Your application allows CCAI to screen your qualifications for a Taiwanese adoption. From your application, we are able to determine whether or not you meet the requirements of our agency and the requirements of the various government entities that will be involved in your adoption - U.S. government, Taiwanese government, etc. If a family submits a complete and truthful application and is approved by CCAI, we are committed to serving you through all the stages of a Taiwanese adoption.

You cannot request to be matched to any child nor complete a dossier without your Home Study; CCAI provides a list of home study service providers and is your link to the USCIS. Our Taiwan Team will review your home study. Once your home study is reviewed and approved for Taiwan, you will file your I-600A, related documents and fees, including the home study for immigration approval to adopt from Taiwan.

*This part of the process can be repeated as many times as necessary until the orphanage approves a match.

Upon selection of a waiting child from our agency’s list of available children, your home study will be forwarded to the Child matching team at the orphanage who will assess and match you to said child, if found suitable. Once you are matched, the orphanage will provide an Adoption Contract for the family to sign. Upon receipt of the contract, the orphanage will prepare and mail the child specific documents. If you are not matched to the requested child, you can wait to find another child who would be a good fit for your family and request to be matched to that child.

Once your family accepts a child referral and signs the adoption contract, you will file the I-600 with the USCIS to initiate the Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR) prior to filing an adoption case with the courts. Upon issuance of the PAIR letter, USCIS NBC will forward the petition to AIT (American Institute of Taiwan) for final adjudication following the completion of the Taiwan court process.

The adoption process is completed by obtaining a civil ruling and certificate for final civil ruling from the Court and registering the adoption at the local Census Bureau where the child is registered. It takes 6 to 8 months to complete these court proceedings and finalize your adoption.

After the court hearing there is a 10 day waiting period before the adoption paperwork is signed.

All families need to initially plan on two 4-7 day trips to Taiwan. Both parents should plan on attending the first trip where you will appear in front of the Judge to approve your request to adopt a specific child. In some cases, the judge may waive the adoptive parent’s appearance in court allowing the parents to travel for only one trip. This decision is up to the judge and occurs on a case by case basis.

SECOND TRIP: 1 week: Typically, within three or four weeks of a court finalized adoption in Taiwan, your family travels to Taiwan to bring home your newly adopted child. During this trip, Cathwel will assist you in applying for and obtaining the child’s U.S. visa from AIT (The American Institute in Taiwan). Once the visa is obtained, you can return to the US. This trip will last approximately one week.

Please remember that timelines are controlled by the Taiwanese government offices and are subject to change.

Throughout the wait, families are encouraged to check in with CCAI regularly. We maintain a library of books and resources at our office and are able to recommend relevant reading materials to families as they wait.

* The timeframe may lengthen while you are in process. However, the outline above reflects the timeline that families have experienced. This may not be your timeline.

CCAI will work with your family to determine the best option for your family related to travel. CCAI’s Taiwan coordinator will assist you in arranging your local travel, accommodations, and visit to the orphanage. CCAI recommends that you hire our Taiwanese contact to meet you at the airport and he will accompany you at all times. CCAI will provide you with the needed travel training.

After you return to the United States, CCAI will provide ongoing post adoption support to assist you with your adoption transition. Taiwan requires adoptive parents to complete 7 years of post-adoption reports. In the first year, reports are required at three, six, nine and twelve months. The three and twelve month post adoption report will be completed by your home study agency, while the six and nine month report can be self-reported by the family. After the first year, yearly self-reports can be submitted for the next six years or until your child turns 18. Photos are to be attached to all reports. CCAI will provide you information on how to validate your finalized adoption, in order to obtain your adopted Taiwanese child(ren)’s birth certificate from your state, and obtain his/her Social Security card and citizenship, if necessary.