Time Commitment
Surrogacy in Canada Online makes every effort to introduce you to surrogate mothers but due to your personal requests or your country's legal requirements (single vs. married surrogate surrogates) matching with a surrogate can sometimes take longer than anticipated.  If you are not shipping embryos to Canada, you may be required to attend appointments at an IVF clinic to undergo medical and psychological screening and for your IVF cycle.  Once your surrogate mother is pregnant, Surrogacy in Canada Online expects international intended parents to arrive at least 2 weeks before the expected due date so that the intended parents are present when their child is born and can take immediate legal custody and responsibility for the child.  Surrogate mothers in Canada typically leave the hospital or birth centre shortly after giving birth, if intended parents are not in attendance for a full term birth (after 38weeks gestation) it's possible their child may be seen as abandoned and become a ward of the province.  Of course, babies don't always follow our preferred timeline to enter the world, so parents need to be prepared to arrive within 24 hours of a surprise birth after their surrogate mother is 24 weeks pregnant. Parents are expected to take immediate custody of their children and to make all medical decisions regarding the care of their child.  Depending on the province of birth, International parents typically stay in Canada for 3-6weeks before travelling home with their baby.

Legal
Children born to international parents will receive Canadian citizenship at birth, and your parental rights within Canada will be established. However, because international parents will take their child out of Canada and back to their home country—a country in which surrogacy may be illegal or at least may be treated very differently than in Canada—international parents will also want to establish parental rights in their own country. It is best to understand the laws that may apply in your own country and what you need to do to protect the child and your rights before you even begin the process. For example, a number of European countries do not recognize the international father’s parentage if the surrogate is married, because they view the surrogate’s husband as the legal father of the child despite any contracts or agreements you have with the surrogate.  Surrogacy in Canada Online works closely with Canadian fertility lawyers who can assist international intended parents with legal parentage services.  Because laws change frequently, we advise you to seek legal counsel prior to selecting a surrogate.