[mfrench]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post, so bear with me. We just received our referral yesterday. She is four years old and at SOS in Delphi. She is absolutely beautiful!!!

My question is about timeframes. Our dossier will be at the Indian Consulate in Chicago by early next week. Any experience on how long it takes to get authentication?

I have also been reading about CARA slowing things down for larger families. We have a biological daughter in college, and a four year old biological son. Should we expect any problems/delays from CARA. She is a healthy four year old who has been in the orphanage only 14 months.

We have also been told that it will take a little longer since May is coming up. Apparently not much happens in India in May. Any experience here.

We are also contemplating taking our son with us on the trip. This will be a life changing event for both children, and we want them to be together when it happens. Any thoughts?

We waited nine months for our referral, and now that we have her picture, I can only imagine how unbearable the wait will be.

There are alot of questions here. Any insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Mel

[denise marie]

Hi Mel,
Congratulations on your referrel.I am not sure how long it will take for authentication.I know ours took about 2 weeks to do.Cara definatly varies on when you get approved NOC.I think taking your son with you is a wonderful idea.May is a big Holiday and the courts and such are closed.My husband is hoping he can leave next month to bring our 4 yr old son home.Best of luck through your adoption process the end result is most rewarding.

[spaypets]

Hi Mel--
Congratulations!

As I recall, authentication at the NY consulate took only about a week to 10 days. The slow down was what happened in India. We accepted our referral in Oct. 2002 and our daughter didn't come home until May 2003. She was much younger, however, and I think that older children's adoptions move a little more quickly.

For us, we lost at least a month because the scrutiny board didn't like the way the orphanage did the paperwork and the orphanage insisted that it was right, so they had a standoff for a couple of weeks.

As near as I can tell there's an Indian holiday every two weeks that shuts down the necessary board or agency! However, I suspect that there are a number of things that have to happen before you'll even get to court and the May shut down won't be a factor. First you have to get your NOC (the no objection certificate -- where the government approves you) and then and that takes a couple of months. Then the case goes to the scrutiny board which may find a problem or may not. Finally it goes to the guardianship hearing. I don't want to discourage you, but all these things take several weeks to be put on the docket.

I'm curious about the order you're going through...We had our dossier authenticated long before the referral -- with our agency the referral couldn't happen until the whole dossier was in India.

Where in India will you be traveling? We traveled but without any other children. Could you take another adult? That way your son could do something fun, while you're waiting at the embassy, doctor etc. If you think you can keep two pre-schoolers entertained on a 24 hour flight, then I say go for it -- it would probably be comforting for your daughter to see another child...

[ll_bay]

Our daughters, who came home in March 2003, were at SOS too! Please, give Vijay Raina and all the caregivers our absolute best when you meet them. It's a special, blessed place.

Our authentication took 2 days, in DC. Our dossier went to India in December, we had NOC in January and guardianship in February, then traveled in March. But from what I understand all of that was exceptionally fast (our whole adoption took 6 months). And the May holidays affected friends of mine too, but only by 3 or 4 weeks. I think there's just no way to be sure. But I can tell you that if your child is at SOS, the people in charge of facilitating her adoption move heaven and earth to get those children with their forever families as soon as possible.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about SOS or anything else.

[ModernMother]

It's hard to tell. Our authentication went quite fast as well, but the NOC process is really hanging us up. Our dossier went to India October 1st and we have still not recieved NOC. Originally we had planned to travel March 7th, so it is killing me that we are still sitting here stuck. But we have 3 bio kids allready and are also disrupting birth order. My kids are also young. I really don't think that CARA does this with all their cases, but every once in a while they do so that everyone sees that they really do research each case thoroughly. My agency is confident they will issue NOC it's just a matter of when. I too am worried about the courts slowing down in the spring summer. Once we get NOC I am hoping we will get guardianship really fast, but likely we will end up facing problems there as well.

When I first started out, reading posts like this one were so disheartening. I only wanted to read the "fast NOC" stories. LOL but you know what, we're ok. I know that Rani has excellent care. I'm getting her room fixed up and I'm making a lifebook. My agency is AWESOME! Keeping me updated all of the time and visiting India often and sending new pictures and video of our princess. We're hanging in there and I definately believe it will be worth the long haul. All of this delay will make the actual reciept of NOC so sweet and finally getting our daughter will be made more blessed because we've had to really work to get her home!!

Congratulations on your referral! What's your darlings name?

[mfrench]

Thanks to all for your comments.

Everything flew through the Consulates. We had to deal with Chicago and Houston, and both had our documents back to us within the week.

Our dossier arrived in India one week ago today. I know things really slow down now, but our agency is still projecting travel in August or September.

[ModernMother]

That's so wonderful! I hope everything will be speedy!

[vibhag]

I am so happy for you to hear your story and finally you'll be going to India to bring your new daughter home. I can't wait for the day when that happens for us. We've been waiting for 3 years to have our baby. the adoption process seems long, but I am praying it will be worth the wait. we are hoping to receive a referral from SOS in Delhi as well. if that happens, then we'll be travelling to india in sep/oct timeframe. our family in india is also helping to expedite the process. maybe it will happen sooner.

Thanks for all your responses to my earlier post. I am so happy i found this forum. I will keep you all posted.

vibha

[mfrench]

Wow! We're still in shock. We were told at least four months from submission of dossier to authorization to travel. Our dossier was sent to India on April 8th. We got the call today! They want us in Delhi on June 13th. We thought nothing was supposed to happen in India during May. We have been caught off guard and barely begun getting ready for the trip. Regardless how prepared we are, we will have our daughter in our arms in 2 1/2 weeks. Just in time for fathers day!!!!

Here's wishing everyone else's journey goes as quickly as this last segment of our has!!!

Melanie

[ll_bay]

mfrench

You're adopting from SOS with Vijay as your facilitator, right? If so, I'm not a bit surprised at your process going so quickly! The day we were supposed to go the the embassy, Delhi declared a holiday, which would've held up something being done with their passports as well as dashed our plans into bits. But in spite of being stonewalled by everyone she tried to get an answer from, she found out the embassy was open despite the holiday and got us in. And she got some of our stuff done when "nothing was supposed to happen" too. Remember, too, that time in India isn't the same as it is here, and in general everything is a lot more relative, a lot less precise. Not trying to generalize about over 1 billion people, but that's just something we noticed.

Have a good journey and PLEASE give Vijay our best!

[ModernMother]

Wow Melanie that is so cool! HOW did it go so fast? I'm so happy for you and can't wait to hear how it goes!!!

[mfrench]

After a whirlwind trip, we arrived home with our beautiful daughter on June 17th. Delhi sure isn't the place to visit in June, but when your daughter is there, you really have no choice. We wouldn't have had it any other way.

ViJay Raina is a saint. She literally pushed the paperwork through CARA and the courts, as well as the Embassy when we were there. Our dossier was sent to India on April 8th, NOC granted on May 12, and we were awarded guardianship on June 4th. When we arrived, we spent about an hour and a half at the Embassy getting Yarana's visa, and we were ready to go. ViJay is an unbelievable woman who truly performs miracles for these children whom she treats as her own. I must say that I am proud to have met her.

In regards to the children. Each and every child we met at the orphange was beautiful. Laughing and playing together, compassionate toward each other as well as my husband and I, well behaved, intelligent - we fell in love with them all!!!

Those of you waiting to travel, I empathize with you. My only words of encouragement are that once you are home with your child in your arms, every moment you spent waiting will seem trivial and unimportant. The past will be a distant memory and the future with this incredible being that is now your child will be bright and full of anticipation, hope and promise.

Anyone adopting from SOS who would like any additional information or who has questions, please feel free to email me. I will be more than happy to share any insight I can about this wonderful, special place.

Melanie

[ModernMother]

Wow melanie! Whirlwind is an understatement! All in God's timing I guess. ;-) Congratulations and what a beautiful name! Very similar to our little one's name. How do you pronounce it?

[crow]

I submitted my dossier in early March and traveled in late October, so that would have also spanned the "May thing" you are dealing with.