We were very fortunate and received our documents apostilled from the Secretary of State in a very short turn around time. For those that don't know, apostille is a process where the Sec. of State verifies that your notary is a notary. Each notarized doc gets an official certificate. The cost is ridiculous. Each document is $20 to be apostilled. If you walk it in, it's an additional $6 per document. We chose to mail it in which cost a bit over $700. Even with the holiday, we received everything back within a week. So, now we are sending everything off to our adoption agency to make sure we have everything we need to send to the Indian courts once we get the word to do so. I will be more than impressed with our Shana/Mark team is we haven't missed any documents.
Unfortunately, we are still waiting for a child referral. We're chalking this one month waiting to the holidays. The waiting is truly agony!
So, where are we in this long process. Below are the required steps from beginning to end...
1) Get an approved home study done by an accredited home study agency.
2) File the I-800A with USCIS (United States Citizenship & Immigration Services): You will need to include certified copies of your birth, marriage (if applicable) and divorce (if applicable) certificates, an original copy of your home study, a copy of the home study agency's license, the filing fee of $670 and fingerprint fee of $80 per person (anyone living in the home over the age of 18 years must be fingerprinted).
3) USCIS will contact the family with a date and time to come for their fingerprints: After you get your fingerprints taken, USCIS will process your I-800A petition. (WE ARE HERE)
4) USCIS will send the family an I-797C, Notice of Action "Case Type: I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country": This letter will state "Notice Type: APPROVAL NOTICE", your name, address, fingerprint expiration date and "Approval Valid Until" date.
Your I-800A approval and fingerprints are good for 15 months from the "Notice Date" listed on the I-797C.
5) Official acceptance of a referral/child
6) Family files the I-800 with USCIS
7) USCIS will send the family an I-797C, Notice of Action "Case Type: I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative": This letter will state "Notice Type: NOTICE OF PROVISIONAL APPROVAL".
8) USCIS will notify the U.S. Embassy in India of the family's provisional I-800 approval
9) The U.S. Embassy will contact the family requesting the DS-230 form to be submitted: The DS-230 is the visa application for your child. The Embassy will send you the forms to fill out and information on the photo requirement for this step.
10) The U.S. Embassy will process the case and issue an Article 5 letter: The Embassy will notify you and CARA as soon as the Article 5 letter is issued.
11) CARA processes the case and grants NOC (No Objection Certificate): NOC states that CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority) has "No Objection" to the placement of the child with the adoptive parents.
12) The case is filed with the local court: Cases will be filed with the court within 15 days of NOC.
13) Court grants guardianship
14) Agency receives a copy of the court documents
15) Agency files for ICPC approval on behalf of the family: ICPC stands for Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children and is necessary for all Indian adoptions due to the granting of "guardianship" instead of "adoption". This approval gives the family permission to bring the child across state lines for the purpose of adopting.
16) Texas ICPC office notifies Agency's Texas office of family's ICPC approval
17) Agency will notify the family of ICPC approval
18) Agency will contact our staff in India regarding possible travel dates for the family: Travel dates must be confirmed with our India staff before the family makes any definite plans.
19) Family travels to India to bring their child home!
*CARA must have received your completed dossier and the Article 5 letter before NOC can be granted.
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