Adoption Process Step #2

Ok - so you've chosen an agency. There are a number of steps that happen next. (and they can be going on at the same time) I'm going to talk today about getting USCIS approval. Basically the federal government (used to be called CIS - now part of the Department of Homeland Security) has to approve adopted parents. They want to make sure that you aren't a criminal and that you have the financial means to take care of a child that you are bringing in from another country. There are various USCIS offices around the country, and each one handles their cases differently. From what I've heard, we are lucky that we use the Louisville office as they seem to make it fairly easy on PAPs (Here's an acronym for you - PAP - Prospective Adoptive Parents).

First you fill out a I600A form (which is different from the I600 form that you fill out later). This has some basic information on it - not too difficult to fill out. I then made an Infopass appointment for the office I needed to go to. Again - I was lucky since the office is only 2 1/2 blocks from where I work. I took our form (along with money - of course) to the office and turned it in. A lady - who didn't look very happy - (but I wouldn't have been either if I was forced to wear the uniform she was wearing! EEKK!) checked - stamped - typed - stamped some more - my information. She then gave me two pieces of paper - one for me and one for Jay for us to get fingerprinted. I thought I'd have to wait for a Wednesday to be fingerprinted (that's what I had read) but she told me to go down to the basement to get fingerprinted.

I go down there and the room was full. The folks behind the counter asked me if I had an appointment - I didn't - the lady had just sent me down there. They said I could wait if I wanted to - but it was better to have an appointment. I decided to wait. 40 minutes later I was called up and taken to be fingerprinted. (which I didn't think was bad for a government agency at lunch without an appointment) Everything is digital there - you don't even have to get your fingers dirty with that ink stuff. They were very nice and told me to just have Jay come in any day after 1:00.

Jay went a couple of days later and was in and out of there in 15 minutes.

Once our homestudy was completed, it was sent in also. They now had all of the information that they needed. We then waited for their approval which comes on an I171-H form. (Ok - I know that Jay works in government type things - but geesh! who comes up with the names for these forms! Shouldn't it be called the YEAH!! We approve you to be parents form?)

We got ours pretty quickly. I've heard of people having to wait months. (we waited about 3 weeks)