Adoption in BC is governed by a provincial law called the Adoption Act. Anyone who lives permanently in BC can apply to adopt, including opposite- and same-sex couples.

There are four different types of adoptions:

• placement by the director of adoption (who works for the Ministry of Children and Family Development),
• placement by an adoption agency,
• direct placement (when the birth parent places a child with a non-relative), and
• relative adoption (adoption by a relative or step-parent).

Good starting points include:

• Adoption, from the Legal Services Society, is a fact sheet that defines adoption, sets out how adoption works in BC, and provides links to other resources.
• The provincial government’s Adoption  provides information on how to adopt a child in BC or from another country.
• Adoption, from the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, provides an overview of the adoption process.
• LSLAP Manual: Family Law, from the UBC Law Students' Legal Advice Program, includes a section on adoption, with more detailed information on the adoption process.

tags

adoption, adoption agency, international adoption