Homestudy update completed...again and again

Our second homestudy update is competed. Yes, second update, which means our third homestudy in all. We are keeping social workers around the world gainfully employed!

One of the many tasks that have to be fulfilled when internationally adopting a baby is getting clearance from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Sevices. This entails a fair amount of paperwork proving our citizenship, our marriage, and our both financial and emotional ability to care for another child. We obtained this clearance first in July of 2005, which was required when we submitted our dossier to China. However, this paperwork expires after 18 months, so we get to do it again. Since it takes a while to get all the paperwork together, homestudy updates, fingerprint clearance, we started the process back in September of 2006. Here it is January, and we are still trying to get it all together and in the same place. We received word from our SW, Jane Santos, that our homestudy is complete and in the hads of our adoption agency for clearance before going to the USCIS. Hopefully sometime next week, we will have the letter of recommendation from Dillon (a letter stating that yes, they agree that we are fit to adopt, and that they are the agency representing us) and our official homestudy update. Once all of this gets to USCIS, we should have our I-171H in a couple of weeks.

It used to be that the US consulate did not question your I-171H when the adoption agency requested your appointment, however, since the wait in China has increased, they are now requesting that you have this new I-171H in hand prior to making your appointment. Nothing like adding just a little stress to the timing for many parents. But we know that God has it all in control, so we are not worried. Whether it be that we have it done in time, or our travel is delayed, there is nothing we can do to change the outcome by worrying...so we don't.

Now we just wait, eagerly of course, for our referral in just a few weeks. Followed, by...you guessed it! More paperwork.