Immigration Approval

We officially have approval from USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to adopt a child from China. 

Here is an explanation of that process:

Form I-800A! The full name of this form is Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, the convention country in our case being China. USCIS will evaluate whether not you are suitable to adopt a child from China.

The next step is to send our dossier to china (DTC):

What is a dossier? The official definition is "a collection of papers containing detailed information about a particular person or subject (usually a person's record). In this case, the record is being compiled on us as the adoptive parents. In order to adopt a child from China, we were required to collect a series of documents that tell the CCCWA about us, our family, our health, and our finances.

What's In The Dossier?

• A Completed Home Study


• Certified birth certificates for both parents


• Marriage License


• Divorce/death decrees if applicable


• Medical statement of good health for both parents


• Letter of Employment for both parents


• Financial Statement


• Police Reports for both parents


• I-800A Approval


• 6 photos of your family life


• 3 copies of each parent's passport


• 2 passport photos of each parent


• Adoption Application Letter (or Letter of Intent)

So, the good news is that we are making progress and should be logged in with the China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) sometime in February so that we can recieve a referral when the shared list is released at the end of the month.

What is the Shared List?

The shared list is an online database of all the special needs children that are available to be matched with families. The CCCWAadds new children to this list every month. This is sometimes referred to as the CCCWA releasing a 'new list'. It's not really a new list, it's just additions to the main base list.
There are approximately 1700-2000 children on the shared list at any given time. Children that are *waiting* for families. Some have been waiting for months or even years on the shared list.

Accessing The Shared List
Only licensed adoption agencies and social workers can access this list. With rare exceptions, private individuals and adoptive parents can not access this list. The CCAA maintains this policy so as to protect the privacy of China's Waiting Children.





http://www.china-adoption-online.com/

Still waiting. . .

I should have exciting news any day, but none today.  Still waiting to get I800A approval so we can send our dossier to China (DTC).  I promise we are getting closer.  Still looking at a February referral. . . The reality is beginning to sink in and I am so excited about getting our baby home.  It amazes me how consumed I can be with thoughts of a child I have never met, or even seen a picture of, for that matter.  I think about her everyday with hopes and prayers that her tummy is full and loving hands are holding her.  I am also amazed at how much smaller the world now seems and how much more compassion I feel for those that are in need.  I guess when you have a child (even one not yet known) that is dependent on the generosity of others for their most basic needs, it puts into perspective God's call to love your neighbors and care for the widows and orphans.  Please keep us in your prayers as God directs us to the child he has planned for our family.  Lots of love to those who are following our journey.