[sak9645]

Thanks for your comments.

I adopted my daughter from China in 1997. While the overall adoption process remains very much the same, there have been some rule changes since then, especially with regard to Chinese policies.

Everyone wishing to adopt, internationally or domestically, must have a homestudy by a licensed practitioner in his/her state. The homestudy must meet the requirements of the state, the INS/BCIS (for foreign adoptions), and the foreign country (if applicable). Basically, the homestudy both approves a person to adopt and prepares him/her for the challenges of raising an adopted child. Because I chose an agency in my jurisdiction to do my placement, I was able to use the same agency for my homestudy and post-placement followup. I was very pleased with the homestudy that was done by Adoption Service Information Agency, the organization that I used.

Everyone wishing to adopt internationally must also have INS/BCIS approval of his/her qualifications and of the child to be adopted. In most cases, families use a form called the I-600A for the part where the INS/BCIS approves their qualifications, and send it in before a child is identified. It must be completed and sent in to the local INS/BCIS office with various documents and a copy of the homestudy report. Upon receiving the application, the INS/BCIS will arrange for the adults in the home to be fingerprinted for an FBI criminal records check. The INS sends the family a form, usually the 171-H, indicating that the application has been approved, and this usually has to be sent to the foreign country as part of a dossier of documents required by that country. The main problem that most families run into is that the local INS/BCIS office may take a few months to process I-600As. Like most prospective parents, I fumed and fussed at the wait, but didn't have any significant problems.

The homestudy and INS approval are time-sensitive; they expire after a period of months. Therefore, it is not a good idea for a person to have a homestudy or file for INS approval too far in advance of a planned adoption. If a homestudy approaches its expiration date, or if there are significant changes in a person's life -- such as a move, a job change, a marriage or divorce, or the birth or adoption of another child -- homestudy update will be needed. If INS approval expires before an adoption is completed, a brand new I-600A will need to be filed.

In my case, adoptions from China were very quick when I started the process, and I didn't anticipate any need to redo documents. However, a big reorganization of China's system took place one month after my paperwork went to China. By the time I finally got a referral, my paperwork was close to expiring. I squeaked in under the wire in bringing my daughter home.

In most cases, the prospective parent is required to compile a set of documents that the foreign country seeks, and to have these documents go through a process of authentication and certification, as required by the country. As an example, documents such as a letter from the person's employer verifying employment and salary, a physical exam for from the person's doctor, the homestudy report, and so on, may have to be notarized. Then, the signature of the notary may have to be verified by the Secretary of State's office in the state where the notary practices. Then, the documents may have to be translated. And so on. If the person is using an agency, the agency will provide guidance on what must be done; in some cases, the agency actually may do some of the tasks, such as sending a dossier to the foreign embassy in the U.S. This is what my agency did.

When the dossier is complete, it is sent to the foreign country. Depending on the country's specific procedures, there is likely to be a wait for a referral, which means the assignment of a specific child. The specific child may be selected by the foreign country or by the agency. Some countries and some agencies allow families to select their own child, although there are some drawbacks to this approach. It is important that the child meet the INS/BCIS requirements for an adoption visa, or the parent will not be able to bring the child to the U.S. These requirements are spelled out in the Immigration and Nationality Act, which you can read on the INS/BCIS website. Agencies will know the requirements; people using foreign facilitators or trying to do an independent adoption sometimes run into problems.

When the parent receives a referral, he/she is usually given such things as a medical report and a photo or video of the child. He/she has some time to go over the materials with a physician, either the pediatrician he/she plans to use, or an adoption medicine specialist. (Adoption medicine is now a recognized subspecialty of the American Academy of Pediatrics.) If the doctor believes that the child has a serious problem, and if the parent believes that he/she could not parent a child with this problem effectively, he/she may turn down the referral. In most cases, if the agency or country will refer a different child, unless it appears that the family is simply saying that the child is a couple of months too young or too old, that the child is not attractive, or that the child doesn't "resonate" with the family.

Once a referral has been tentatively accepted, and this acceptance has been sent back to the foreign country, there is usually a wait until an invitation to travel is issued. Most countries require that one or both parents travel to complete an adoption. Some, such as Korea, allow a child to be escorted to the U.S. In most cases, the child is actually adopted in the foreign country. In other cases, such as Korea, the child is brought to the U.S. under a decree of guardianship for adoption here.

Once in a while, a "glitch" happens during the wait between referral and travel. In my case, the child whom I was first referred was placed domestically by the orphanage during the big reorganization, and the orphanage and province did not notify Beijing immediately. Beijing found out only when it forwarded my acceptance letter to the province, to prepare for my travel and adoption. Beijing sent another referral immediately, but it was a horrible time and I grieved as if I had gone through a miscarriage.

Agencies vary in the amount of help they give families who are preparing to travel. Some make all of the arrangements for airlines, hotels, in-country transportation, and so on. Many make the in-country arrangements, but allow the families to get to the country by whatever carrier they wish. In most cases, the agency will arrange for a guide/translator. I was very, very impressed by my agency's performance during the making of travel arrangements and the actual travel. As an example, it had contacts that allowed members of our group to stay in a very expensive Hong Kong hotel on our way in to adopt our children, at very reasonable fees. It also had access to good discounts on a particular airline, though it did not require use of this airline.

The length of stay in-country will depend on the particular country's process. With China, people generally travel, in groups, for 10-14 days. With China, your group goes first to your child's city or the capital of the child's province. You meet your child either the day you arrive or the next day and take custody of him/her. You finalize the adoption that day or the next in a government office. You then remain in the city for about a week while the paperwork is processed. Your group generally uses the time to tour the area, soaking up memories and buying up souvenirs.

I had gotten to know most of my group members (eight families including mine -- five married couples and three single women, including me) prior to travel. During all the delays, we spent a lot of time sharing facts and rumors, obsessing about possible changes in the rules, talking about how we would raise our kids, and (I must admit) consuming a quantity of wine. As a result, we were good friends by the time we traveled, and the trip was delightful. To this day, many of us see each other frequently. Three of my daughter's best friends are children adopted by group members. We hold a reunion every year.

With China, once group members have gotten documents such as their children's adoption decrees, birth certificates, abandonment decrees, and Chinese passports, they proceed to Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, where there is a U.S. Consulate. (Only the Consulate in Guangzhou, not the Embassy in Beijing or any other Consulate in China is allowed to process adoption visas for Americans.) The families get their children's visa photos taken. They take their children for a cursory medical exam at an approved clinic. They fill out forms called the I-600 that let the INS/BCIS approve the children's eligibility for adoption visas. They go to the Consulate, where the paperwork is reviewed. Then, the next day, if they pick up their children's paperwork and visas and are free to head home.

Traveling home with a new child is often a challenge. Many adoptive families consider their trip their "labor." Because my daughter was up the entire night before we left for home, and we did little sleeping en route, I had been up for almost 48 hours straight by the time I arrived in Washington, DC. Still, I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could.

Once a person is home with his/her child, the process is almost, but not totally complete. If a child has not been seen by all relevant parents prior to the in-country finalization, or if the child is brought to the U.S. under a decree of guardianship for adoption here, readoption is necessary. And many families readopt even when it is not mandatory, in order to get U.S. documents that are easily recognizable, replaceable if lost, and so on; to do a legal change of name and obtain a state birth certificate; and to be sure that issues regarding inheritance rights and other legal matters do not arise.

For readoption, or because of agency or country requirements, a family may have to have some post-placement visits by the homestudy social worker. I had to have three such visits over a six-month period. It was a wonderful chance to brag about my daughter!

A person will also need to obtain a Social Security card for his child and proof of citizenship. A certificate of citizenship is the most definitive proof of citizenship. However, because the INS/BCIS may take over a year to process certificate applications, many families obtain a U.S. passport for their children as a stopgap measure. It is proof of citizenship for most, but not all, purposes.

I hope this is helpful. I'll be glad to talk further if you have questions.

Sharon