Journeys of the Heart Taiwan Child Adoption Program

Thank you for your interest in adoption from Taiwan through Journeys of the Heart.  Journeys of the Heart has the privilege of receiving the staff and Taiwan program previously coordinated so well the last two years by  New Hope Child and Family Agency.  Four program options are now available. Program I is very much like a domestic infant program as the birth mother chooses the family that will adopt her child. Birthmothers are particularly drawn to young couples who have no children or who have only one or two, preferably adopted, children. Through Programs II, III, & IV, infants are referred to and matched by Journeys of the Heart with waiting families.

Taiwan is located in Eastern Asia off the southeastern coast of China. Ethnic groups include: Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, Aborigine 2%. Taipei, the capital city, is located in the north. Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy.

Available Children

Infants will usually be one to four months at the time of referral.  However, the infant will likely be five to ten months old at the time the family travels to complete the adoption and bring their child home. This reflects the four to six months it usually takes to complete the adoption following the referral.

Who may qualify to adopt from Taiwan?

Married couples between 25 and 49 years of age, minimum five year marriage, or two years with no prior marriages– preference may be given to childless couples or those with one to two children in the home. Up to 3 children may be in the home for Program III .Families with more than 3 children in the home, will do best in program 4. Parents will also need to be in good health with no criminal history to adopt from Taiwan.

Journey’s is temporarily suspending the acceptance of single applicants. Please check back in Summer of 2008 to see if the program has started accepting single applications again.

What is the process and how long does it take?

Completion of home study and USCIS pre-approval (the “I-600A” process) usually takes between three to five months.

Program I  - families then submit an application to Taiwan together with a copy of their home study, a “dear birth parent” letter and family photo album. After your application is sent to Taiwan it may take nine to twelve months for a birthmother to select your family to parent her child. It is difficult to be precise, as it is entirely the birthmother’s choice.  USCIS pre-approval is required before acceptance of a referral.

Program II  - families will await the referral of a child after Journeys of the Heart receives their completed home study and they have USCIS pre-approval.

Programs III and IV -  families will await the referral of a child after Journeys of the Heart receives their completed home study and they have applied for USCIS pre-approval.

In Programs II , III, & IV, families are typically matched with referrals according to their place on the waiting list, in addition to their indicated openness and their home study approval for various conditions, along with possible birth mother preferences.

Once your family has accepted a referral, the court process takes three to six months until you will travel. One or both parents may travel to Taiwan and the stay is approximately three to five days. Under special , truly extenuating circumstances escort service is available for this program should parents not be able to travel. However we recommend that families travel to Taiwan if at all possible.  If families need to have their child escorted to them there will be additional fees and the waiting time will be extended some because escorts require additional process.

For more information on adopting a child from Taiwan please email Ering@journeysoftheheart.net