Don't we wish. *sigh*
The average length for this route is actually closer to 10 months.
About 90% of the steps remain the same, and yes, we have to do them all again. On the bright side, we are now PROS at getting this paperwork done!
I told myself that I would relax during this season and not start obsessing over timelines and counting days for each step of the process- like I might have done last time- but I can't help it! I love calendars and stats and being organized and planning ahead! But just like our previous journey, I have to keep reminding myself that THE TIMING IS IN GOD'S HANDS! He has already gone before us, and knows the perfect moment for each step.
This is a little chart that's been passed around the adoption realm. Kind of makes your head spin:
I know not everyone understands the logistics and lingo of the adoption process (I had to learn it from experience) but it's nice to be able to share some of the specifics with people, so when someone asks, "How's the adoption going?" we can answer them with some real details.
So here is what we expect our timeline to look like. I'll try to put it into plain English. :-)
- Home Study: About 35 tasks, including 4 interviews + medical exam results + financial review + State clearances and background checks + rough draft reviews & approvals by both our Adoption Agency and Home Study Agency. Approx 8 weeks.
- Immigration, Part 1: Fingerprinting at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services & Form i800a ("Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country"). Approx 6 weeks.
- Dossier: 16 documents/items are gathered. Of these, 10 documents have to be notarized, then State Certified at the S.O.S., and then sent to the Chinese Consulate to get the Seal of Authenticity. Then the whole packet is reviewed for errors by our agency and finally sent to China. Approx 4 weeks.
- Log-In & Letter of Acceptance: Once China receives our dossier, they start our file and begin to translate and review it, and then issue their approval. Approx 7-10 weeks.
- Immigration, Part 2: form i800 ("Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative") is sent to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. Approx 2 weeks.
- GUZ/DS-260/Article 5: I still don't understand all these little steps...but they take Approx 4 weeks.
- Travel Approval: When China says we can arrange for our TRIP! Approx 1-3 weeks.
- Depart for China: Confirming our appointments for the actual adoption and immigrations, arranging our flights and hotels. Approx 2-4 weeks.
So there you have it... our next 10 months worth of prayer requests!! It looks like we may be traveling to China some time in April-May of next year. I'm already looking forward to spending next summer with our family of six!
By the way, while we are not able to publicly share photos or very many personal details about our new son yet, we have set up a private FB page for family & friends who would like to be updated with some of those details of our adoption. Let me know if you would like to be added to that page. :-)
