To ensure the most positive experience for all involved, we are committed to educating, counseling, and supporting adoptive families throughout this life-long process. We are also committed to providing assistance to children who are living in orphanages around the world.

International Adoption Services Centre, Inc. is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that places adopted children of all ages with individuals and couples throughout the United States and with U.S. citizens living abroad. The Centre is headquartered and licensed in the State of Maine for ten years.

The Services We Provide

IASC works with adoptive families and persons, institutions or agencies located in their child's birth country and in the United States. Our services include:

1. providing adoption placement and counseling.
2. assisting with Citizenship and Immigration Services’ requirements and other legal and documentary requirements for intercountry adoption.
3. acting as liaison for families with institutions, courts, governments and the U.S. Embassy in the child's birth country.
4. arranging for medical evaluations and care for children identified for adoption.
5. providing country education and travel preparation.
6. providing a homestudy, upon request, of prospective adoptive families in Maine.
7. providing post-placement assistance and support.
8. preparing reports to local courts for finalization of the adoption in the U.S.
9. providing continuing education about cross-cultural and adoption issues.

Our Support of Orphanages

Regrettably, we know that not every orphan will be adopted. That is why we have made a firm commitment to help orphans live in more comfort and with more dignity. As such, we provide much needed assistance for orphans by sending supplies to the orphanages in which they live. We distribute donated medical supplies, children's clothes, toys, diapers, and blankets to orphanages designated by our staff and contacts in the birth countries of waiting children.

Availability of Children

The children available for adoption range in age from newborn to 15 years old. Children identified by the Centre for adoption generally receive a medical examination and blood test for HIV and hepatitis prior to placement, depending on the availability of testing in the child's birth country. We try to obtain detailed information regarding a child's health and biological family, but, as is typical in an international adoption, information regarding a child's medical and social history is sometimes limited.

While we will place some sibling groups and twins, we generally place one child per family at a time. We do not place unrelated children at the same time with the same family, however we can be flexible on this issue.

We make every effort to place a child with a family within twelve months of submission of the required documents. Often, children are placed more quickly. While we will use our best efforts to locate an available child for each family, we cannot guarantee that a child will be placed, or that a child will be placed within a specified time frame.

We have a special needs program for children with disabilities, and for older children. We try to place children in this program for a reduced fee. We welcome all inquiries for this program.

Eligibility Criteria

Our criteria for prospective parents has been developed to make placements which serve the best interests of the child as well as the adoptive parent(s). The International Adoption Services Centre encourages applications from:

• Married couples
• Single people
• Those over 45 years old
• People with disabilities
• Unmarried people of the same or opposite genders who have been living together at least two years.

Previous divorce does not disqualify you. Prospective parents need not be wealthy, but must have sufficient income to meet the expenses of adoption and to raise a child. We attempt to consider each family's individual situation. Exceptions to these eligibility criteria may be made when circumstances warrant.

Travel Requirements

Often, the child's birth country will require at least one parent to travel for approximately two to three weeks. In some countries, it may be necessary to make two trips. In a few countries, travel is not required and an escort may be available to bring your child home.

Cost

The estimated cost of an adoption through the Centre ranges from $17,000 to $24,000, depending on expenses in the child's birth country. This estimate includes all the expenses families can expect through the adoption, including the Centre's fee of $5,000.

The estimated cost also includes expenses anticipated in the child's birth country (foreign placement fee). These include legal and court fees, pre-placement medical evaluations, travel expenses, police clearance fees, translation, visa and immigration fees. Each family can anticipate some direct out-of-pocket expenses in this country such as dossier certification and authentication fees, CIS application for advanced processing (I-600-A), courier fees, and telephone expenses. These expenses are included in the range of figures listed above.

If an adoptive placement has not occurred within twelve months after the completion of your original home study, a home study update must be completed, as required by the Rules and Regulations of a Child Placing Agency. The time frame from the beginning of your home study to completion varies per agency, as does the cost of the home study and home study update.

Payment of the Centre's fees are staggered throughout the adoption process in order to accommodate families and to reimburse the Centre for services on an ongoing basis. Some of the foreign placement expenses are paid directly by the family as they occur. Refunds of fees are determined on a case-by-case basis.

Adoption Fee Schedule

(for full adoptions services only)

• Phase I $ 500 Due upon submission of application (non-refundable).
• Phase II $1,000 Due upon submission of Adoption Service Agreement.
• Phase III $1,200 Due upon submission of the homestudy contract. (Applicable only if the Centre provides home study services)
• Phase IV $2,000 Due upon submission of dossier for foreign country.
• Phase V $1,500 Due upon acceptance of child assignment.
• Phase VI $12,000 - 17,000 Foreign placement fees paid as expenses are incurred (includes estimated overseas travel and expenses).
• $1,000 (approx) Direct expenses (such as long distance telephone, dossier, CIS, courier, telephone, background check fees).
• Phase VII $150 Due upon post-placement contract

Each visit plus mileage (applicable only if the Centre performs these services)

Home Study Only Fee Schedule

(when only home study services are provided)

• Phase I $750 Due upon submission of Registration Form
• Phase II $250 Due upon attendance of Training Weekend
• Phase III $750 Due upon completion and acceptance of home study (plus background clearance fees and mileage)
• Phase lV $150 Due upon post-placement contract (each visit plus mileage)

Additional Services Available

(when only home study services are provided)

We understand that not all families require the same amount of assistance during their adoption process. For the families that are requesting home study and post placement services only we will provided additional service at the rate of $60.00 per hour for social services and $25.00 per hour for administrative services.

Additional service include, but are not limited to:

1. additional on going family consultation
2. assisting with Citizenship and Immigration Services’ requirements
3. assistance with preparation of dossier
4. Assistance with state certification and document authentications
5. Child referral review
6. Birth parent social family history review
7. Assistance preparing and review of birthmother profile/letter
8. Research family selected networking agency
9. Program selection assistance