Adopting While UnemployedQ: My husband and I want to adopt a child from Ethiopia. I am 34 and my husband is 45 years old. We are both full time students and we are not working at this time. Wet have significant resources from previous work to support our family. We have one 3.5 year old daughter. My question is, if neither of us is working while we go through the application process, will this affect our chances to adopt?

A: The answer is somewhat dependent on the country, but usually if you have sufficient savings to support your family, then temporarily having no income shouldn’t be a problem.  Talk with an agency that has a longstanding program in Ethiopia and ask if this could be a problem in Ethiopia.  Things like this are seldom found specifically addressed in a country’s regulations, but an agency working in the country should know the subtleties of that country’s adoption regulations.  Stress that you are both in school so that you can get an even better job when finished and that you both have a track record of working (assuming these statements are true :-)).

 

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