Costs rise on Chinese adoption

Infertile couples desperate to adopt a Chinese baby face three-year waits and almost double the administration fee, pushing total costs up to about $30,000 a child.

Child, Youth and Family (CYF) director of adoption and international services Paula Attrill said that from this month the fee charged by the Chinese government adoption agency rose from $5000 to $9000.

The agency cited rising costs in caring for the children before their adoption, she said.

CYF manages formal adoption programmes with seven countries, including China, Chile, Lithuania and Thailand. Each country set its own administration fee.

The largest number of CYF-arranged adoptions are from China. More than 350 foreign children are adopted every year by New Zealanders.

Attrill said the increased cost of adopting from China could make it unaffordable for some parents.

Applications to adopt internationally had dropped slightly over the past year, possibly as the credit crunch made it more difficult for couples to raise the tens of thousands of dollars required, she said.

Couples interviewed by The Press said it cost between $25,000 and $35,000 to adopt a child from China. This included the $9000 fee, a processing fee of $2700 and return flights and accommodation for about a fortnight in China.

The wait for a child, from registering with Chinese authorities to travelling to pick up the child, was between 2 1/2 years and three years, Attrill said.

It had been 1 1/2 years to two years previously, but the Chinese Government tightened requirements to cut through a backlog of more than 30,000 applications from people who felt China was an easy place to adopt, she said.

Before registering with the Chinese central adoption agency, couples had to go through three education classes and be assessed for their suitability, which took about six months.

Attrill said countries were improving foster services and focusing on adopting babies to their own citizens.

This meant children adopted internationally now tended to be older, with medical conditions or behavioural problems that made them less appealing, she said.

A Christchurch woman, Lisa (not her real name), 38, and her 45-year-old husband have been trying to adopt a child from China for the past three years.

She did not want to be identified in case Chinese adoption authorities saw her comments on the internet and took exception.

"It's [adopting internationally] now quite expensive and quite delayed," she said.

She and her husband decided to adopt after finding it difficult to have children.

Lisa said she and her husband would be able to pay the recently increased adoption fee, but for some people it could create financial stress.

"People push themselves to the limit to adopt. A lot of them have already paid thousands for IVF treatments," she said.

"Some people take out second mortgages, but in the current economic climate this might not be possible."

Lisa said the appeal of adopting a child through official Chinese channels was that couples were assigned children in the order they lodged their application with authorities, and it was overseen by the New Zealand Government.

"You are a number. No-one is favoured above anyone. You have to wait and it can take a very long time, but it's certain," she said.

The Chinese one-child policy meant that there were many healthy female children available for adoption.

Lisa said she expected to wait about another two years before she got her Chinese daughter.

New Zealand Chinese Association immediate past-president Kai Luey said babies were precious in China because of the one-child policy. However, there was an emphasis on having boys, so some girls were given up for adoption.

- © Fairfax NZ News