[Hartclan]

We had decided on Colombia this spring and have been compiling our dossier and updating our home study. Now, our agency has not been acredited again. We did file the I600 A prior to April 1st so right now, we are grandfathered in. My concern is that there is a new rule that you can only renew your I600 one time here in IL. So...that means we have 36 months from the time our 171H is issued to complete an adoption from Colombia. With the wait times increasing, I am concerned that we will not make it.

Advice??? Can anyone PM me the names of the agencies that are accredited by the Hague and approved to work with ICBF?? I am willing to wait 3 years but do not want to wait and then be denied at the last minute due to paperwork!

Thanks in advance!

[alle1456]

I just PM'd you.

[FranTastic]

Hartclan, I am also with an agency that did not get their hague accrediation. Nerve wracking isn't it! We live in CA and can renew out I600 for free once. After that we have to pay again. Maybe that is the same as IL?

[Hartclan]

The information I am getting from IL is that yes, you can renew once for free. The trouble is that to if your adoption is not complete after that extension (2 I600s = 36 months) you do need to pay again and file an I800 since they are phasing out the I600.

The problem is, if you file an I800 and your agency is not accredited, then you cannot get a new 171H. That is my dilemma. I am scared that we will not complete the adoption in those 36 months and be stuck at the end. I am hoping my current agency becomes accredited in the next 36 months but there are no guarantees...I am scared that referral times will lengthen during our process and we might not have it completed in 36 months.

Does this make sense?? I don't want to have to repay but my bigger concern is not being able to get the final 171H if I have to change to the I800 form and my agency does not become accredited.

I am thinking of switching placement agencies to one that is already accredited in order to make sure this does not happen. I do not want to lose any time but we are still early in the process that I think I may need to do this for some peace of mind.

Input? Am I thinking about this correctly with the changes in accredidation?

[chicha]

It sounds like we are in the same dilemma as you. However, I did not know they were switching over the forms from the 1600 to the 1800. Now, we are at a loss as to what to do as well. We have been accepted as of December. If an agency doesn't have hauge approval, will they still follow you through the process in Colombia, or will we need to switch to an agency that will have people in Colombia?
Cathy

[DrLaura]

I would contact your local CIS office and verify that you can only renew once even if you have to pay. Go directly to the source for this, do not take your agency's word for it. If it is the case then contact your agency about what they will do for you if you leave. You need to know all of your options. My guess is you are probably at a stage where you do not have to pay them anything else until you get the referral so you have some time to sort things out.

In the meantime, talk to other agencies and see what they will charge you for the remaining services you need. You will need the referral & incountry services, post placement services (including a new statement to ICBF from the new agency saying the will be responsible for the post placement.) You may need a revised home study or have your existing home study validated by the new agency. I think those are probably the big things.