Zeke Update

Adoption Timeline for Zeke 
(Waiting child from an agency specific list)

Submit LOI (Letter of Intent) to China that identifies a child you'd like to adopt.  (Submitted LOI December 20)

Wait 1-4 weeks for Pre Approval/PA (Received January 3)

Complete homestudy and start assembling dossier (3-4 months)

*Complete homestudy (started mid December, homestudy completed by homestudy agency March 1)

*Send in I800a paperwork (can't apply for the I800a until you have your completed homestudy, application received by USCIS March 8)

*Be fingerprinted  (Received original fingerprint date of April 17, walked in to Omaha USCIS office to be fingerprinted April 5)

*Receive I800a approval  (Received verbal approval April 12, will hopefully have it in hand at the beginning of next week)

*Authenticate documents at the secretary of state's office  (All are done)
*Send documents to the US Department of State and then the Chinese Consulate  (Have to have the I800a approval authenticated by the secretary of state before we can send our documents)

Send dossier to China on May 11 (DTC)

Wait for LID (log in date) which is China acknowledging that your dossier has been received (LID of May 23)

Wait for LOA (Letter of Approval) which is China formally approving you as parents for your child-July 18

File I800, I864 (US immigration paperwork).  Wait for I800 approval (USCIS received our I800 7/23 and we received our approval letter back on 8/4)

Have I800 approval cabled to US Consulate in China (August 13)

Wait for Article 5 (August 28)

Wait for travel approval (TA), 2-4 weeks

So now we are just waiting for travel approval which is basically the Chinese government inviting us to visit China.  After that, we will be able to make our travel plans.  If we followed the short end of the TA wait, we would have our travel approval mid September.  Even with the travel approval, it is not like we will be taking off as soon as we have TA.  We have to schedule an appointment for adoption paperwork that has to be completed in China so that means submitting a handful of dates and waiting to hear what date you will have your appointment on.  You need to know that date before you start buying tickets and booking travel.  Also, China has a national holiday the first week of October.  Government offices are closed for that week so adoption paperwork cannot be processed.  I am hopeful we will be able to travel to China to sight see and pick up Zeke the first week of October with the second week of October being used to do adoption paperwork in the province that processes that.  But as of right now, I'm just hanging tight until we know a bit more.