Couple waiting two years to finalize adoption from China as pandemic leaves families in limbo

Family fighting to adopt faces roadblocks due to COVID-19: We jumped through all the hoops

Ivy and Noah Cleveland have waited more than two years to adopt Ruby, a 5-year-old from China. Ivy says they have ‘jumped through all the hoops’ required for adoption, but have been given no timeline on when they will be able to adopt.

The coronavirus pandemic placed international adoptions on hold, putting families that were expecting to adopt from countries like China in limbo since early 2020. Ivy and Noah Cleveland have waited more than two years to adopt their soon-to-be daughter, Ruby, and they still don’t know when they will be able to travel to China to get her. 

Despite increasing vaccination rates, the U.S. Department of State still recommends against travel to China. The official guidance, as of June 16, is to “Reconsider Travel” to the country. 

In an interview on “America’s Newsroom,” the Clevelands told Dana Perino that they have not been given a timeline on when their adoption process will progress, only that China is waiting on the pandemic to be over before resuming. 

“When we started this process, Ruby was two and a half,” Ivy Cleveland said. “It’s been many years of waiting, and we are just praying and believing that [by] some miracle we get her before she turns five.”

The couple is not alone in this experience. The pandemic has left many families in the same situation, even with help from the State Department.

“[The State Department] have been in close contact with the Chinese embassy and [are] just really trying to get us on a plane and the many families that are waiting to go get their children that have been promised to them,” Ivy said. 

“They are trying and doing everything that they can. But as you know, it’s continuing to hit a wall.”

Ivy and Noah Cleveland have prepared for the arrival of their child and remain hopeful that they will be able to travel to China to adopt Ruby soon. 

“We are just sitting at the edge of our seats, waiting and praying and believing that today could be the day, tomorrow could be the day, any day soon could be the day.”

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