People often ask us how things are going with our adoption. The truth is that adoption is truly a game of "hurry up and wait". We work really hard at getting our paperwork completed, signed, and notarized, and then wait for either the US or Vietnamese government to approve it before we complete the process again with yet another set of papers. Here is a BRIEF overview of what an adoption from Vietnam requires.
1. Homestudy-A social worker review personal and financial information to make sure that we will be suitable parents. Also includes background checks.
2. US Immigration I600A-This is a general "pre-approval" that we as parents have passed an FBI background check to bring a foreign born orphan into the US. The more important immigration step comes later, but this form is required first.
3. Dossier to Vietnam-A large collection of paperwork is notarized, certified by the state, and authenticated by the Vietnamese consulate. This includes things like passport copies, our homestudy, photos of us and our home, income reports, and our VN adoption application. Once these are sent to Vietnam, our agency translates them and presents them to the Vietnamese government.
4. Wait for Referral-Most families then wait months (or years) for a referral of a specific child. We were lucky in that we were matched with Wyatt through a waiting child program early on.
5. First DIA notice-This is the first of 2 notifications from Vietnam's Department of International Adoption. It is basically the start of the approval process pairing us with our child. At this point, the orphanage and province collect the child's paperwork to submit to the DIA. This is the step we are currently on.
6. US Immigration I600-At this point the US investigates whether the child is an orphan. If you've seen news reports on Vietnamese adoptions lately, you may be aware that the US is alleging corruption, including baby-buying. The Vietnamese government was quite offended by this, and right now the US-VN relationship is less than diplomatic. Many families are waiting months for this investigation. Without this approval, the child will not be able to get a visa to come into the US.
7. Second DIA notice-At the same time the US is investigating, Vietnam is also approving the child as an orphan. This second DIA notice is the last thing needed before the child's province can arrange the Giving and Receiving ceremony and invite us to travel.
The current adoption agreement between the US and Vietnam expires this September. As things stand now, it likely will not be renewed. We are far enough into the process that our adoption should proceed. There are many families without referrals that have spent a lot of time and money hoping to adopt from Vietnam and will likely not bring a child home.
Clearly, international adoption is not as easy as Angelina Jolie makes it seem!
On a positive note, we received new pictures of our chubby-cheeked boy, who we are still hoping to meet this summer!
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