International adoption

When I was a baby, strangers assumed that my mother was my nanny or babysitter. When walking down the street, there was a high chance that people passing by would assume that I was both born and raised in China. In fact, just last week, a customer at work asked me how long I had been in Canada because my accent was so good. As an intercountry adoptee from China, I came to Canada and became a Canadian citizen when I was 11 months old. I didn’t consider myself Chinese for a long time, and I wasn’t interested in exploring that aspect of my heritage until very recently.

Joel and Gigi Yuen have one biological daughter, and two children they adopted from China: a daughter, G, whom they adopted as a baby, and a son, T, whom they adopted when he was four. Read more about their family, how they keep connected to their children's birth country, and more! We also hear from G and T about what being adopted means to them. Enjoy!

We are so happy to announce that the Domonkos family are the first-place winners of our 2020 Faces of Family contest! Congratulations to the Domonkos’! They have won a Ricoh Theta V 360° camera, generously donated by our sponsor Broadway Camera. Visit them today for all your camera and video needs!

Read more about the Domonkos family and how they grew their family through adoption.

Heather always knew she would adopt. She grew up in a busy household with seven other siblings, five of them adopted. At 26 she took the plunge to adopt as a single and has never looked back. Now, with two adopted sons with Down Syndrome, Heather lives a full life. Here, we get a glimpse into her life, and she shares her experience with the adoption process, as well as some words of wisdom. 

We've added 40 books to our adoption library! Check them out here, and stop by our head office in Burnaby to borrow one. For more information on our lending library visits our main library page.     

Focus on Adoption and AFABC have always sought to centre adoptee voices and perspectives, but the #FlipTheScript campaign (launched during Adoption Awareness Month in 2014) inspired us to launch a regular column called "Adopted Voice." The series ran from 2015 to 2016.

Jussi and Colleen Yrjana adopted two beautiful daughters from Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012 (learn about their adoption story in this article from the spring 2013 issue of Focus on Adoption). Now, as well as their two adopted daughters, three grown children, and five grandchildren, they are also a foster family. This is their fostering story.

Families with Children from China BC supports families throughout British Columbia who have adopted from China. In this article, FCCBC co-chair Sheila shares more about their story and how you can get involved.

Tell us a little bit about FCCBC

FCCBC was founded more than 20 years ago by David Robinson and John Bowen, two parents who had adopted from China. They were pioneers in international adoptions, before the standardized paperwork, detailed checklists, and predictable timelines that were the norm by the time we entered the system in 2005.

It’s everyone’s favourite time of year again: tax time! This year a reader asked us for help understanding how to claim Canada’s adoption tax credit. In this article, adoptive dad and financial professional John Hakkarainen returns for the third year in a row—this time, to explain the nuts and bolts of line 313.

What is the adoption tax credit and why it is important?

My children often tell me that my jokes are taxing! I am hoping that the guide below helps you to reduce your tax liability so that you have more money to spend on cheese.

Karon first wrote about her adoption journey in the article “Finding Lucan,” which appeared in the spring 2014 issue of Focus on Adoption. In this article, she shares an update on their life as a family.

This year, when many families celebrated Father’s Day, my son and I enjoyed a very special celebration: eight years as a forever family. June 17 marked the 8th anniversary of the day that I was granted custody of my baby boy in a courthouse in beautiful Hanoi, Vietnam.