[punch1]

Hello,

Some of you may have seen me lurking around the Guatemala and Ukraine sites
over the past few months. Our story is long, but my question is short.

We have recently completed our homestudy and amended our I-600A to Russia
but have not yet signed on with an IA agency. Would you (a) wait and see
what happens with accreditation and go with a reputable agency once
accreditations start coming out or (b) sign on with an agency who are still
processing "independent" adoptions, albeit quite slowly.

What do you guys think?
__________________

[KimOH]

Gosh, I think whoever has the "right" answer to this would be making a very lucky *guess.*?

Back in the accreditation lapse of 2004/2005, we did the first one: Signed with a reputable agency and waited for them to be reaccredited. I am not sorry we did it, but it was a long and frustrating wait of second-guessing our decision.

I think your answer depends on your situation. Have you found the agency you really, really want to work with. If so, and they're a reputable one, you might want to go ahead and sign and just wait it out. (Pretty soon they're going to have to accredit *someone* or there's going to be *nobody* accredited. I think the last ones expire on April 12, right?)

If you haven't found the perfect agency for yourself yet, then I'd keep looking till you find the one that you really think you want to work with. If they are still able to process adoptions during the lapse, all the better. (But I wouldn't count on this, if you know what I mean...because it can change at any moment.) I'd also give some "points" to an agency who offers a strong program in another country that you'd be interested in (sounds like you might also be interested in Guatemala and Ukraine.) If things drag out indefinitely with accreditations in Russia, then you can always consider all your options. It would be more convenient (and less costly) to switch programs within the same agency.

In the end, nobody can tell you what's best for you.

[amyfk]

Although I am a proud parent of a child from Russia(it took two years for my adoption to happen), if you ask me honestly what I'd do, if I were to start over again, I would look at another country/adoption program. I just dont think I could deal with the accreditation issues/red tape that the Russian govt. puts prospective adoptive parents through. Lately I have unfortunately heard of quite a few couples who were given the runaround with Russian adoptions, and never completed their adoptions. I hear Guatemala and Ukraine are having issues now too. I would do a lot of research, see which program is moving smoothest and RUN.
Best of luck to you.
Amy K, NJ

[kimber413]

I would go with an agency that you know has NGO approval and is just waiting for the accreditation letter. I have a gut feeling it's going to happen soon. I would not go totally independent.

[punch1]

Just to clarify that the agency we would use for an independent adoption is NGO registered and like everyone else, is awaiting reaacredidation too.

Any other input is still appreciated.

Thanks,

[Amysue1112]

If you really feel your child is in Russia, I would go ahead and proceed with picking your agency. I would also find out if your money can be used in another program IF things do not improve in Russia. I used the same agency as Kimber413 above...we started at the end of 2004 with the re-accreditation mess going on and they told us if things did not improve in Russia then they would move us and try to limit the fees.

Also, we were very leary about what was happening after 3-4 months we were in process...so we held our dossier until we saw things improve (since our agency was fee for service, that meant another chunk of $ we didn't want to spend until we saw what would happen in Russia). We were told that we could have gone independent...and getting a referral and trip 1 would not be too hard, but getting the child home "could" be a problem. So anyway, after holding our dossier for 5 months, we got way down on the waiting list in regions that were already getting backed up BEFORE the slowdown. So my point is, if you are gonna go for it anyway, I would go ahead and proceed.

As far as looking at other regions...sadlly, as I am sure you have seen, it is getting hard everywhere. So if you think Russia is "it" for you, like we did, go for it!! Our process was VERY hard...even delays in court threatened our ability to bring our daughter home..but we made it through and it was worth every ounce of heartache and then some!!!

[MominPA]

If you feel Russia is the right country for you, I would contact agencies that have there NGO approval and ask them the status of their accreditation and if they have families traveling and on what trips.

Not all agencies completely close down waiting for accreditation. A lot depends on the region the agency works in. Of course things can change in a moment.

My good friend is in Russia now on her first trip and her agency is waiting for accreditation. The same with our last adoption. Our agency is one of the last ones that expire next week, but we traveled on our first trip in March.

Best of luck!

[ddahl]

I looked at your timeframe. Frankly I would go with a proven winner Agency. May cost more but in the end you will bring home your baby. PM any of us if you need information. We love to help. Hugs to you! It must have been so hard to lose baby Joseph. My heart goes out to you. There is a child waiting for you!

[cathvash]

If it were you...And it IS me!

Bottom line is you should go with your gut...

I selected an agency that is well-respected with a long in-country track record. They are NGO approved. It just turned out, which was lucky for me (I think...Ask in a couple of months!) that they are also moving forward in some regions. I took the opportunity, and things have moved smoothly to this point. I am waiting for a court date, so time will tell. Nothing is guaranteed at this point, and using this process is a bit more anxiety-provoking than if I knew it was "technically" going through under my agency.

I think if you start moving now, allowing your papers to be prepared, apostilled, and translated, there is actually a good chance that the agency you choose will have accreditation by the time they are ready for filing... And if they don't, you will at least be on your way.

I do believe there is a slight risk that independent adoptions will be cut of entirely before you are done. Ask the agency if they will allow you to proceed "under their flag" if accreditations come through, and independent adoptions are suddenly curtailed. This would be an important point for me...

Good luck!!!

[GCS]

Go with a proven agency that is NGO and awaiting accreditation would be my thought.

Good luck!