiting times vary depending on the country you are adopting from. Consult with your Ontario-based agency about current timelines.

Keep in mind

You’ll need to travel to meet the child you are adopting in their home country and may need to meet them more than once. Most international adoptions are finalized in the child’s country of origin. The child must remain in their home country until the Canadian immigration process is complete.

Ontario’s international adoption laws

Most international adoptions are completed in the child’s country of origin and are governed by Ontario’s Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998 (IAA). Some international adoptions are completed in Ontario after the child’s arrival in Canada, and these are governed by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA).

The rules and process for adopting outside of Canada are the same for adopting a family member under 18 years old and for adopting a non-family member.

It is your responsibility to understand and comply with all applicable laws regarding an adoption you want to pursue. You could face a penalty, including a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to two years in jail, for violating Ontario’s laws on international adoption. These penalties apply to all residents of Ontario, even if you were unaware of the laws.

It is an offence under Ontario’s Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998 (IAA), for you to leave Ontario for an international adoption without the approval of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. If you have dual citizenship in Canada and the country you wish to adopt from, you still must first obtain approval from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services before you leave Ontario to pursue an international adoption, including to obtain all necessary approvals in your home country. This requirement still applies when the child you are seeking to adopt is your relative.

Before leaving Ontario for the purposes of an adoption or finalizing an adoption in another country, you must:

  • work directly with an Ontario individual or agency licensed to facilitate international adoptions
  • complete an adoption homestudy assessment, conducted by an Ontario-approved adoption practitioner
  • complete a mandatory parent training program, Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education (PRIDE)
  • obtain approval from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services confirming your eligibility to adopt based on your adoption homestudy.

You must get approval from all necessary adoption and immigration authorities before you can bring your adopted child to Canada. Your adoption licensee can help you determine what approvals you need depending on the country you are adopting from.

Only a children's aid society or adoption licensee can place a child with another person for adoption in Ontario.

International adoption process

Step 1: Contact an agency or individual licensed for international adoptions

Contact an agency or individual who is licensed in Ontario to facilitate intercountry adoptions and is authorized to facilitate adoptions in the country you are adopting from.

When you contact the adoption licensee ask for:

  • timelines
  • information on the countries they can facilitate adoptions from and the country-specific requirements
  • orientation sessions and related changes

You will use this information to choose a country from which to adopt a child and select an agency to help you with the adoption process. When you are sure of your choice you must sign a service agreement with the agency.

Adoption licensees are not required to accept all clients or cases. The adoption licensee will assess your case before determining whether it can provide assistance and may notify the ministry of any concerns.

Step 2: Find a private adoption practitioner

You must find a private adoption practitioner who will:

  • help you complete the mandatory homestudy and training
  • give you information about the required costs and time it will take

Get a list of private adoption practitioners.

Step 3: Complete a homestudy and mandatory training

Your adoption practitioner will help guide you through the two phases of the approval process, which include the homestudy and adoption preparation training.

Homestudy

The Structured Analysis Family Evaluation homestudy:

  • assesses your skills and readiness to raise an adopted child
  • evaluates your home environment
  • helps you better understand what’s involved in raising an adopted child

This is a mandatory process and can include four to six interviews over four to six months. The homestudy helps determine whether you’re ready to be an adoptive parent and what type of child you’re best suited to adopt. Learn more about the documents you need and what to expect during the homestudy.

Once the homestudy is complete, your adoption agency will submit it to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for review and approval. If approved, you will receive a letter of approval from the ministry, confirming your eligibility and suitability to adopt. It is valid for two years.

Adoption preparation training

The Parent Resources for Information and Development and Education (PRIDE) program helps prepare you for the responsibilities of raising adopted children.

A mandatory, standardized training program that has a 27-hour curriculum, the PRIDE program helps you navigate a smooth adoption process when a child is placed in your home. You can complete the training at the same time as your homestudy.

Find more information about the PRIDE program.

Step 4: Finding a match

Your adoption licensee will:

  • prepare a file with all the necessary information, including translations
  • send it to the country from which you are applying to adopt

The wait time to receive a response regarding a child available to adopt varies from country to country.

If you do not receive a proposal regarding a child available for adoption within two years, then you must update your homestudy and get a new letter of approval from the ministry, as your letter of approval expires after two years.

The homestudy must be updated to ensure your circumstances have not changed. Supplementary documentation, such as police clearances and medicals, are valid for only two years.

Some countries may require you to update certain documents before the two-year period ends. Your adoption practitioner or licensee can provide you with information on how long your documents remain valid for the country that you are adopting from.

Step 5: Being matched

When your adoption licensee receives a proposal from a foreign country for a child who is legally available to adopt, the licensee will review the details of the proposal to ensure it matches the recommendations from your homestudy. Your adoption practitioner will contact you to discuss the details of the proposal.

The adoption licensee will ask you to review the details of the proposal with your adoption practitioner and decide if you want to proceed. If you accept the proposal, your adoption practitioner will prepare a consent report and send the proposal to the ministry for approval.

You’ll need to travel to the child’s country of origin to meet and bond with the child. You can contact your adoption practitioner or adoption licensee with any questions you may have while you’re travelling to meet the child.

Step 6: Finalization

What happens in the child’s country

Authorities in the child's country of origin will arrange for you to meet the child you’re planning to adopt. Some countries may require you to make two visits or remain for a specific amount of time.

Your adoption licensee or their representative in the child’s country of origin will help you complete the steps necessary for adoption in the child's country of origin.

In most cases the child must remain in their birth country until you receive the final adoption order and the child’s immigration clearance documentation that allows you to bring your child home.

The local Canadian Embassy issues the decision about the child’s status in Canada. You will need to wait for this decision before the child can travel to Canada.

Most international adoptions are finalized in a court in the child's country of origin and the adoption order is issued there.

Canadian immigration

You must make an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Your adoption licensee can help you navigate the immigration process and will advise you when to file an application for the child’s immigration to Canada. Learn about the immigration process for intercountry adoption.

If you’re finalizing in an Ontario court

Some international adoptions are finalized in an Ontario court. In this situation, there is a six-month period during which your adoption practitioner will make supervisory visits to your home to see how the child is adjusting.

At the end of this period, the practitioner will prepare a report on the adjustment of the child in the home (ROACH), that they submit to the ministry for approval. Your adoption licensee will then apply, on your behalf, to the Ontario court to issue an adoption order, which finalizes the process.

Post adoption report

Most countries require post-adoption reports. Your adoption licensee can give you details and help with a post-adoption report.