Training & Wrapping Up the Home Study

Brock & I need 4 hours of training to wrap up our Home Study so that we can move forward with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration paperwork, and then the dossier for China.

We're meeting with some couples from a local adoption support group, SCIAPA (South Central Illinois Adoptive Parents Association) this Sunday so we can discuss their adoption experiences and glean some advice.

We are also going to the monthly In His Hands Orphans Adoption Outreach meeting Monday evening.

If we combine those with an internet webinar, we should reach our 4 hours and be able to conclude the Home Study early next week!

That is huge for us. A copy of the home study has to be included with our I-800A (the form we send in to USCIS). There are also roughly 10 or 12 other documents that have to be sent in with it, as well as $830. We have all of the other stuff ready to go, so we'll mail it as soon as we receive our copy of the home study.

After several weeks, we should receive an approval form from USCIS. We need to combine that with about 15 other documents to be included in the dossier for China. Most of the documents for the dossier have been notarized, but also need to be certified by the Illinois Secretary of State.

Once we send the dossier off, our time line becomes a little more clear. After a few weeks we should get a Log-In Date (LID) from China (confirmation they received it and are reviewing it). Then, anywhere from 2 to 4 months later, they will send us a letter seeking confirmation that we want Shaling. That will set off the process of arranging our travel.