China Adoption Program: The Process

After a family's documents have been sent to China, the waiting period until referral of a child is currently between 26-28 months, although this time frame may vary somewhat depending on the conditions in China. The applicants' documents must first be approved by the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA).

WHFC will always send document packets to China in groups. After documents are received at CCAA, they are translated and reviewed, and finally, matched with a child. This process can take up to 17 months. CCAA always sends out referrals to all placing agencies according to a set schedule so all agencies are treated equally.

Information on a child is sent to the applicants through WHFC. Applicants usually travel to China in groups of fifteen to twenty families.

Re-Fingerprinting Request

Urgent! Are your fingerprints up to date? The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (CIS, formerly BCIS/INS) regulations state that fingerprints must be no more than 15 months old at the time of I600 filing for child's immigrant visa. Read more and learn how to ensure that your fingerprints are current.