Send Paperwork to Agency

We contacted Bethany and received on January 8th a huge packet of forms to fill out, references to solicit, copies to procure, and autobiographies to write.  We finished these up and dropped them off on January 18th.

Home-study (supposed to be approximately one to two months; was three months)

Copies Galore: birth, divorce, and marriage certificates to procure, auto-biographies to write, family medical reports to assemble, income tax reports to copy, and so on and on and on.

Meetings: Part of the process is a series of meetings between a state-licensed social worker and us.  She checks to see if we are worthy and we grill her with questions.  adventure.   Meetings completed 2/4.

Doctor Appointments to check for HIV, drug-use and a general confirmation of average life-expectancies.

Letters of Reference from employers, friends, and pastor

DSHS Criminal Back-ground Check which must be in Black ink, not Blue, or it comes back to be re-done after traveling about for a month. Re-sent Feb 9th.

Report: After the meetings, our sw writes up a report which we have a chance to see and approve.

Agency approval: The report also needs to be approved by Bethany home office.  Once approved, it is ready to be sent off to INS aka BCIS (Bureau for Citizenship and Immigration Services).

Send Paperwork to BCIS/INS (about six months: we got in line on February 25th)

To prepare to ask for United States passports visas for these kids when we get to Moscow, we must file the Pre-Application, the infamous I-600A,  with BCIS while still stateside.  About six months (ack!) after we send it in, we receive our I-171H which is an affirmation for the Russian government that the U.S. government will allow us to bring the children into the U.S.

Fingerprinting: Part of the the BCIS process is a FBI background check which involves a finger-printing appointment in Tukwila.  We had to wait for an appointment, and then go at the appointed time (we went two days before our appointment and no one noticed!). 

Receive I-171H from BCIS/INS

We can take Trip One prior to our BCIS paperwork coming back.  This would mean that the kids know they have parents sooner, but have to wait longer between visits.  As of January 14, 2005 they are processing paperwork received on July 7, 2004.  Our tax dollars at work.

Get US visas for their Russian passports.

 This is done in-person in Moscow after the Russian courts have decreed that we are a family.

 

Post-adoption follow-up reports

At specified intervals after we get home, a social worker will visit us and write reports which will be sent, along with pictures, back to the Russian Courts.  This is a great opportunity to affirm for the Russian authorities that sending their kids abroad is a positive thing.