[Dan_C]

Ok so it looks like the typical wait time is between 12- and 18 months from what I'm seeing. That's pretty much in line with what the agency we're talking to has said, approx 18 months total time for the process.

First of all is that fairly accurate?

Secondly, does the Agency have alot to do with the wait time? It seems like once your dossier is forwarded to China we are all in the same boat waiting for governmental red tape. In that case does the agency your with really make a difference?

Geez I've never waited 18 months for something, especially something so important. This will test our patience to say the least!

[Mailbox13]

You are right. Wait times have nothing to do with what agency you choose. The last group of referrals had a 14 to 15 month wait time. The wait time is continuing to expand. 18 months is very possible in the not to distant future. Wait times could get even longer . No one knows whether wait times are going to level off or even speed up. Be concerned about any agency that tells you they know exactly what wait times will be or that they are definately going to get better.

[ttcasey]

When we told my father that the wait is up to 15 months to just referral, he said "that is the longest pregnancy ever!".

[chinagirl2006]

When we started the process in the Spring of 2005, the wait time was 6 1/2 months. Our SW told us that its hard to really know how long we'll be waiting. Its constantly changing. We've been waiting 12 1/2 months now & I never thought it would increase that much.

That previous poster is correct...watch out for agencies that give you a definate timeframe...its all on China to get the referrals out...the agency has no control.

Good luck!

[specialk4b]

The agency has nothing to do with the timeframe once you're logged in in China. That was one of positives about choosing China. It doesn't matter who you know and you won't be asked for extra money to make something happen.

I will say that agencies do differ on the type/amount of support they give you through the process.

[Chinagirl2007]

unfortunately '18 months from start to finish' would be VERY optimistic and is pretty unlikely. I assume you are including the compiling of the dossier? That takes anywhere from 3-6 months, depending on how fast your homestudy agency works and more importantly, what state you live in, since it takes many states months to issue the 171H. I live in NJ and my dossier could not have been completed in under 6 months due to my homestudy agency and the length of time my state takes to issue the 171H.

So, someone receiving their referral next month, who will probably have waited 15 months from LID, would experience a 21 month wait 'from start to finish' if their dossier took 6 months.

Most people believe that the wait times are going to continue to go up (as they have, exponentially, for the past year) , so its best to be prepared. Plus, agencies have their own reasons for not always being up front about projected wait times.

[mic2005]

Hello Dan C

As eveyone stated the wait from LID to referral is the same for all agencies (no one really knows how long that will be). I found that agencies do differ with respect to how often they send dossier paperwork to China (DTC). I chose an agency that sends dossiers to China weekly. If you get you completed dossier to them by Wednesday it goes to China on Friday.

When I was doing agency research I found some agencies send dossiers to China once a month, some send them twice a month etc. I also know that some agencies wait until they have a certain number of dossiers before they send them to China. So you could have your paperwork in and ready to go but you may be waiting for another family to complete their dossier.

My agency also lets you email or fax documents to them as you went along to make sure they were in order before you had them Authenticated. So when you sent the completed dossier to them you can feel more secure that the documents were in order.

One last thing some agencies translate your documents before they send them to China which will increase the amount of time before your documents are sent. I am not exactly sure how this works but my agency sends them to china and they are translated there so it does not delay DTC or LID.

Good Luck

[Sheba]

Our agency is stating 12 to 18mths as well. No agency controls this only China and it can get longer or shorter at any time. We only waited 6 mth for Kennedy's referral and this time the wait is longer but I can tell you that it is worth every day! Our agency handles our translation it adds a couple weeks to your time before your documents are sent. Our agency also only sends groups once or twice a month. I would rather have them handle this part anyways. At this time our agency has all our paperwork and has for a month but we are not dtc yet because we are waiting on the darn 171H from out State. I hope to be dtc by December because I have a feeling we are going to miss November. But it is truly meant to be, because I cannot even imagine not getting the daughter meant for us. They match the families so well. Kennedy fits in perfectly so we figure the small delay is because Kelsi is not there waiting yet! You have to put some sanity in yourself or the wait will drive you nuts.

Good luck