China

Overview

West Sands Adoptions is dedicated to finding families for orphaned children in China. We are one of the few agencies that are registered directly with the CCAA, and we have been placing children from China for 10 years. We are a full-service agency. We are available throughout the process to answer your questions and help you complete your dossier. Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions. We also encourage you to watch our China Adoption video, look at our China Adoption Trip photos, and read about the services we provide.

West Sands Adoptions can now place children through the China Special Needs Adoption Program! Read more below.

China Special Needs Adoptions: NEW!

West Sands Adoptions is pleased to be able to offer our clients high-quality adoption services in conjunction with China’s special needs adoption program. Although wait times for healthy children from China continue to rise, the wait time for a child with special needs can be six months or less if your paperwork is already ready. Boys and girls are both available in the age range from about 1 year to about 12 years. Children with all kinds of special needs are waiting for adoption. Common special needs include cleft lip and palate, heart conditions, vision and hearing impairments, missing fingers and/or toes, other limb deformities and other diseases and conditions. Some of the needs are fairly minor, but parents should be prepared to handle at least some type of special need. Please contact us for more information about this program at WestSandsAdoptions@gmail.com.

Requirements for all China Adoptions

Who can adopt from China?

Only couples may adopt. All parents must be between 30 and 50 years of age when their dossier is sent to China.
Couples must have been married to one another for at least 2 years (5 years married to each other if either has a previous divorce).
Couple must both have at least a high school diploma.
No one with a criminal record can be considered.
A couple can have no more than 4 minor children already living in the home.
The family’s youngest child must be older than 1 year old.
Both applicants must be healthy by CCAA standards (neither is taking anti-anxiety medication, neither has a body mass index of 40 or higher, and neither has a history of cancer).
Only one child can be adopted at a time, unless they are twins. Twins are rare, however, and the prospective adoptive parents’ income must be very high.
China requires a minimum annual income equally $10,000 per person living in the home, including the child you are adopting. Example: If you are a married couple with 2 children already in your home, you must make an annual income of $50,000. Families with incomes below $40,000 cannot be considered.
A family’s net assets must equal or exceed $80,000.
All applicants must wait 1 year from a previous adoption before submitting a dossier to China.
Families who already have a dossier in China through West Sands Adoptions may choose to have their dossier transferred to our special needs adoption program. At this time, the CCAA has asked West Sands to limit new China applications to Utah families only.

The Children

The ages of the children referred from the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) is usually between 7 and 14 months. There are also children available up to 14 years of age. You can request a child “as young as possible”, but please keep in mind that we have no control over the age of the children you are referred and you should be willing to accept a child a little older than you requested.
Healthy children and children with minor special needs are available from China. If you are open to a child with any special needs, please let us know.
Most of the children that are available for adoption in China have been abandoned. There is no record or trace left behind by the birth family. These children are raised in welfare homes and a small number of them are put into foster homes.
Most of the children adopted from China are girls. However, boys are available and if you would like to adopt a boy, the CCAA will try to honor your request if they are able to do so.

Costs

You can download West Sand’s Fee Schedule for a China adoption (PDF).

Homestudy

Every adoption requires a homestudy. We have more information at our Adoption Homestudy Information page.

Application & Other Paperwork

You can find our application and other necessary paperwork at our Documents page.

More China Resources

You can find many more resources about adoption from China at our China Adoptions Links page.

West Sands and Cooperative Agreements

Although in the past West Sands Adoptions has partnered with several other agencies to make programs available through your local agency, we are no longer able to do so. Any future adoption programs offered through West Sands Adoptions will be offered independently.