Before you apply
For most international adoptions, you must complete 2 processes:
- The adoption process
- In Canada, the provinces and territories are responsible for the adoption process.
- You must contact your provincial or territorial adoption authority (or the authority in your country of residence, if you’re abroad) to find out if you’re eligible to adopt.
- The adoption authority will help you:
- find out if you need to work with a licensed adoption agency
- learn about the adoptions laws of the country or territory that you want to adopt the child from, and
- understand the rules of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions.
What is the Hague Convention?
- The Hague Convention protects children and their families against the risks of illegal, irregular, premature or ill-prepared adoptions abroad.
To do this, the Hague Convention puts:
- safeguards in place to make sure that all intercountry adoptions are in the best interests of the child and respects their human rights,
- a system in place of cooperation among countries to guarantee that these safeguards are respected, and to prevent the abduction of, sale of, or traffic in children.
For Hague adoptions, the authorities in both countries must agree to go ahead with the adoption. The Hague Convention does not allow private adoptions in the child's home country.
For non-Hague adoptions, requirements may vary from one country to another.
- The immigration (sponsorship) or citizenship process
- After the adoption is complete, you need to bring your child to Canada either through the immigration or citizenship process.
- The process you use depends on your eligibility:
- Some adoptive parents are eligible to use the citizenship process to bring their child to Canada.
- Others must use the immigration process.
- In some cases, parents may be eligible for either process and can choose the one that best fits their situation.
- Check which process to use.
The following information applies if you choose to use the immigration process.
- Submit both parts of your immigration application, including:
- Your sponsorship application: You apply to become a sponsor.
- The child’s permanent residence application: You apply for your child’s permanent residence.
- Bring the child to Canada once they become a permanent resident and get their permanent resident visa.
- After the child arrives in Canada as a permanent resident, you can apply for citizenship on their behalf. However, you must complete the adoption process first.
When you can apply
You can apply for the child’s permanent residence through the immigration process once the adoption is complete (you have a final adoption order).
- In some cases, you can apply before the adoption is complete:
- If the child’s home country requires a probationary period to be completed in Canada, or
- If you’ll complete the adoption in Canada