International Adoption Guide

Seven of the over 60 prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) from the Gulf whose applications CARA is still processing are from Oman.

Five others from the sultanate are waiting to get the procedure started with AFAA. A new CARA rule introduced last year, has put a Recognised Indian Placement Agency (RIPA) in charge of assigning, referral and placement of the child unlike earlier when after an AFAA-conducted Home Study Report (HSR), PAPs  could approach homes or orphanages to pick a child. Under the new rule, PAPs can only state a regional preference to RIPA.

“The 60-plus applications from Gulf - cleared by AFAA – and now with CARA, are pending from last year. Of these seven are from Oman,” Omana Menon from AFAA said, adding that these are in various stages of processing. Some cases have been deferred as RIPAs have not been able to find the ideal family match. “Apart from these, 50 PAPs are waiting to begin the adoption procedure with AFAA,” she said.

"We are not accepting any new applications since November 2012, and won't be until they (CARA) announce that the quota for NRIs is open. I will work only on those in the pipeline. “I have about 50 people on the waiting list whose dossiers haven't been processed yet. It would be safe to say that five of these are from Oman,” said Omana.

“Earlier, after an HSR, PAPs  could go to homes or orphanages of their choice.” Now, AFAA needs to send all HSRs to CARA which refers them to a selection committee which in turn matches the parents with any of the RIPAs. “The parents are only allowed to list or state their preferred region to the agency," Omana said.  According to her, Oman is the second highest country in the region which prefers adoption. “Almost 60 per cent of the cases come from UAE. Oman and Qatar follow. There has been a 75 per cent rise in adoptions in GCC.”