Malawi Adoption
About Malawi Adoption
Children of All Nations is not accepting applications for this program
Malawi is a Southeastern African country described as the “Warm Heart of Africa.” Malawi is home to a multitude of wildlife, cultures, adventures, and with the third largest lake in Africa, an array of some of the rarest and most beautiful fish in the world. There is much culture in Malawi with the various tribes including Yao, Nyanja, Maravi and Chewa being the most numerous. Malawi is among the world’s least-developed countries. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, and deals with the most substantial environmental issues of deforestation; soil degradation; and water pollution. The Malawian government depends heavily on external assistance in order to meet development needs. The Malawian government faces challenges in building and expanding the economy, improving education, healthcare, environmental protection, and becoming financially independent in the midst of low employment rates.
Children of All Nations is proud to be one of the few U.S. agencies facilitating adoption from Malawi to help improve the lives of these special children.
If you would like more information about our Malawi adoption program, our specialized Malawi adoption consultants are standing by to help! Call us today at (512)323-9595 or email us at info@childrenofallnations.com.
Malawi’s Children
 Half of the country’s population is children and youth who have been abandoned due to broken families, poverty levels, parent’s lack of resources in healthcare, and societal issues, all which force the number of children living on the streets to continuously increase.
When adopting from Malawi, consider you will be adopting the following:
- Boys and girls from infant to 14 years old.
- Mostly healthy with the possibility of malnutrition and HIV +
Malawi’s Eligibility Requirements
In addition to the USCIS eligibility requirements for prospective adoptive parent(s), Malawi has the following requirements. If you feel you are not eligible to adopt from Malawi, or you are unsure, we may be able to work with you. Please contact us for a free case-by-case consultation.
- Citizenship: One parent must be a U.S. citizen
- Age: Adoptive parents must be between the ages of 25-55 years old. At least one parent must be at least 21 years older than the adoptive child.
- Marriage Status: Both married and single persons may adopt. Courts prefer that single persons adopt a child of the same sex. A single male prospective adoptive parent may not adopt a female child unless the court finds there are special circumstances justifying the adoption. Courts will heavily scrutinize cases where a single person adopts a child of the opposite sex to ensure the adoption is in the child’s best interests.
- Income: There is no minimum income required. However, you need to meet the income requirements provided by USCIS for the child to immigrate.
- Medical: There are some medical restrictions. If you take prescription medicine or have a medical condition, you can contact our adoption consultant to determine your eligibility.
- Criminal History: Applicants with a criminal history of child abuse, violence or domestic violence are not eligible to adopt.
Adoption Timeline
The time frame to complete international adoption from Malawi is estimated to be about 18-36 months after the dossier is registered. The total adoption process time can vary depending on the time families take to complete their dossier paperwork, their preferences for age and gender, and country processes. This timeframe is subject to change; please consult CAN for the most current processing times for your adoption from Malawi.
Malawi Adoption Process
1. Application and Approval
To adopt a child, please complete our agency application. For your convenience, you may access the application online. We will promptly review your eligibility to adopt from Malawi once we receive your application. If approved, we will provide you with our agency contract that outlines our fees, services and important information regarding the Malawi adoption process. Upon receipt of your signed contract, CAN will start to provide you with placement services for children from Malawi.
2. The Paper Chase
Once your agency contract is in place, it is time to start assembling your dossier. This will include a home study, which will assess your readiness for international adoption from Malawi and help prepare you for adoptive parenthood, filing with USCIS for international adoption approval, and gathering your necessary dossier documents. All dossier documents must go through the appropriate notarization processes before being sent to Malawi. We offer a complete Dossier Preparation Service to ease your international adoption process and give you peace of mind.
To ensure that prospective adoptive parents are prepared for their international adoption journey, our agency requires that parents complete 10 hours of adoption training as mandated by the Hague Convention. To satisfy these hours, we have developed an online parent training program that we are proud to include in CAN’s service plan. For an overview of the training program, please click here. Please contact us for more information regarding adoption from Malawi.
3. Identifying a Child(ren)
Once USCIS has approved your adoption home study, you will receive your I-171H pre-approval notice. Once your USCIS approval has been received, your dossier is complete, your dossier will be sent to the adoption authority of Malawi. After your dossier is approved by the government, you will be entered into a national wait list for a referral. Once a child is available for you, you will receive a referral of a child. Once you accept your referral, you await your court date. Once a court date is received, you are on your way to travel to Malawi to appear before the court to finalize your adoption.
4. Picking up Your Child(ren)
Once you receive a court date you will travel to Malawi and meet your child face-to-face. Here you will continue the finalization of the adoption in country. This trip typically lasts about 6 weeks.
5. Post Adoption Requirements
There are no post-adoption requirements of Malawi, although the court will often ask for a voluntary post-placement report. CAN will request 2 post adoption reports at 6 months and 12 months post return home.
|
