Adoption in Canada

Adoption in Canada is under provincial and territorial jurisdiction. The procedure to follow is set out by Québec and the relevant province or territory.

In Québec, a person who wishes to adopt a child who is domiciled elsewhere in Canada may be authorized to begin the process without assistance from a certified body. The child contemplated by the adoption plan must have been entrusted to a competent public child protection or adoption authority in the Canadian province or territory of origin.

The person obtains an attestation of participation in the preparatory training for the adoption of a child domiciled outside Québec.  The training is free of charge and takes place entirely online. To obtain the attestation, participants must complete all nine modules.

To access the training, consult Training program to prepare for the adoption of a child domiciled outside Québec.

The person must contacts the Secrétariat aux services internationaux à l’enfant (SASIE) and submits their adoption plan so that its admissibility can be verified. The SASIE analyzes the plan and, if applicable, authorizes it in accordance with the laws of Québec and the province or territory of origin.

When the application has been analyzed and approved, the person receives a confirmation letter authorizing him or her to proceed with the psychosocial assessment.

The assessment must result in a positive recommendation in order for the adoption process to continue.

The person prepares their file in collaboration with the social services of the province or territory concerned. They then submit their file to the provincial or territorial authorities. They must inform SASIE of the steps they have taken.

A proposal for a child is presented to the person by the competent provincial or territorial authority.

That authority then submits the adoption proposal to the SASIE. The SASIE verifies the compliance of the proposal and, if applicable, gives its consent to the adoption plan.

• Regulation respecting the Adoption without a certified body of a child domiciled outside Québec by a person domiciled in Québec (c. P-34.1, r. 2)
• Authorities in charge of adoption in each Canadian province and territory