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New parents Sam and Jo with their adopted child from Indonesia.
PHOTO: Sam and Jo
PUBLISHED ON January 10, 2026 7:30 AM BY Ching Shi Jie
Even after the anguish of two miscarriages in their mid-30s, Singaporean couple Sam, 37 and Jo, 41, clung on to the hope that they would one day start a family.
They explored alternative means to realise their dream of parenthood — including in vitro-fertilisation.
When the idea of adoption came up three years ago, nothing deterred them — even when it can be costly and tedious.
"Regardless whether it’s a biological child or adopted child, we will still love the baby as our own," said Sam, who is in the finance industry.
After completing a series of steps by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), including interviews and background checks that assessed their suitability for adoption, the couple contacted a Singapore-based child adoption agency, which later matched them with a baby from Indonesia.
The adoption agency told the couple that he, one of five siblings, had been put up for adoption by his birth mother.
"For me, it was love at first sight," said Sam. "I remembered how he smiled. He didn’t cry the moment he saw us."
While it was an immediate "yes" from Sam, his wife, Jo, who is also in the finance industry, needed weeks of "soul searching" before agreeing to the adoption.
They even consulted a feng shui master for the infant’s new name, which reflect their hopes that the child would begin a better life.
The baby arrived in Singapore in December 2024 on a dependent’s pass, which allows a foreign child to remain here for up to 21 months until the adoption proceedings are completed.
The last hurdle is obtaining a Singapore citizenship, which they applied for last September.
But the couple said that they were called for a meeting with officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and MSF a month later, who told them that all citizenship applications for adopted children from Indonesia have been put on hold.
This came after news outlets reported that Indonesian police had uncovered a trafficking ring that had sent more than a dozen babies to Singapore for adoption since 2023.
In September 2025, the Indonesian police said that they have been working with their Singapore counterparts after three Singaporeans were suspected to be involved in trafficking babies.
The allegations came as a shock to Sam and Jo, who were adamant that they did their best to ensure no laws were broken during the adoption process.
Besides the "thorough" checks from MSF and other government agencies, they said that Blessful Adoption Agency — which they came across on a Facebook group for adoptive parents — had given them a complete breakdown on what the $30,000 fee would be used for.
This assured them that not a dollar will be paid to the trafficking syndicates.
"(The owner) is also an adoptive parent, so he would know what we had gone through and the difficulties we faced," said Sam, adding that he spent up to three months conducting background checks by speaking with other adoptive parents before engaging the agency to match a child.
"We were caught off guard at that moment," recalled Sam about his meeting with ICA and MSF.
"The first thought we had was ‘how is our child going to be impacted?’ and "what if the birth parents come and claim that the child is part of the (trafficking) syndicate?"
"Reversing an adoption order (which they were granted from the Family Court) — has not happened before in Singapore. There is no precedent, so they also don’t know how to answer us."
Added Sam: "From the day we were in the room till now, there isn’t much clarity about the whole issue."
In a joint statement, MSF and the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday (Jan 9) they are "keenly aware" of the anxiety the delay in granting citizenships has caused to adoptive parents.
"We are working closely across the relevant authorities to ensure that the cases are dealt with as expeditiously as we can, and to safeguard the welfare and interests of the children," the ministries said.
All citizenship applications are assessed on a range of criteria, including the circumstances of the applicant and the family, as well as the Government’s policies, including on marriage and parenthood, he added.
Criminal lawyer Mohammad Baiross of IRB Law LLP told AsiaOne that a rejected citizenship application does not reverse or cancel an adoption order.
It does not immediately lead to a child being taken away from the adoptive family either.
Once an adoption order is granted by the Family Courts, all legal ties with the biological parents are severed and the adoptive parents assume full legal parental responsibility, according to MSF.
An adoption order can only be set aside in very limited circumstances, such as fraud or a serious legal defect in how the order was obtained, said Baiross.
"Citizenship rejections do occur, and that families often respond by either re-applying at a later stage or regularising the child’s stay through other immigration passes, such as a long-term visit pass."
"The thought that my child might be taken away from us has never stopped. The mental load is there," said Jo, while Sam said that the "tough part is, we can’t show it to our child".
"We can’t let him feel it, right?" he added.
"And he’s here for a year. We have bonded and he has already called us ‘papa and mama’. These milestones. And then what if he has to go back? Devastation is an understatement.
"It’s painful, it’s tough, but we can only hope and pray for the best. A lot of things are not within our control."
The cost of raising the child is even higher while the application for his citizenship is put on hold, according to Sam and Jo.
The fees for playgroups, for instance, is around triple compared to a Singapore citizen, Sam said, claiming that appeals for subsidies were rejected by MSF.
MSF and MHA said in the statement that affected families who require financial support in the period of delay in Singapore citizenship applications can approach a social service office for assistance.
While the statement did not say how many parents have been affected by the delay, AsiaOne understands, after speaking with several adoption agents, that there are at least six parents facing the same issue like Sam and Jo.
All of them had engaged Blessful Adoption Agency to adopt a child from Indonesia.
Sam and Jo said that they are all "stuck in the same limbo" and are trying to get as much clarity from the authorities — on top of the bi-weekly calls with MSF and ICA.
"We want closure to move on with our lives. All I wish for my son is to be happy and we promise to give him the best as much as we can," said Sam.
AsiaOne has reached out to Blessful Adoption Agency for comment.
Despite the ongoing baby trafficking probe, several child adoption agents in Singapore told AsiaOne that demand for adoption has not dwindled.
Carl Chan, managing director at SteppingStones, said that there are more than a hundred parents waiting for a match, with the list getting "longer and longer".
His agency sees up to 10 adoptions a year, while working with parties in Southeast Asia that are "not motivated" by money, such as non-profit organisations and child shelters.
"With the increased scrutiny for child trafficking, it’s becoming harder for any prospective parents to successfully adopt a child," said Chan.
He said that while the focus is on the alleged flow of money between illegal syndicates, he hopes this will not lead to a negative perception of Singaporean parents having to pay to adopt a child.
"If money has to be exchanged, a child coming to a good home in Singapore really is still the best option."
Additional reporting by Dennis Palit.
singapore
'He has already called us papa and mama': Singaporean couple fear losing 18-month-old adopted son amid trafficking probe in Indonesia
New parents Sam and Jo with their adopted child from Indonesia.
PHOTO: Sam and Jo
PUBLISHED ON January 10, 2026 7:30 AM BY Ching Shi Jie
Even after the anguish of two miscarriages in their mid-30s, Singaporean couple Sam, 37 and Jo, 41, clung on to the hope that they would one day start a family.
They explored alternative means to realise their dream of parenthood — including in vitro-fertilisation.
When the idea of adoption came up three years ago, nothing deterred them — even when it can be costly and tedious.
"Regardless whether it’s a biological child or adopted child, we will still love the baby as our own," said Sam, who is in the finance industry.
After completing a series of steps by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), including interviews and background checks that assessed their suitability for adoption, the couple contacted a Singapore-based child adoption agency, which later matched them with a baby from Indonesia.
Love at first sight
A long-distance video call in August 2023 was the first time they saw the then two-month-old baby, which according to Sam had won him over.The adoption agency told the couple that he, one of five siblings, had been put up for adoption by his birth mother.
"For me, it was love at first sight," said Sam. "I remembered how he smiled. He didn’t cry the moment he saw us."
While it was an immediate "yes" from Sam, his wife, Jo, who is also in the finance industry, needed weeks of "soul searching" before agreeing to the adoption.
They even consulted a feng shui master for the infant’s new name, which reflect their hopes that the child would begin a better life.
The baby arrived in Singapore in December 2024 on a dependent’s pass, which allows a foreign child to remain here for up to 21 months until the adoption proceedings are completed.
The last hurdle is obtaining a Singapore citizenship, which they applied for last September.
But the couple said that they were called for a meeting with officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and MSF a month later, who told them that all citizenship applications for adopted children from Indonesia have been put on hold.
This came after news outlets reported that Indonesian police had uncovered a trafficking ring that had sent more than a dozen babies to Singapore for adoption since 2023.
In September 2025, the Indonesian police said that they have been working with their Singapore counterparts after three Singaporeans were suspected to be involved in trafficking babies.
The allegations came as a shock to Sam and Jo, who were adamant that they did their best to ensure no laws were broken during the adoption process.
Besides the "thorough" checks from MSF and other government agencies, they said that Blessful Adoption Agency — which they came across on a Facebook group for adoptive parents — had given them a complete breakdown on what the $30,000 fee would be used for.
This assured them that not a dollar will be paid to the trafficking syndicates.
"(The owner) is also an adoptive parent, so he would know what we had gone through and the difficulties we faced," said Sam, adding that he spent up to three months conducting background checks by speaking with other adoptive parents before engaging the agency to match a child.
"We were caught off guard at that moment," recalled Sam about his meeting with ICA and MSF.
"The first thought we had was ‘how is our child going to be impacted?’ and "what if the birth parents come and claim that the child is part of the (trafficking) syndicate?"
"Reversing an adoption order (which they were granted from the Family Court) — has not happened before in Singapore. There is no precedent, so they also don’t know how to answer us."
Added Sam: "From the day we were in the room till now, there isn’t much clarity about the whole issue."
In a joint statement, MSF and the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday (Jan 9) they are "keenly aware" of the anxiety the delay in granting citizenships has caused to adoptive parents.
"We are working closely across the relevant authorities to ensure that the cases are dealt with as expeditiously as we can, and to safeguard the welfare and interests of the children," the ministries said.
Singapore citizenship rejection does not cancel adoption: Lawyer
In a written reply to a parliamentary question in 2019, Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said that a successful adoption does not guarantee that the child will be granted Singapore citizenship.All citizenship applications are assessed on a range of criteria, including the circumstances of the applicant and the family, as well as the Government’s policies, including on marriage and parenthood, he added.
Criminal lawyer Mohammad Baiross of IRB Law LLP told AsiaOne that a rejected citizenship application does not reverse or cancel an adoption order.
It does not immediately lead to a child being taken away from the adoptive family either.
Once an adoption order is granted by the Family Courts, all legal ties with the biological parents are severed and the adoptive parents assume full legal parental responsibility, according to MSF.
An adoption order can only be set aside in very limited circumstances, such as fraud or a serious legal defect in how the order was obtained, said Baiross.
"Citizenship rejections do occur, and that families often respond by either re-applying at a later stage or regularising the child’s stay through other immigration passes, such as a long-term visit pass."
'Devastation an understatement'
As Sam and Jo await a resolution to their child’s future, they admitted to AsiaOne that uncertainty is taking a toll on them."The thought that my child might be taken away from us has never stopped. The mental load is there," said Jo, while Sam said that the "tough part is, we can’t show it to our child".
"We can’t let him feel it, right?" he added.
"And he’s here for a year. We have bonded and he has already called us ‘papa and mama’. These milestones. And then what if he has to go back? Devastation is an understatement.
"It’s painful, it’s tough, but we can only hope and pray for the best. A lot of things are not within our control."
The cost of raising the child is even higher while the application for his citizenship is put on hold, according to Sam and Jo.
The fees for playgroups, for instance, is around triple compared to a Singapore citizen, Sam said, claiming that appeals for subsidies were rejected by MSF.
MSF and MHA said in the statement that affected families who require financial support in the period of delay in Singapore citizenship applications can approach a social service office for assistance.
While the statement did not say how many parents have been affected by the delay, AsiaOne understands, after speaking with several adoption agents, that there are at least six parents facing the same issue like Sam and Jo.
All of them had engaged Blessful Adoption Agency to adopt a child from Indonesia.
Sam and Jo said that they are all "stuck in the same limbo" and are trying to get as much clarity from the authorities — on top of the bi-weekly calls with MSF and ICA.
"We want closure to move on with our lives. All I wish for my son is to be happy and we promise to give him the best as much as we can," said Sam.
AsiaOne has reached out to Blessful Adoption Agency for comment.
Despite the ongoing baby trafficking probe, several child adoption agents in Singapore told AsiaOne that demand for adoption has not dwindled.
Carl Chan, managing director at SteppingStones, said that there are more than a hundred parents waiting for a match, with the list getting "longer and longer".
His agency sees up to 10 adoptions a year, while working with parties in Southeast Asia that are "not motivated" by money, such as non-profit organisations and child shelters.
"With the increased scrutiny for child trafficking, it’s becoming harder for any prospective parents to successfully adopt a child," said Chan.
He said that while the focus is on the alleged flow of money between illegal syndicates, he hopes this will not lead to a negative perception of Singaporean parents having to pay to adopt a child.
"If money has to be exchanged, a child coming to a good home in Singapore really is still the best option."
Additional reporting by Dennis Palit.
