Renewed hope for expatriate Indians looking to adopt from homeland

The government said it would also look at giving non-resident Indians (NRIs) the same right to take home a child as prospective parents in India.

A number of Indian couples, such as Rajesh Nair and Sowmya Nair, in the UAE and Arabian Gulf countries have registered to adopt children from their home country after their government lifted an 18-month ban on them earlier this year. Courtesy Rajesh NairShow less

DUBAI // Proposed changes to the law in India will make it quicker and easier for expatriate Indian couples to adopt.

NRIs, non-resident Indians, may be given the same adoption rights as parents in India, and authorities aim to reduce the waiting time – which can be years – to eight months.

“We are trying to eliminate some adoption processes,” said Kareti Srinivasulu at the Ministry for Women and Child Development in Delhi.

The proposed amendments to the juvenile justice bill, which governs adoption, were placed before the Indian parliament last week. They are an attempt to revise laws and ease restrictions that have been in place for nearly 20 years, Mr Srinivasulu said.

“We are trying to ensure parents can approach as many as five adoption agencies to find a child so they can have a wider choice.”

Mr Srinivasulu urged Indians to open their minds while seeking to adopt.

“There are special-needs children who also need a home. But no Indian is willing to adopt them. Many also want to adopt only infants. We are asking parents not to be picky,” he said.

As many as 2,500 children are waiting to be placed in homes. Of these, the applications of 1,200 children are in the process of being approved, he said.

Indian authorities abruptly stopped accepting adoption applications from NRIs in October 2012 on the ground that too few children were available for adoption. In February, The National reported that the process had been reopened.

As many as 40 parents from the region have since registered to adopt with the UAE representative of Cara, the Central Adoption Resource Authority.

Once a couple is registered, it takes Cara about three months to identify an orphanage. After this, the wait could be at least another two years.

Expatriates are, however, cautiously optimistic about the planned changes.

“I am very happy hearing this,” said Rajesh Nair, 32, a project manager in Qatar and one of the 40 expatriates who registered recently.

“We have been asking for NRIs to be treated on a par with Indians living in the country. We have been hearing reports from India about the minister requesting judges to expedite adoption cases pending or received by them. I am optimistic but I know things take their own time in India. This is not a priority for the government.”

Mr Nair and his wife chose adoption after trying to have a child of their own for six years. They travelled to Dubai in June to file their application with Cara.

“We have been told we will be allotted an orphanage in September. Once the agency is allotted, they will tell us when they have a child. If the government decides to allot five orphanages, that would be great.”

Elizabeth, 39, an expatriate in Dubai who has a seven-year-old daughter and wants to adopt another child, read about the changes but did not know what action was being taken.

“We have been allotted an orphanage but there is no child available with them. There seems to be only one child with special needs. We don’t know if the facilities are available in Dubai to accommodate a special-needs child. Besides, we aren’t mentally prepared for it either.

“What we are assuming is we have been put very low in the priority because we have a child of our own.

“We believe God will help clear the path for us irrespective of the government’s decision. We believe the child will come irrespective of the processes and when the time is right.”