Logged In!

Yesterday was an exciting day!

While grocery shopping, I received a call from the case coordinator at our adoption agency.  She wanted to let us know that our dossier was officially logged into the CCCWA system. (The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption)

This is a huge step in our journey!

Now we wait for our dossier to be translated, it will then travel through the proper departments in China and finally a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) will be sent back to Holt.  Once we receive our LOA, we’ll be moving towards our final leg of this journey.  (Big smile as I type this.)

We’ll then be able to file our form I-800 (Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative) with the USCIS (U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services).  This is a different form then our I-800a (Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country)

which we had sent to the USCIS in January.

The paper chase is starting to come to an end.  Hurrah!

We’re often asked, “What are a home study and a dossier?”  This is a great question, so I’ve given details below about what’s included in both the home study and dossier.

Home Study:

• Home Study Application, Application Fee, Home Study Fee
• A Family Picture, a Data Sheet and Autobiography of both Tim and myself
• Certified Copies of our Birth Certificates and Marriage Certificate
• Copies of our Driver’s Licenses and Auto Insurance
• Our most recent IRS 1040
• Pet Vaccination Records
• Financial Statements and Employment Verification Letters
• FBI Fingerprinting for both Tim and myself, as well as background checks
• Medical Statements from our physicians
• A Fire Inspection, Safety Audit and Home Evacuation Plan 
• Ten hours of Training
• Four Home Study Visits with our Home Study Social Worker (These visits are turned into an 11 page biography of our family.)
• Letters of Reference

The completed Home Study is then sent to Holt to be included with the Dossier.

Dossier:

(Most of these items had to be notarized, county and state certified and authenticated)

• Application Letter
• Our Home Study
• Adoptive Parents Form
• Certified Copies of our Birth Certificates and Marriage Certificate
• Copies of both of our Passport Pages
• Photos of the inside and outside of our home
• Photos of our family together, Tim and myself, and passport size photos of Tim and myself
• Three Letters of Reference 
• Employment Letters prepared by our accountant
• Certificate of Financial Status
• Physical Exams and Medical Statements
• Police Clearances for Tim and myself done by our local police department
•  I-797