Adoption can be both an exhilarating and extremely frustrating experience. But opting to parent and care for a non-biological child is one of the biggest gifts you can give another human. There are many children in need of loving homes and caregivers, and many to-be-parents seeking to meet this need for a wide range of reasons.
In Canada, those wishing to adopt have five main ways to begin their journey. They can opt for a public adoption (via the existing child welfare system), private adoption (adopting through a third-party agency either within Canada or abroad), international adoption (going south of the border, or overseas), adopting a relative (within Canada or abroad) or adopting a step child. Whatever your chosen path to adopting, there are often costs associated with the journey, and that’s not even considering how much it actually costs to raise a child.

Setting out on your adoption journey

Rules around adoption changes from province to province

Public vs. private adoption

Canadian private adoption vs. international private adoption

International private adoption

International relative adoption

Private adoption agencies

The home study
The main goal of this study, as invasive as it may feel, is to help prospective parents prepare and anticipate the unique challenges of raising an adopted child. The adoption practitioner makes a recommendation but does not have final say. Only the director of the provincial ministry in charge can green light the adoption, if it’s in the child’s best interest.

The initial fees

Open vs. closed adoption
