Adoption requirements
You can sponsor:
- an adopted child under 18 years old, if the adoption was completed outside Canada or will be completed inside Canada
- an adopted child 18 years or older, if the adoption was completed outside Canada
You may not be able to sponsor the child if they (or their family members) have a:
- criminal record
- serious illness
Medical requirements
The child must complete a medical exam before they can be given a permanent resident visa. Your province, territory or a licensed adoption agency will give you information about this process.
You must also sign the Medical Condition Statement (IMM 0133) confirming that you have information about the child’s medical condition.
International adoption requirements
Provinces and territories are responsible for the adoption process. To adopt a child from another country, contact your provincial or territorial adoption authority to get started.
Each country has its own requirements and procedures for international adoptions. Some countries require adoptions to be completed in the country where the child will live (such as Canada), while others require adoptions to be completed in the child’s home country. Not all countries allow adoptions.
If you’re adopting a child who is related to you, different rules from the provinces, territories or the child’s home country may apply.
Adoptions to be completed in Canada
International adoptions that will be completed in Canada must meet these requirements:
- the child is under 18 years old at the time the adoption is completed in Canada
- there’s no evidence that the purpose of the adoption is to give the child immigration status or privilege
- if the adoption falls under the Hague Convention, authorities in both the child’s home country and the Canadian province where the child will live have provided written approval that the adoption follows the Hague Convention
- if the adoption doesn’t fall under the Hague Convention:
- the child has been legally placed for adoption in their home country and there is no evidence that the adoption involves child trafficking or improper gain
- the authority of the Canadian province where the child will live must have provided written approval of the adoption.
Adoptions completed outside Canada
International adoptions completed outside Canada must meet these requirements:
If the child was under 18 years old when adopted
- The adoption must be in the child’s best interests, according to the Hague Convention. This means that:
- an authority completed or performed a home study of the adoptive parents
- the child’s biological parents have given their free and informed consent for the adoption
- the adoption created a genuine parent-child relationship
- the adoption follows the laws of the country where it took place
- the adoption follows the laws of the country where the sponsor lives
- If the sponsor is in Canada, the authority of the province where the child will live has provided written approval of the adoption.
- There’s no evidence that the purpose of the adoption is to give the child immigration status or privilege.
- if the adoption falls under the Hague Convention, authorities in both the child’s home country and the Canadian province where the child will live have provided written approval that the adoption follows the Hague Convention.
- if the adoption does not fall under the Hague Convention, there is no evidence that the adoption is for child trafficking or improper gain.
If the child was 18 or older when adopted
- The adoption follows the laws of the country where it took place or the laws of the country where the sponsor lives.
- There must have been a genuine parent-child relationship at the time of the adoption and before the child reached the age of 18.
- There’s no evidence that the purpose of the adoption is to give the child immigration status or privilege.