[bl4scott]

We are awaiting the final copy of our homestudy and checked out the time frame for the first time for the state of washington on the bcis website and were amazed at the time frames shown for processing the I-600a. Has anyone recently in the state of Washington sent it in and gotten it back before the 6 month turnaround time that they are posting on their site. The Yakima office is the only office that does them!!!! Marjorie is telling us 3 months.

Any help? My wife feels like the wind has been taken out from her sail and this will seriuosly delay us getting "Gracie" this next year (2005)

Please tell me there is better hope? A way around the system. We have been reading that some agencies he people on the inside to get them processed faster?

Thanks for the assistance.

DH-Brian

[nkp]

Hi, Brian! DH and I are in WA state as well. (We live in Bellingham) We originally intended to adopt from Russia, and did our USCIS process this summer/fall, so I know how hard it is to wait for this important piece of paperwork! Unfortunately, there is no way to speed up the I-600A in WA state, but I hope it will ease your mind a bit to know that our process went much faster than expected! Our application and homestudy were sent on 7/30/04, they took our fingerprints on 8/24/04, and we had our I-171H on 9/27/04. Even though our agency said 4-6 months it actually only took us two months!

I hope that you have the same experience! Good luck!

Nicole
Making the switch to China from Russia
Hope to be DTC by 2/05

[AnneMD]

Hi Brian...I would not put too much stock in that 6-month wait time you see on that site. I was told that they tend to automatically say "6 months" so that they don't get "bothered" with a lot of people calling asking when their forms will be processed. I know that when we sent in our I-600A, I called an 800 number on the site and was told "6 months" before we would even get our fingerprints! I freaked out! Now...they are running a bit slow right now, though... They received our I-600A on September 15th. Our fingerprints were done on November 2nd. And we are still waiting for our I-171H. So it HAS been over 3 months since they first started working on our case...which I think is a long time! The good news is that our agency checked with them about us and we were told yesterday that the I-171H has been mailed out to us and we should have received it. Yea!!! I just hope it didn't get lost!
Hopefully now that the holidays are over, things will speed up over there! I wish you both the best with your adoption!
Anne
DH- Greg
Should be DTC 1/05!!!

[KarenInCa]

Im in Ca, and I asked our SW this evening how long the wait time is in Ca, she said the normal wait time here (regardless of what INS tells us) is about 2-3 weeks before they send back info on getting fingerprinted..the entire process from date of sending it in, to getting fingerprints back is about 6 weeks here, according to our SW, and she hasnt run into difficulty recently. Perhaps its different state to state, or most likely thats the longest time because of what Anne said.

[rikye1]

We live in Washington too!!! Our I-600a just arrived in Yakima last Monday!!! Ou adoption agency did mention that it is taking longer than usual for the paperwork to get done....UGHHHHHHH!!!!

[Tina Ocheltree]

Nicole,
We live in Bellingham too! Who is your agency? I see that I can't email you, but maybe will meet you sometime! It took 5 weeks for us just to get our marriage license back, though only 2 days for them to cash the check! We are just starting our homestudy paperwork and were hoping things would be going faster to allow us to be in China by Christmas next year. Hmm.
Yea! 1 more little bundle from China in Whatcom county

[nkp]

Tina-

So happy to find someone in my neck of the woods. Feel free to e-mail me at mattandnicoleadopt@hotmail.com.

Nicole

[bl4scott]

We are using Bethany and they have been great so far. We love our SW. After picking an agency we have noticed that many agencies work differently than others in the way they go through the order of all of their paperwork. It seems that some states and agencies will allow for people to file for their 600a w/o having their home study done so that they can speed the process up.

Thanks for all for your kins comments. We have slowed our paper chase down because of the "6 month" delay and this information will remotivate my wife and I to get the wip cracking again.

Brian - DH from Spokane, Wa.

[LoriLou]

Brian - here is our update. We sent ALL our paperwork to Yakima on 11/19 and we just got our fingerprints today, the 29th of December ... about 5 weeks after sending our paperwork in. Hope that things speed up from here, but told it could be another month. I, like your wife could not believe that this part would take so long! I just want our paperwork to get to China!!! Hang in there! Lori

[bl4scott]

Please let us know in the future as your progress continues. What agency are you using? Brian

[Tina Ocheltree]

Brian,
I sure hope things go quickly for you-it will be encouraging for those of us just starting!
My family lives in Cheney (out near the little golf course) and my sil has friends who teach at Gonzaga who just came back with their little girl in Oct. My father met a family who lives in St. John who have 6! children they have adopted from China.

Is there a FCC chapter in Spokane? We visit often, (have to go to Aunties and the carousel whenever we visit!) and it would be fun to connect with other China families.

[bl4scott]

I know there is a group of people that have adopted from China that get togehter - I will check with my wife and let you know when the next meeting is and they will know where the rest of the groups are - we have been meaning to visit and get to know some of the families that have gone through this before. My oldest Son, Jonah, has a little girl in his class that was adopted from China 9 months ago. They had nothing but good things to tell us and they wish they could go back when we go!!!

[juliamcm]

Hi,
I was just wondering if you found the FCC chapter in Spokane. You probably have by now, if not the yahoo group is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpokaneChinaFamilies/

[LoriLou]

Any updates on this? We had our fingerprints done on 29th of December .... still nothing here yet. I NEVER thought this would be so long. Lori

[Tina Ocheltree]

We heard Wa was running 16 weeks!!!!!

We're doing a sn adoption, so praying to be expedited!

Our agency in NOT happy with Yakima.

The best of luck-I'll send good thoughts!