So lots of people have been asking about our adoption and the process. I am not an expert, but I will try my best to explain it, as I understand it to be true. If you have gone through this or find an error in my logic--please point it out!
So sit back, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride!
First off, we are adopting from a country that is not Hague accredited (please Google this term if you do not know it). The simple explanation between a Hague and Non-Hague country is that Hague countries have lots of governmental oversight. This can lead to longer wait times, and more expenses (since you pay for the government agencies to run all of their checks in the states and in the country you are adopting from). Adopting from a Non-Hague country, as one friend put it, "is like adopting from the Wild Wild West." And from every description I have read from somebody going through this process, this description couldn't be anymore accurate.
No, we didn't go into the adoption process looking to see whether the country was Hague or not. We feel a strong pulling to this particular country, and decided this is where we were going to pursue our adoption.
The next important decision when adopting is whether or not you are going to use an adoption agency. We originally contacted a facilitator, Reece's Rainbow, and were going to do an independent adoption with their guidance. But after receiving some information about our health insurance creating issues when you adopt independently, we decided to go with an Agency. Reece's Rainbow put us in contact with an adoption agency that they work closely with -- so nothing is changing in our process, we just have a few more hands in the pot. Generally having an agency protects you a little bit. When you are doing an independent adoption you are giving money to people in country to help you with your adoption, and you pray that they help you and do not just take off with your money.
Our adoption process began with us contacting our Home Study Agency. Your Home Study Agency is a licensed social worker who basically evaluates your lives, and decides if you should be allowed to adopt child/ren. They also can limit the number of children you want to adopt. We had our home study visit on Monday and we PASSED! :)
Now our Home Study Agency has 30 days to complete our Home Study Evaluation. We also have 30 days to give them the additional information that is required (our medical exams, child abuse checks, and things that haven't arrived yet in the mail). Then they will submit a draft of the evaluation to us for us to proof read. If we agree we send it back to him, he makes any correction and then sends it on to our Agency for them to proof it. After they proof it, he finalizes it and mails us 4 certified copies. We will take one of these copies to the consulate in Frankfurt to get our USCIS I-600A (immigration) paperwork complete. We are applying to get approved to bring two children into the Unites States and receive and I-71H (I think that is what they call the approval letter).
While we are waiting on our Home Study Evaluation to be processed we are gathering information for our Dossier packet (this gets submitted to the country). I do not know all the details of this document, since we are at the very beginning of this one. A lot of the same information that goes into our Home Study Evaluation, goes into our Dossier packet. Reece's Rainbow helps us put this together correctly so that the country will accept it!
Also while we are working on the dossier packet, and finishing up our home study paperwork, we are completing 10 hours of parenting classes through a licensed agency. This is a requirement for our home study and adoption agency.
And if that isn't already enough on our plate (paperwork wise) we are working on fund-raising! The faster we raise the funds, the sooner we can get our children....but you can read more about these efforts in other blogs or under the "How you can help.." tab.
So when the Home Study Evaluation comes back certified, and the Dosier packet is complete we submit these to get translated. Once they are translated they are submitted to the government of the country we want to adopt from. They have 21 days to put us on an official registry. Once we are on the registry we can be sent a letter with an appointment date to arrive in country. We are hoping that we receive this letter by mid November, so that we can have our children home for Christmas! Please note this is Lura's dream -- and may not necessarily be a reality. :) This process can take 5-12 months to complete....
The adoption in country can take from 21 - 45 days and can be broken up into 2 trips. At this time we are considering taking two trips. Since we live in Germany we can get cheaper tickets back and forth to this county. It would be cheaper for us to pay for tickets, and sleep in our own free beds, then to stay in country for the entire duration. But this is still up in the air. We will see!
So that is the process so far, and where we are at! Thank you for your continue support and love!
I will post the rest of the journey as we get closer and I learn more about it!
Love,
Lura
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