If you are obese, single or poor, forget trying to adopt from China now. In May 2007, The People's Republic of China--the largest inter-country adoption destination for Americans--rolled out new rules that sharply limit the ranks of prospective adoptive parents. The rule changes have been perceived as an attempt to slow down international adoption and they seem to be doing just that: The wait now for a referral from China is believed now to be about three years, though some sources are predicting a wait of as much as five years for prospective parents.

Mainland China is still the largest adoption destination for American parents, but it is sending far fewer orphans to America now than it once did. In 2007, U.S. adoptions from China fell to 5,453, down from 6,493 for 2006 and 7,906 for 2005, the high-water-mark for adoptions from China. Since 1991, some 58,906 Chinese orphans have been adopted by Americans, the overwhelming majority of them girls.

According to Unicef, there are some 20 million orphans in China. This is largely due to family planning policies adopted by the Chinese government more than three decades ago that limited Chinese parents to one child, or two if the first is a girl or physically handicapped. This policy, combined with a traditional Chinese preference for boys, caused millions of girls to be placed in state care. Many regions of China no longer enforce the one-child policy, however.

The Laws
China's rules on adoption are set at the national level and despite China's own status as a developing nation they place great emphasis on the wealth of the prospective adoptive parents. The latter must have assets of at least $80,000 and an annual income equal to a minimum of $10,000 for each member of the household, including the child they are seeking to adopt. There are also now stiff requirements for parental health and marital status. But China also has some of the best-established rules for determining that a child is legally free for adoption and for caring for the children whose welfare it assumes.

To operate in China, adoption agencies must be licensed by the China Center for Adoption Affairs, the central government adoption authority. A detailed account of the rules for Chinese adoptions can be found on the Web site of the CCAA.

China is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, the international treaty that has been implemented by many countries around the world. Because the United States is also now a party to the convention, parents adopting from China must complete an I-800 rather than the I-600 document that has long been required of U.S. families in inter-country adoptions.

Parental Health And Marital Status
While many singles, including gay men and women, adopted from China in the past, only married couples may now adopt from the country. Married couples must be between the ages of 30 and 50 (55 for a special needs adoption), and have been married at least two years. China allows previously divorced people to adopt, but no more than two divorces are allowed.

In 2007, China also cracked down on obese parents. To be eligible now, a prospective parent must have a body mass index of less than 40. China also bars prospective parents who are blind or have a hearing loss, as well as those with AIDS, or contagious of chronic diseases, including epilepsy. Like Russia, China casts a wary eye on parents who have a history of depression or a criminal record.

How China Cares For Adoptable Children
The CCAA identifies and approves children as eligible for adoption, and matches them with prospective adoptive parents. Most infant referrals now are for children between the ages of eight and 15 months. Chinese orphans are cared for in both orphanages (often referred to as welfare institutions) and small-group care settings that have a lower ratio of children to caregivers. China also is expanding its use of foster care.

In April 2008, the CCAA announced changes that should speed up the adoption of older children and children with special needs. Where China once matched children with prospective parents on a case-by-case basis, the country will now release information on these waiting children to licensed agencies via a secure Web site.

Time Frame For A China Adoption
As with Russia, it now takes significantly longer to complete an adoption from China. Many agencies are advising parents that the wait could be as long as three years, with some sources predicting even longer waits.

Travel Requirements For China
Only one trip is required to complete an adoption from China, and at least one adoptive parent must make the trip. Parents generally spend about two weeks in China, including the time needed to complete the immigration visa for their child.

Cost Of A China Adoption
Adoptions from China have become more costly of late, thought they are still less expensive than some other countries. Plan on spending between $19,000 and $25,000 for one child. To encourage the adoption of older children, many agencies now have programs defraying the cost of these adoptions.

Key Resources
U.S. State Department profile

U.S. Embassy in Beijing

CIA Factbook profile

World Health Organization profile

U.S. Immigrant Visas Issued, by country