Dillon International works cooperatively with agencies that are authorized by their respective governments to work with intercountry adoption.  In this way, our agency fulfills the need for permanent homes for children whose best interests would be served through intercountry adoption and insures that all legal and social safeguards are met. Agency Policies USCIS Policies   Country Programs Charitable Contributions Policy Child Placement Statistics

Agency Policies

1. Married couples, who meet the following marriage-length requirements are eligible to adopt:

   • China - 2 years

   • Ethiopia* - 2 years

   • Ghana - 3 years

   • Haiti - 10 years unless there is documented infertility

   • Honduras* - 3 years

   • Hong Kong - 3 years

   • Korea - 3 years

   • Russia* - 2 years

   • A married couple is defined as a legal union between a man and a woman.

   *these programs available through Dillon's affiliation with Buckner

    

2. Marriage-length requirements for second marriages are as follows:

   • China - 4.5 years

   • Ethiopia - 5 years

   • Haiti - 10 years

   • Honduras - 3 years

   • Hong Kong - 3 years

   • Korea - 3 years

   • Russia - 3 years

   • Prior agency and country approval will be needed for persons having had more than one previous marriage. 

    

3. There may be no more than 15 years age difference between husband and wife (10 years for Korea applicants).
    

4. Single heterosexual women who are living alone may adopt from Haiti, Hong Kong, or Russia.
    

5. Applicant(s) must be high school graduates or have GED equivalency.
    

6. Applicant(s) must reside in the United States.
    

7. Applicant(s) should be able to furnish evidence that a viable financial plan is in place for payment of adoption expenses and the expenses of childcare.
    

8. Applicant(s)' total income must be 125% of the U.S. poverty income guidelines for a family of their size including the child to be adopted.  For Hong Kong, the family must have a minimum annual income of $30,000.  For China ONLY, the family must have an annual combined income of $10,000/family member or dependent including the child to be adopted and to have net assets totaling at least $80,000.  (Should a family's financial situation change during the adoption process so that they no longer meet the individual country's criteria, the family's application will be placed "on hold" until the family's financial situation can be restored.)
    

9. Applicant(s) must each have a minimum of $50,000 in life insurance coverage.
    

10. Our agency is grounded in Christ-centered values.  Our philosophy encourages a home environment in which Judeo-Christian principles are taught.
     

11. Applicant(s) must have medical insurance coverage for each existing family member plus medical coverage for any medical care their newly adopted child might need upon arrival home.  Applicant(s) will need to obtain written confirmation from their medical insurance carrier stating that their adopted child will be covered upon placement with the family.
     

12. All adoptive families must be open to immunizing their adopted child and agree to their child receiving blood transfusions should he/she require it.
     

13. Applicant(s) must be in good mental, emotional, and physical health with no serious illnesses of a chronic, debilitating and/or life-threatening nature.  See "Health Requirements" section located in Dillon's Adoption Policies & Procedures Bulletin.
     

14. Applicant(s) may have no arrests within the three (3) previous years (10 years for China and Hong Kong).  Additional information must be submitted for older arrests.  Agency approval is contingent on case review.  See "Documentation for History of Unlawful Incidents" located with Dillon's adoption application-Part I.
     

15. Adoptive families must take six (6) weeks' leave from work after their child arrives home to promote bonding and attachment.  This time can be split between both spouses if desired.
     

16. The adopted child must be at least one year younger than the applicant(s)' youngest child in their home, whether biological or adopted.
     

17. A family may have no more than six (6) children under the age of 18 living in the home after the adoption is completed.  Larger families will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. (See specific country adoption program requirements.)
     

18. Prior to completion of the home study, applicant(s) must designate a guardian plan in the event of the death of the adoptive parent(s).
     

19. Applicant(s) must have a will in place prior to completion of the home study if the family has children.  If the family is childless, applicant(s) must have a will in place within three (3) months of finalizing or re-finalizing the adoption.
     

20. Families in the adoption process must notify the agency immediately regarding any significant change in their family's situation, such as: change of residence and/or contact information, change of employment or financial status, death of a family member, serious illness or medical treatment, family members leaving home, or additional persons living in the home.
     

21. Dillon International will require that a family's application be placed on hold or inactivated in the event of pregnancy, life-threatening illness or disease, separation or divorce, or receiving a child from another source.  The time on hold will vary on a case-by-case basis.
     

22. Our agency reserves the right to terminate a family's adoption process at any time during the process and at the sole discretion of the agency.
     

23. Dillon International will provide the home study and post-placement services for families living in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and southern California (counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial).  The agency will assist families living outside of this region with locating a home study provider in their area.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Policies (USCIS)

• At least one adoption applicant must be a citizen of the U.S. 

• All adult household members, age 18 and older, will be fingerprinted by USCIS for an FBI criminal background check, which is separate from any background check required by an applicant's state of residence.

• For Hague adoptions, available child abuse registries must be checked for any state or foreign country that an adult member of the household has resided in since turning 18 years of age.

• The home study must be updated and submitted to USCIS if there is a significant change in the family situation or there is a change in the characteristics (e.g. age, gender, health status) of the child the family intends to adopt.

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Country Programs

Please click the links below to review the requirements of each country program:

CHINA	ETHIOPIA*	GHANA	HAITI	HONDURAS*
HONG KONG	INDIA Not Receiving Applications	KOREA	RUSSIA*
* Country programs offered through Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, an affiliate of Dillon International

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Charitable Contributions Policy

Dillon International is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and we welcome donations to assist in our humanitarian efforts.  Dillon will not actively solicit donations from adoptive families who are in any stage of the adoption process. 

Due to the confidential and sensitive nature surrounding the adoption process, all donations which do come from in-process families have safeguards in order to protect our adoptive families as well as the agency.  All donations are considered confidential and any information associated with a donation is not shared with Dillon's social work staff.

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Agency Placement Statistics

Dillon International maintains records on the agency's child placements which are available upon request to adoptive families and prospective adoptive applicants.  The provided information will be based on the three (3) previous calendar years from the date of the request and will include the following:

• Total number of placements

• Number of placements which are still intact

• Number of placements that have disrupted

• Number of placements that have dissolved

• Total number of adoptive applicants

• Current number of children eligible for adoption and awaiting referral

This information may be requested at any time by either completing our online request form or by sending your written request to Dillon International, Inc., 3227 East 31st Street, Suite 200, Tulsa, OK  74105 or by contacting our office at 918.749.4600.

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