Guyana Adoptions

Relative adoptions/general information

Guyana is not a signatory to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The Adoption Board under the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security in Georgetown is responsible for approving all adoptions. Adoptions are completed in Guyana under the Adoption of Children Act. The adoption process involves at least two trips to Guyana.

Step-by-step process for adoption of a relative

• You may apply to World View by completing the application form on-line or by making an appointment for a face-to-face meeting with the Program Director. (Initial consultation is free and Saturday appointments are available.)
• A homestudy – that is, an assessment of your eligibility and suitability to adopt a child from Guyana that is related to you – must be prepared by an adoption practitioner (usually a social worker) that has been approved by the provincial central authority for international adoptions.
• At the same time, World View would request the Adoption Board in Guyana to prepare a Child Study Report as this will be required by the provincial central authority before the homestudy can be approved.
• Upon receiving approval of the provincial central authority, we would advise you to travel to Guyana to make an application to the Adoption Board for adoption of the child.
• You will need a lawyer in Guyana to file the necessary documents with the Court in Guyana. The Canadian provincial law requires World View to be responsible for making all payments involved in an adoption. The lawyer in Guyana must be approved by the Canadian provincial government; therefore, World View will assist you in making the appropriate legal arrangements.
• World View will also be responsible for making the application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for the adopted child’s visa to enter Canada as a Permanent Resident.

Cost of the adoption process

• The average cost is between $11,000 and $13,000, exclusive of the travel and accommodation expenses in Guyana.
• This amount includes the cost of the homestudy, the immigration sponsorship and application for visa on behalf of the child, the lawyer’s fees in Guyana and the cost of the child study report in Guyana.

Click here to submit an online application.