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Process

Once an application is received and the home study is approved, CHOICES will assist in completing your paperwork and preparing the dossier for Panama. CHOICES will provide a complete list of requirements suitable for the region in which families which to submit their applications. CHOICES works in several regions of Russia, all of which may have different procedures and requirements in place. Please contact CHOICES to discuss region options.

Upon receipt of all required documents, CHOICES will begin processing as follows:

  • Assembling and notarizing dossier
  • Translation of dossier
  • Authentication with Order In Council and Society of Notaries Public, as needed
  • Authentication with Department of Foreign Affairs
  • Legalization with Russian Consulate in Ottawa
  • Notarization
  • Courier to Russia

Processing a dossier generally takes approximately 12 weeks. Once the dossier is submitted and accepted in Russia, applicants are officially on the wait list. In some cases, a dossier must be updated on a yearly basis until acceptance of a referral.

When a child is matched, applicants receive notification from CHOICES or Provincial Ministry representatives, and are asked to review the information with an international medical specialist. If they chose to proceed with the referral, a travel date is discussed and travel visas are requested.

Prospective parents will be well supported by our coordinators in each region for the duration of their trips. Our coordinators will arrange hotel reservation, transportation, translation, and any other services that are required during the stays. They also ensure continued communication between CHOICES, the orphanage, and the Russian Ministry Department in Russia throughout your adoption process.

During the first trip to Russia, which usually lasts approximately 5 business days, prospective parents will meet the Ministry Department, the orphanage staff, director, and doctor; and of course the child. They should have the opportunity to ask many questions about the child’s health status and any other information that is available. At the end of the trip, they will be asked to sign the Petition to Court, which triggers the adoption process.

Upon returning to Canada, a second dossier is prepared for submission to court. Although wait times between the first and second trip varies greatly from one family to the next, they generally vary from four to six months.

On the second trip, prospective paarents will have to take a medical examination in Russia, and visit the child at least once prior to the court hearing. Both adoptive parents must be present during the court hearing. The second trip may be approximately 7 business days.

A 30 days waiting period applies to all adoptions from Russia, at the end of which families can take custody their child. For this reason, most families will take their third trip approximately one month after the court hearing. The third trip may be approximately two weeks, and most families travel to Moscow to apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for the child’s visa before returning home. In some cases, applicants have the option of sending a courier to Moscow on their behalf. Assistance and support is provided in Moscow as well as in the regions.

Upon returning home, the family must apply to the Consulate of Russia in Canada to register the adopted child. Proof of the same must be provided to Russian authorities within three months of the adoption.

Four post placement reports are required to be completed by a social worker at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after the adoption. Timely completion and submission of these reports is very important; failure to meet these requirements may affect the prospects for future Russian adoptions into Canada.