Guatemala Adoption
The Program
Since 1993 CWA has worked diligently to place hundreds of children
from Guatemala. Our Guatemalan adoptions are proceeding as well
as ever with many children coming home each month. Birth mothers
with an unplanned pregnancy contact attorneys for an adoption
plan. These attorneys then refer the child to CWA for placement
with a family. Once a family’s dossier is complete, including
the USCIS approval, a referral of a boy can be two months or
less. Referral of a girl can take from 3-5 months. Once a referral
is accepted by the family, the total time for finalization of
the adoption process is about six months. Then you can bring
your child home! The adoption is completed by proxy (permission
granted to attorneys through Power of Attorney from adoptive
parent). By U.S. law it is necessary to readopt the child in
the United States since the child is not seen by both parents
before the adoption is completed in Guatemala. CWA has Spanish
speaking staff in our offices. CWA’s Guatemala Program
Director, Nancy Betancourt, speaks fluent Spanish and understands
Latin culture.
The Children
Mostly newborns and infants are available for adoption, usually
relinquished at birth. Babies typically go directly from their
birth mother’s custody into private foster homes where
they receive excellent care in a loving family setting. Occasionally
older children are available. Immunizations are usually up to
date on the children. Both boys and girls are available for adoption
with faster referral time for boys. With a referral, families
get photos and medical information of the baby as well as of
birth mother.
Parent Eligibility
Couples between the ages of 25 and 55, with at least one parent
under 50, and singles (both men and women) between the ages of
25 and 50 can adopt from Guatemala.
Travel
The Guatemala program offers easy travel for one or both parents.
The trip is a short 4-5 day stay in the capitol city. Friendly
English speaking facilitators will take the parents to all of
their appointments. The hotels also have English speaking staff
to help make your stay a pleasant one. For adopting parents that
feel they cannot possibly travel, a child escort can be arranged
to bring your child to the US, after being duly authorized by
the USCIS. The escort authorization process by the USCIS could
take up to an extra 30 days. Additional fees would be necessary.
Note: Due to the nature of international
adoption, all information contained on this webpage is subject
to change without notice.
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