Adoptive Parents
The Incoming Adoption
If you are living in the United States (USA) and adopting from another country, our experienced staff at Forever Families Through Adoption (FFTA) can assist you with your adoption plan. FFTA is a fully Hague accredited agency permitted to supervise incoming adoptions of a baby/child born outside the USA.
Once you decide international adoption is the route you wish to take to build your family as a prospective adoptive parent you must first be found eligible to adopt under USA law. The Federal agency that makes this determination is the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). You also have to meet requirements set by your home state. A child may not be brought into the USA for purposes of adoption until USCIS determines that you are eligible to adopt from another country. The approval process includes, but is not limited to: obtaining a home study report, and criminal and child abuse background checks. FFTA can assist you with your home study report in New York State and help you with referrals to out of state home study providers.
Some of the certain requirements that must be met to adopt a foreign-born child into the USA include:
- That at least one prospective adoptive parent is a USA Citizen.
- If you are married, you must both adopt the child.
Each country has its own requirements for prospective adoptive parents. Country information is frequently updated, so is it important to check the Department of State’s website regularly at: http://www.travel.state.gov/. We also encourage you to look at www.uscis.gov to learn more about incoming adoption requirements.
What's New at FFTA?
The Adoption Tax Credit is Partially Refundable!
Due to recent policy changes, the adoption tax credit is refundable up to $5,000. The maximum allowable federal adoption tax credit for 2025 is $17,280. This will hopefully allow more financial flexibility for adoptive families and of course help to reduce the number of children waiting in foster care! Always contact your tax accountant or advisor for more guidance and make sure to save all invoices and expense reports towards your adoption.
Learn more about adoption costs . Read more about Understanding the Adoption Tax Credit from the National Council for Adoption (NCFA).Meet and Greet
September 9th, 2025
Foster 2 Forever: Free Information Session
September 15th, 2025
Domestic Newborn Adoption: Everything You Need to Know - Zoom Meeting