The Process (nuts & bolts)

The adoption process is trying, to say the least. It's one that takes patience, determination, faith, patience, resourcefulness, organization, faith, and patience. :-) There are many things to consider and uncertainties all along the way. It's a long journey full of many twists and turns, but at the end lies the most Blessed gift a family could dream of. Below is an overview of the adoption process in China.

Home Study
The first step begins with finding an adoption agency, a home study agency and gathering paperwork. The home study consists of four meetings with a social worker and addresses things like: motivation for adoption, social history of both adoptive parents, marriage and family lifestyle, child rearing philosophy, employment, financial and health info, references, and clearances (criminal background check, etc.). One of the four meetings actually takes place in the home. You may also be required to complete training on international adoption and related issues (we completed 12 hours). If the social worker approves you then you have "passed" the home study and then he/she will recommended that you should be allowed to adopt. All of this takes about six to eight weeks to complete.

USCIS
Once you have an approved home study you travel to the United States Department of Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS)... for us this was in Kansas City, MO. Here you submit your home study, several other documents, and an I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition). Basically this is asking the U.S. government to approve of your plans for adopting from China. While there you also have your fingerprints taken for a second background check. Roughly eight weeks later (depending on your state office) you'll receive an approval form, which is called an I-171H. With this form you can now finish compiling your dossier.

Dossier
The dossier for China consists of the following documents:

> Adoption petition letter
> I-171H
> Home study
> Birth certificate(s)
> Marriage license
> Employer reference letter(s)
> Local police clearance letter(s)
> Medical exam form(s)
> Financial statement
> Copy of passport(s)
> Photo packet - adoptive parents & home

Almost all of these documents have to be notarized. They then have to be sealed by the Secretary of State, and finally authenticated by the Chinese Consulate in your region (ours is in Chicago). Once all of this is done, your agency can compile the completed dossier and submit it to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA).


DTC / LID
After your dossier is submitted, you are then Dossier to China (DTC). You then wait for your Log in Date (LID), hopefully a couple of weeks after DTC, and then you start the long wait process. Currently, as of this writing (July 2006), the wait between LID and referral is about 12 months.

Referral
When you receive your referral it will include pictures, medical information, and a confirmation of acceptance form. Once you send back your acceptance form, you will wait about three to four weeks to get your Travel Approval (TA) from the CCAA. With this, your travel plans can be made by your agency and an embassy appointment is made for you. In another three to four weeks you will fly to China.

Travel
The China program requires a two week in-country visit by at least one parent. You will typically be traveling with a small group of other parents-to-be from your agency. Depending on your city of departure (ours is most likely Chicago) the flight is approx. 14 hours to Beijing. Your first few days are spent sight-seeing in Beijing, which also allows you to adjust to the time change. Next, your group travels to the province in which the orphanage is located, where you will spend approx. five days. This is when you will finally get to meet your new baby and he/she will be in your care from this point forward. Then you fly to Guangzhou, location of the U.S. Embassy. Here you will complete the rest of your paperwork and finalize the adoption.