The Adoption Process

A few people have asked me about the timeline for our adoption and the truthful answer is that it varies. It all depends on how quickly you can complete the paperwork, how quickly the government agencies get you the documents you need, how long it takes for the US government to approve you, how long a waiting list your agency has for referrals, and how long it takes for your case to get through court. Basically, it goes like this:

1) You apply to an agency and get approved (we've done this)

2) You complete a "home study" which involves answering lots of questions, collecting vital records, getting medical exams and financial reports, etc and submitting them to your social worker, who works for the agency (we're just starting this).

3) You get all of this approved and then sent in to the state by filing an I600A, which is a petition to adopt. They approve this by looking at your homestudy, running your fingerprints, and making sure you are qualified - and by you paying them a fee :)

4) You prepare a dossier for the Ethiopian government which also has vital records and financial information, immigration records, background checks, and statements about why you want to adopt and how you will retain a sense of your child's heritage for them.

5) Once you are approved you wait for a referral. This usually takes several months, sometimes over a year, until a child comes along to the agency that is the age/gender that you requested, and that you are next in line for. Supposedly the wait in Ethiopia is not as long as in countries that have older or more popular programs, but it really just depends.

6) Once you have accepted a referral, you get a court date in Ethiopia. Your agency appears as a representative for you and the Ethiopian government determines (hopefully) that the child is eligible for adoption and that you are qualified to be parents. This can take a few tries and the courts shut down for a couple of months in the fall so there are often delays in this step.

7) Once you have passed in court, you can travel in the next few weeks to pick up your child! While you are there you have a court date for a visa and to finalize everything so the trip is usually 5-7 days. This is a great opportunity to see your child's country and learn as much as possible about the culture, and maybe his birth family.

This whole process has taken as little as 6 months and as long as 2+ years, just depending on the circumstances. We're hoping that it will take about a year because that would make Bridgey about 2 1/2 and that would be a good gap in the kid's ages. It's okay with us if it takes longer though so in that sense we are lucky because we aren't trying to rush it, which gets frustrating according to many I've talked to. I'm honestly more concerned about things going too fast but I've decided that I really feel like God wants us to be doing this right now and I'm just going to go with it and trust that the timing will be right. We really do need that upstairs bedroom to be done though . . .