Paper Chase
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Approaching the process:
Developing an understanding of which parts of the process take
the longest, and therefore which should be initiated first, will
enable you to expedite the process to some degree. It's also
important to understand which documents are dependent upon other
documents, that is, which documents are on the "critical
path." For example, you cannot complete your dossier without
the I-171H form, which cannot be completed without a homestudy,
which cannot be completed without the Child Abuse Check in many
states. Therefore the Child Abuse Check may have the potential
to delay the entire process.
Out of state / out of country:
If you were born, married, divorced, or had a spouse who died
in another state, or another country, get started on those documents
early. The state (or country) where the event took place must
certify these documents. That may become time consuming.
Do your research to find out how to get them certified in that
particular state.
I-600A / Application for Advance Processing
of Orphan Petition
One of the very first things you should do as you begin your
adoption process is to request the I-600A and related forms from
the INS, fill them out, and return them as soon as possible.
The INS would like your social security numbers on the I-600A.
Unfortunately, currently, they have not indicated a spot for
them. Squeeze them in somewhere, and identify what they are and
whose social security number is whose. This could help avoid
some delays down the road.
Working with the Homestudy Agency:
As soon as you pick out your homestudy agency, ask
them about the slowest part of the homestudy, and start that
right away. As previously mentioned, the Child Abuse Check often
takes the longest in some states.
Cover Letters:
Learn to love writing cover letters. Write cover letters for
everything you send. Include your name, address, phone and e-mail
address. The three most important rules of cover letters are
be nice, be nice, and be nice. Not only will it help you
in your adoption, but also it will help smooth the way for others
who come along behind you.
So, be nice and include a big "thank you" to whomever
you are writing for helping you with such an important event.
List very specifically what is included in the package your are
sending.
For anything you send that has multiple documents in it, be sure
to include either in the body of the cover letter, or separately,
a detailed document list. Click here to see a sample document
list.
In very large letters, on any envelopes you send, print "Important
Adoption Documents Enclosed".
Use overnight delivery services for important documents for easy
tracking. We suggest overnighting the following documents:
completed homestudy to the INS
docs for certification to the Secretary of the State
docs for authentication to the consulate
authenticated docs to World Child
The Goal:
Just remind yourself why you're doing this, and you'll
see any amount of frustration will be ultimately worth it.