I just want to say that if you're adopting, it is SO VERY CRUCIAL that you have a great relationship with your placement agency. If you know anything about Ugandan adoptions you know that flexibility is key. And for someone like me who likes to think she's in control, that's scary (wonder why God lead us to Uganda?). We have known so many who are in the midst of some rough times waiting for consulate approval for visas or who have been denied them altogether based on how "orphan" is interpreted. As soon as we started hearing of these issues we contacted our agency (Lifeline Children's Services) and were comforted to know that they have a great team here and in Uganda advocating for those children (and us)!
Last week we received word that our home study had been approved on December 23rd. Once that was done, it was sent to us for a review (and to just verify the information) and then sent to our agency for review. (SIDE NOTE: this is not normally necessary unless, like us, you are using an agency that is not in your state. Because we are working with a placement agency based in Alabama, we had to find a local agency to do our homestudy. We were VERY blessed to work with Tidewater Jewish Family Services who have given us amazing support through this process!) Heather (our agency contact), received our home study for review yesterday, reviewed it, returned it to JFS for notarization, and sent us all the info we need to get it in the mail to immigration as soon as we get the notarized version.
It may seem like this part is happening very quickly but let me explain. There are two reasons. First, we cannot get on the waiting list for a referral until we have our approved I-600A which is our immigration form we must send to USCIS (along with documents like our home study and birth and marriage certificates and a check for $890). And that approval process can take up to 3 months. Second, remember how I said our agency is advocating for us? Well, Heather and others from our agency are headed to Uganda for about 10 days to speak directly to the new consulate, work with the team in country, and meet with new babies homes for possible future relationships. How cool is that!?!? It's awesome to know that we are working with people who have been/regularly go to Uganda, know what we're dealing with, and aren't just "guessing" what the government (both US and Ugandan) want and need of prospective parents.
We are just excited that we will have a notarized home study in hand soon and that the next step is just around the corner! We are also happy that because we will have a completed home study soon, we can now begin to apply for grants to help ease the financial burden of this process. So excited that we are moving forward!!
Last week we received word that our home study had been approved on December 23rd. Once that was done, it was sent to us for a review (and to just verify the information) and then sent to our agency for review. (SIDE NOTE: this is not normally necessary unless, like us, you are using an agency that is not in your state. Because we are working with a placement agency based in Alabama, we had to find a local agency to do our homestudy. We were VERY blessed to work with Tidewater Jewish Family Services who have given us amazing support through this process!) Heather (our agency contact), received our home study for review yesterday, reviewed it, returned it to JFS for notarization, and sent us all the info we need to get it in the mail to immigration as soon as we get the notarized version.
It may seem like this part is happening very quickly but let me explain. There are two reasons. First, we cannot get on the waiting list for a referral until we have our approved I-600A which is our immigration form we must send to USCIS (along with documents like our home study and birth and marriage certificates and a check for $890). And that approval process can take up to 3 months. Second, remember how I said our agency is advocating for us? Well, Heather and others from our agency are headed to Uganda for about 10 days to speak directly to the new consulate, work with the team in country, and meet with new babies homes for possible future relationships. How cool is that!?!? It's awesome to know that we are working with people who have been/regularly go to Uganda, know what we're dealing with, and aren't just "guessing" what the government (both US and Ugandan) want and need of prospective parents.
We are just excited that we will have a notarized home study in hand soon and that the next step is just around the corner! We are also happy that because we will have a completed home study soon, we can now begin to apply for grants to help ease the financial burden of this process. So excited that we are moving forward!!
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