Hurry Up, Homeland Security!!!

Newest update!!! Okay, maybe nothing overly exciting, but it's the major *last* step before sending paperwork to China.

We sent our i800a (along with a "small" check of 890.00) the other day to the U.S. Immigration Citizenship and Immigration Services (department of Homeland Security). ((I said "small" check, because in comparison to other checks you write in the process, it. is. indeed. unfortunately. small.))

So what's the i800a? 

While we've been approved so-to-speak to adopt from our homestudy agency, and we've met several state-level pre-adoption requirements -- we still, of course, need to be approved to adopt from China on the federal side of things, and USCIS (US Immigration and Citizenship) is the department that approves that.

(When we are matched with our Little Stump, we will have to file another application to adopt him/her *specifically.*)

I've been hearing in these neck-of-the-woods (er adoption community), that USCIS has been approving homestudies/apps lightning fast -- around 40 days. So that's what we're hoping for!

So, what are we doing now? 

First:: We wait to get a text telling us that USCIS has received our app and is processing the app. We then wait for them to send us a fingerprinting appointment (hopefully within a couple weeks), and we'll go have our fingerprints done (again) at our USCIS office downtown here. That's when we'll be assigned an officer who will process our application (hopefully fairly quickly!).

Second:: We have just a few things to finish up our dossier paperwork (the paperwork that gets sent directly to China). So, our goal for this week is to have our dossier paperwork sent to our agency so they can process all our documents (they will do the certifying and authenticating for us -- and this will take at least three weeks). The dossier paperwork consists of:: your home study report (report written by your social worker), police clearances, reference letters, medical exams, pictures (inside/outside of house, family pictures, individual), passport pages, family application letter, family data form, financial document, newly issued birth certificates, newly issued marriage certificate, employment letters, and the very last piece will be our I800A (which is what we're waiting on now!). 

Third:: Now that we've had our home study approved/completed/in our hands, we're beginning to apply for adoption grants. This alone is like a part-time job in itself, but ya-gotta-do-whatcha-gotta-do! 

So below is a chart I whipped up on the China adoption process. It's messy, I mean, messy -- which probably makes it more realistic. :-) 

Yea, when looking at my chart...it'd be easy to get a little depressed because we're only on #3/4. But, the first approximate 6 months is eaten up with these steps alone. So, look again, and the *REST* of the steps can happen in just 5-7 crazy months! Whew! 

If you'd like to read my thoughts on the New Year, you can read it here on my personal blog:: http://rstumpblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/new-year-and-challenge-for-all-of-us.html

再见了!