[katerina]

Hi all - I am glad to have found this board. I have a million questions but want to start with this one - I hear about the importance of having a home study and INS paperwork done really quickly - is it possible to do those before you choose an agency or must you be working with an agency first?
thanks so much
Kat

[Delmom]

Katerina,

Welcome!

Yes, it is important to get the homestudy and INS clearance done quickly because they can both take a long time. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you can be totally ready with everything else and not be able to proceed without the INS approval that may take MONTHS.

Both of these things can be done without selecting an agency first. Some people choose the same agency for everything and some people (like us) have an agency that is in-state do the homestudy and post-placement, but another agency do the actual adoption process.

[katerina]

Thanks for the info - I appreciate it - any tips on how to find someone to do the home study? I get the impression from looking at agency information that the home study is part of the adoption process - can I be guaranteed that another agency will accept the home study from someone outside of their agency?

[almab]

Make sure the home study agency is qualified to do an international adoption homestudy.
In our case, we did an independent adoption, so were able to use an independent licensed social worker instead of an agency. Some states allow this. I don't think any of the international adoption agencies would accept a home study not done through a licensed agency.