Definitions
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
- Adoption Compliance Certificate
- A certificate issued by a competent authority in the country in which an adoption takes place stating that the adoption is made in accordance with the Adoption Convention or an intercountry adoption agreement with a country prescribed for that purpose in the Family Law Act 1975.
- Adoptive parent
- A person who:
- has adopted the child under the laws of a country other than Australia and who has been living outside Australia for more than 12 months at the time of application, or
- has adopted the child under the Hague Convention. The parent must possess a valid adoption compliance certificate testifying that the child has been adopted under the Hague Convention.
- Applicant
- The applicant is the person (or persons) applying to migrate or remain permanently in Australia.
- Australian Mission
- An Australian Embassy, High Commission, Consulate or Consulate-General or Australian Trade Commission.
- Australian Permanent Resident
- A non-citizen, being usually resident in Australia, who is the holder of a permanent visa.
D
- DNA
- DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material present in every cell in the body. For example, it is in blood, saliva, skin and hair. A comparison of genetic material from two or more people can show whether they are biologically related to each other.
E
- Eligible New Zealand citizen
- An eligible New Zealand citizen is one who held a Special Category Visa (SCV) on 26 February 2001; or held a SCV for at least one (1) year in the two (2) years preceding that date; or has a certificate, issued under the Social Security Act 1991, that states that the citizen was, for the purposes of that Act, residing in Australia on 26 February 2001 and would have met certain health and character requirements on last entry to Australia.
H
- Hague Convention
- The Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption signed at the Hague on 29 May 1993.
M
- Migrate
- If applying from outside Australia, the child will be applying to migrate. If applying in Australia, the child will be applying for permanent residence. In these web pages, the term 'migrate' will cover both.
O
- Office of the department
- A regional office of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Australia.
P
- Permanent resident
- A non-citizen who is the holder of a permanent visa.
- Prospective adoptive parents
- A person who:
- has been approved by an Australian state or territory adoption authority as a suitable person to adopt the child and who intends to bring the child to Australia under the supervision of that authority - in this case, adoption will be completed in Australia, or
- has been allocated the child for adoption under the provision of the Hague Convention or the Australia/China Adoption Agreement.
S
- Sponsor
- The Australian relative (usually the parent) who undertakes to sponsor the child for migration to Australia.
- State/territory adoption authority
- An Australian State or Territory Government agency responsible for managing the arrangements for adopting children from overseas, including assessing and approving prospective adoptive parents.