Our adoption is Moving Along

We got word today that our homestudy and I800a application have been overnighted to the USCIS. Just to explain, there is a process a family must go through in the US to prove that a family does in fact fit the requirements set forth by our government to adopt a child from overseas. This application goes to the USCIS. The USCIS is the immigration arm. They require a copy of the homestudy and an application along with some other documents. All the paperwork is read over and an appointment to get fingerprinted is issued. If the homestudy has all the information needed and the fingerprints come back clear the family is then issued their approval. That is called the I-171. It is this process that we are now starting. Normally it is taking 6-8 weeks to complete but we are hoping to be done in just a couple of weeks.

We are finally making progress and depending on if the USCIS officer decides that our son's life is in danger or not will determine when we travel and how fast he can be seen by a doctor. Funny that a lay person can make a medical decision. The USCIS sees cases like this daily so we have no idea if we will be expedited or not. At least we are at the next step in the journey.