India Adoptions

General Information

India is a signatory to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), Ministry of Women and Child Development, Delhi is the central authority in India. CARA oversees the international adoption process, licenses Indian and foreign agencies, and approves each adoption case, whether it is a relative or non-relative adoption. World View is registered and approved by CARA as an Enlisted Foreign Adoption Agency (EFAA).

The average age of children from orphanages, that are available for adoption, ranges from 1 to 5 years. Since Indian mothers are normally not prone to substance abuse or sexually transmitted diseases, the children are usually of good health although they might suffer from mild malnutrition. Notwithstanding, there are many children with special-needs that are available for adoption. The orphanages with which World View is involved are clean and have a high ratio of staff-to-children care.

Although India has enacted legislation – that is, the Juvenile Justice Act – which would permit non-Hindus to finalize adoptions through the Courts in India, orphanage children are typically given to Canadian residents (even where they are of Indian origin) under a Guardianship Order pursuant to India’s Guardians and Wards Act. The adoptive parents would, therefore, need to adopt the child through a Canadian provincial court after a probationary period, usually of six months’ duration.

If you wish to adopt a child that is related to you and if you are Hindu or Sikh, the adoption is usually completed in India under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act.

See below for step-by-step procedures and costs for orphanage adoptions and for relative adoptions.

Photographs of children in orphanages in India

Step-by-step process to adopt a child from an orphanage

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 India – must be prepared by an adoption practitioner (usually a social worker) that has been approved by the provincial central authority for international adoptions.
The homestudy report will be submitted by World View to the provincial central authority for approval.
Upon approval of the provincial government, the homestudy will be submitted to the Indian authorities for approval and matching of a child from a Recognised Indian Placement Agency (RIPA).
The average wait-time for a proposal of a child between the ages of 1 and 3 with no serious health issues has been about 1 ½ years. The wait-time for an older child and/or a child with special needs may be considerably shorter.
When a child is proposed by a RIPA, World View will present the proposal to you with the involvement of the adoption practitioner that completed your homestudy.
Upon your acceptance of the child, the proposal will be submitted to the provincial central authority for approval of the placement and, subsequently, will be sent to the Indian authorities for a No Objection Certificate from the Indian government and for a Guardianship Order from the Indian Court.
Concurrently, World View would file an application with Citizenship and Immigration Canada for the child’s visa to enter Canada as a permanent resident.
The time period involved in obtaining the Indian approval, guardianship order, the child’s passport and immigrant visa is approximately 6 to 8 months.
After the child arrives in your home, World View will arrange for the adoption practitioner to "supervise" the adoption placement for a minimum period of six months and prepare progress reports for submission to the provincial central authority and to the Indian authorities.
World View will submit the final progress report to the provincial central authority for approval to finalize the adoption through the provincial court. A copy of the Canadian adoption order will also be forwarded to the Indian authorities.

Cost of the adoption process for orphanage adoptions

The average cost is between $20,000 and $25,000, exclusive of the travel and accommodation expenses in India.
This amount includes the cost of the homestudy, the immigration sponsorship and application for visa on behalf of the child, the Indian adoption fee, supervision of the placement/submission of progress reports, and the finalization of the adoption through the Canadian provincial court.

Click here to submit an online application.

Step-by-step process to adopt 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 India – must be prepared by an adoption practitioner (usually a social worker) that has been approved by the provincial central authority for international adoptions.
World View arranges for a competent authority in India to complete an assessment regarding the child and the appropriateness of the adoption plan.
The homestudy and child study reports are submitted by World View to the provincial central authority for approval.
Upon approval, World View would assist you with the adoption process in India.
Concurrently, World View would file an application with Citizenship and Immigration Canada for the child’s visa to enter Canada as a permanent resident.
Once all of the ceremonial and legal requirements have been completed in India, World View submits a dossier on your behalf to the Government of India along with a request for a No Objection Certificate from CARA.
The No Objection Certificate is required by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada before a visa can be issued for the child to enter Canada.

Cost of the relative adoption process

The average cost is $13,000, exclusive of the travel and accommodation expenses in India.
This amount includes the cost of the homestudy and child study reports, the lawyer’s fees in India, preparation of the dossier for the Indian Government, the immigration sponsorship and application for visa on behalf of the child.