That's right. We've chosen the circuitous route to parenthood. In this case the route passes through China. The duration of the adoption process depends on many factors including the the speed at which the parents, adoption agency, social worker, INS, state government, Chinese consulate, and Chinese government complete the many tasks and copious paperwork. Our agency is Journeys of the Heart Adoption Services. The following list of events and dates should give you some idea of what's involved and the speed at which things happen. Your mileage may vary.
| Date | Description | Waiting on | |
| March 5 | Attended JOH adoption seminar | us to choose an agency | |
| March 24 | Submitted application to JOH | us to complete initial paperwork | |
| + copy of marriage license | |||
| + copies of birth certificates | |||
| + copy of federal income tax form | |||
| + criminal background check consent forms | |||
| + state child protective services consent form | |||
| + application fee | |||
| March 28 | Mike's preliminary medical screening |
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| March 29 | Four requests for reference letters sent |
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| March 29 | INS Form I-600A + fees |
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| March 31 | INS "filed" I-600A |
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| April 10 | Signed contract with JOH | JOH to assign social worker | |
| + release of information forms | |||
| + proof of health insurance | |||
| + our autobiographies | |||
| + JOH release of liability form | |||
| + JOH policies and procedures agreement | |||
| + home study fee | |||
| April 12 | Received fingerprinting appt date from INS |
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| April 14 | Gim's preliminary medical screening |
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| April 17 | Sent copy of Gim's birth certificate to INS at their request |
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| April 18 | Social worker assigned & home study scheduled | Social worker to complete home study | |
| May 1 | Home study |
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| May 6 | Fingerprinting for FBI background check |
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| May 8 | Home study completed by social worker | JOH to approve and forward home study | |
| May 12 | JOH approves home study, sends it to INS | INS for approval | |
| May 22 | HIV tests | " | |
| May 30 | CCAA medical forms | " | |
| June 2 | Police clearance | " | |
| June 2 | Employment letters | " | |
| June 22 | INS advance processing complete | " | |
| June 29 | INS cable to US Consulate in Guangzhou | " | |
| July 1 | Received INS Form I-171H | us to prepare dossier | |
| July 5 | Dossier reviewed by JOH | state for certification | |
| + coordination & program fees | |||
| + Fedex dossier to Sec. of State for certification | |||
| July 10 | Dossier received from State | us to package dossier | |
| July 10 | Dossier Fedex'ed to Chinese Consulate | Chinese Consulate for authentication | |
| July 18 | Authenticated dossier received by JOH | agency to finalize dossier | |
| July 19 | Dossier sent to CCAA via UPS | CCAA translation, processing, & match | |
| July 24 | Dossier logged in at CCAA | " | |
| August 3 | Received INS case number and immigration forms from US embassy in Guangzhou, China. | " |