Some typical questions that we are
often asked about the adoption are: "So where are you in the
process?", "How much longer?", or "When will you go?"
We have done our best to give our
understanding of the process and have even tried to guess when we might go
(definitely don't want
to take me to Vegas with you) ... we thought Christmas 2011, Spring 2012,
Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Christmas 2012, January 2013, mid-February, late
February, and the latest ... maybe March. At each failed guess I say I'm not
guessing any more... Well you can see how that has worked out!
The birth certificate has been by
far our biggest delay (this is now done). Really since August (2012), since
Alfred was provided a birth certificate, the process has pretty much gone as quick
as possible.
Yes there have been times of
complete frustration - times of wondering if God knew what he was doing - times
of doubting this was ever going to happen! Eventually, each time, we would come
back to the trust and realization that it was not us in control and God's
timing is perfect.
This does not make the pain,
frustration, and doubt automatically disappear, but it does, however, help to
keep things in correct perspective.
*We Are Here
For those interested or curious
about international adoptions, see the below process description.
Keep in mind that I only play an
adoption expert on T.V. and each country is a bit different.
Yes, this process IS overwhelming
and confusing to look at - just take it one step at a time - one document at a
time and know that you don't have to know and understand everything all at
once. Your agency and others will help with this.
This process description applies
to adoptions from "Hague" or "Convention" countries - more
on this in a bit.
Step 1
Pick a country or countries of
interest (Belize is
English speaking and a relatively short flight from the US)
Step 2
Schedule to have a Home Study
completed by a licensed individual or adoption agency. (fees vary by
agency and country you are interested in adopting from)
- Previous year's tax returns
- Medical exam on both
parents (including a notarized letter from the Doctor saying you are not dying)
- Passport copy (this by
itself can take 6 - 8 weeks to process so you will want to do this early on)
Most post offices will process the application)
- Insurance verification
- Description of your home
including pictures and a layout drawing of your home. (before you get out your
drafting table check in a copy of your home's appraisal report for a drawing of
the home.)
- 3 letters of reference.
- Birth Certificate of
everyone in the home
- Marriage Certificate (if
applicable)
- Background Checks for all
adults in the home
- Parenting Classes (online
seminars may be available)
- see "and more"
for the complete list
Step 3
Submit to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services) form I-800A,
Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention
Country. This application applies to Hague Adoption
Convention Counties only.
- You will provide the home study
report and a lot of the same info you provided for the home study. It is important
to know that your home
study must not be more than 6 months old when this application is submitted.
- FBI fingerprint clearance
(you will be sent an appointment for fingerprints at a local immigration office
after you have submitted the I-800A)
YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO DO AN ADDITIONAL FINGERPRINT CHECK - I'll get there
in a bit.
- There is a fee of $720 for
the application and $85 / person fingerprinted. Only the adults in the home are
fingerprinted.
- Additional expenses could include
shipping costs and certified copies of marriage and birth certificates. This company was
effective in processing these requests.
Approval of this application (I 800A)
allows you to move forward with contacting the country you are interested
in adopting from.
Step 4 or really Step 3a
Additional FBI fingerprints.
When you go to the immigration office for fingerprints these are run through
the FBI database. However, you are not provided written documentation of a
record or lack of record. To get this record (which is needed for the next
step) you must go to your local police department and request a completed fingerprint
card for a FBI check (our cost at the local PD was $10 each). This will, again,
need to be done for each adult residing in your home.
The fingerprint card will be
submitted to the FBI along with an Applicant Information Form and $18 for
each record check.
Use this Checklist before sending to make
sure you have everything needed. This process can take 6 - 8 weeks. Since you
can do it at any time you will want to do it early (around the same time you
submit the I 800A).
Step 5
The Dossier
This is when you get to learn the
meaning of Apostille. Basically this serves as an
"international notary". The key to remember is if you are apostilling
a state issued document (like a birth or marriage certificate) it must be
apostilled by the state of issue (through the Secretary of State office). If it
is a federal document it must be apostilled by the U.S. State Department (your
FBI record in step 4 fits this category). This company was
helpful with US State Department apostilles.
Additionally, all documents that
have notarization will need to be apostilled. They will need to be sent to
the Secretary of State for the state which the notary is registered - i.e. if
you have a document notarized in Texas it must be sent to the Texas Secretary
of State for apostille. Each apostille costs about $10. This does not include
the cost of the certified document copies, courier service, or shipping costs.
In Texas, the Secretary of State has a maximum apostille charge of $100 per adoption.
All apostilled documents will be sent
with your home study and any specific application or documents required by the country you are
adopting from. These will be sent to your attorney or adoption representative
in the country.
Your dossier will then make it
through the country's adoption channels for review and child matching. You will
be sent approval to adopt from the country and information on a
child available for adoption. If
you choose to accept this child a
letter of acceptance is then sent back through your adoption agency to the
country. You should be provided:
- a document stating the
child is eligible for adoption (irrevocable consent)
- the child's birth
certificate and
- a child information summary
This is the minimum documentation
required for the next step.
Step 6
The I 800 is a "petition to
classify a convention adoptee as an immediate relative". This form is
mailed along with:
- Information on the child (birth certificate / irrevocable consent / information summary)
- Some form - sorry I don't
remember the number and there are several different options - stating your ability to
financially support the child/immigrant. Our form required figures from the
last 3 year's tax returns.
- Copy of your home study
SIDE NOTE: (BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR
HOME STUDY REPORT VALID - if it is about to expire or if you have had a
significant change (# of children, place of residence, employment...) your home
study will need to be updated.
ADDITIONALLY, keep an eye on the
expiration date of your I 800A approval. The I 800A cannot expire before your I
800 is submitted. If it will or might expire you need to apply for an
extension/renewal. The first extension is free.
If you do need to extend PLEASE
NOTE that your home study report cannot be more than 6 months old when you
apply for the extension. A likely scenario might be that you see things might expire before your I800 is submitted so you have your home
study renewed and within the next 5 months you have your I 800A extended -
using your updated home study.
Tricky - but you will have someone
walking you through the process.
The I800 gets processed at the
National Benefits Center (NBC). NBC will review the documentation. If necessary
they will send a request for more information. Once everything is reviewed and
approved a PROVISIONAL adoption approval is issued. Your case is then
transferred to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further and additional
review. If the NVC agrees with NBC's assessment, the paperwork (over 100 pages
at this point) is scanned and sent electronically to the US Embassy in the
country you are adopting from.
Step 7
In-country process. Because each
country is different the process varies greatly at this point. In the case of
Belize the adoption is not final until Alfred has been with us for one year.
Quarterly home study reports will have to be submitted during his first year.
Prior to the adoption and prior to us going to Belize everything is handled
through the courts and a Provisional Adoption Order is issued. He will remain a citizen of Belize and enter the
US on a visa. - requiring us to submit a visa application to the US Embassy in
Belize.
step by step - inch by inch ...
It can be a long road, but you don’t have to build it – you just have to walk it
-blessings on your journey
Additional Note: there are some advantages to working with an English speaking country like Belize:
- when calling or emailing officials in the country you do not have to first find someone who speaks English.
- the documents sent on the child (the ones that you send with your I800) don't first have to be translated
- your child, while still having a cultural barrier, will not have a language barrier
- Belize - located in Central America - is also a Caribbean country ... Makes return educational/cultural visits all the better!
So glad that you are doing this. Love you guys!
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