CCCWA Releases New Eligibility Updates
The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption released an announcement stating that they will be making some changes regarding family eligbiltiy beginning January 1, 2015. The changes are to ‘better help children in need find suitable families and improve the quality of management and service.’ GWCA is excited for these changes and the impact they will make on our current and future families. We look forward to working closely with the CCCWA in their efforts to help more orphans find their forever families. Below are the main changes made by the CCCWA. (Please note the following information only reflects the new changes, all other requirements have not changed.)
Eligibility Requirement Updates
Single parent families are now eligible to adopt what is considered an ‘LID’ child or a child that is not listed as special focus. are eligible to adopt either a non-special focus child or a special focus child. Single applicants may submit a dossier to China prior to being matched with a child. There must be no more than a 45 year age difference between the age of the parent and the age of the child.
Singles may have no more than 2 children in the home, and the youngest child should be older than 5 years old. Singles cannot adopt if there are already 3 children in their home under the age of 18.
Singles and couples over the age of 50 are now eligible to adopt either a non-special focus(LID) or a special focus child and can submit their dossier to China prior to being matched. There may be no more than a 50 year age difference between the age of the younger parent and the age of the child.
Couples with more than 5 children living in the home are now eligible to adopt either a non special focus(LID) or a special focus child and can submit their dossier to China prior to being matched.
Families must be free of medical conditions that affect their life expectancy or parenting ability to be eligible for an adoption from China. According to the CCCWA, the following conditions could make a family ineligible: intellectual disability, positive for HIV or other contagious infectious disease, schizophrenia, blindness, poor vision in both eyes, non-function or dysfunction of limbs, incomplete or deformed limbs, severe facial deformity, and Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or greater.
Mental disorders, such as mania, anxiety, phobia, depression, obsession, etc. will make a family ineligible for adoption, except in the case of a couple if the disorder is minor and well controlled by medication.
Diseases that require long-term treatment and affect parenting ability will make a family ineligible, except in the case where one parent is completely healthy and the other parent’s condition is well controlled after treatment. According to the CCCWA, the following conditions fall into this category: malignant tumors, lupus, nephrosis, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, an organ transplant within the last ten years, etc.
Parents with severe hearing loss/deafness or loss of language function may adopt a child with the same condition.
In an adoption by a couple, if one parent is completely healthy and the other parent has one of these conditions, the family will be eligible to adopt.
GWCA encourages families that do not meet all of the China requirements to still reach out to our International Adoption Consultants, we can always try for your family and the possibility of exceptions are sometimes available.
The CCCWA requires that families have a minimum income of $30,000 plus $10,000 per child living in the home (including the prospective adoptee). Minimum net worth for couples is $80,000. Minimum net worth for singles is $100,000. However, if a family lives in an area where the local cost of living is lower and they have above average income for their area, an exception to these income requirements may be made.
The following crimes on a background check will make a family ineligible for an adoption from China: history of domestic violence, sex abuse, or abuse/abandonment of children; drug use including opium, morphine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc; and history of alcohol abuse less than ten years old. If the parents have 3 or fewer minor criminal records more than ten years ago or five or fewer traffic violations with no severe outcomes, they may be eligible to adopt from China.
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