My wife and I recently adopted and looked at both domestic and international. We are doing fine financially but we are not filthy rich nor would anyone describe us as a Leave it to Beaver situation. I know laws vary from state to state but my understanding after going through the process is the ability of a birth-parent to come back years later is extremely difficult and unlikely. That being said it does/can happen. Also I would never describe the social workers as forcing their way into your home. They are simply insuring it is a suitable living environment for the child to live in.

In short the differences we have found is international is more set, in that the financial aspect and wait time are known. In the U.S. it can cost from 10k to 80k and could take from 1 month to years or never.