We learned that our dossier is on its way to Vietnam!!!
Such EXCELLENT news to receive as we celebrated Mark's birthday!
And if that wasn't enough excitement ... the Packers beat Denver in overtime...it was a GREAT game! We may be making a road trip to AZ for the Superbowl!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Dossier is approved!
That was fast!! Our dossier is on its way to our agency via Fed Ex! It should arrive today!! If all is correct, it will be on its way to Vietnam next week!!! Wow!
It's possible that we may have to wait a bit longer for Baby Wieds! The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS)and the US Department of State have announced that procedures for submitting the I600 petition will be changed effective Monday, October 29th.
The changes will have adoptive parents receive their referral and then mail in their I600 to Vietnam where is will take approximately sixty days to process the petition. The I-600 is the Petition to Classify an Orphan as an Immediate Relative. This might mean that the length of time between referral and travel will likely increase because families will need USCIS approval BEFORE they can travel. Currently, the I600 is filed AFTER families travel.
This change is being implemented because the US Embassy is seeing inconsistencies surrounding relinquishment and abandonment documents, thus affecting a child’s official status as an orphan. If the USCIS is unsure if a child is an orphan by their standards, a NOID (notice of intent to deny) is issued and parents must submit the required paperwork to have their child’s visa processed. Apparently these I600 submission changes should help decrease the number of NOIDs that are issued.
We think this change is a good one, even if it adds a little bit of time to our wait!
It's possible that we may have to wait a bit longer for Baby Wieds! The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS)and the US Department of State have announced that procedures for submitting the I600 petition will be changed effective Monday, October 29th.
The changes will have adoptive parents receive their referral and then mail in their I600 to Vietnam where is will take approximately sixty days to process the petition. The I-600 is the Petition to Classify an Orphan as an Immediate Relative. This might mean that the length of time between referral and travel will likely increase because families will need USCIS approval BEFORE they can travel. Currently, the I600 is filed AFTER families travel.
This change is being implemented because the US Embassy is seeing inconsistencies surrounding relinquishment and abandonment documents, thus affecting a child’s official status as an orphan. If the USCIS is unsure if a child is an orphan by their standards, a NOID (notice of intent to deny) is issued and parents must submit the required paperwork to have their child’s visa processed. Apparently these I600 submission changes should help decrease the number of NOIDs that are issued.
We think this change is a good one, even if it adds a little bit of time to our wait!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
On the way to San Francisco
Our Dossier, that is!
After driving on six different freeways yesterday to get out to Norwalk and then to downtown LA, all of our documents were county and state sealed!
I just returned from Fed Ex where I had our dossier shipped to the Consulate of Vietnam. It was a little hard to let go of those documents...it has been a journey to obtain them.
Included in the dossier are our marriage certificate, copy of passport, copy of I-171H, both medical letters, both police clearance letters, Mark's employment letter, and our homestudy.
We're praying that they all make it up there safely and get returned to our agency in a short period of time. Rumor has it that it takes approximately two weeks...we'll see!
After our agency receives the dossier back from SF, they are sent to Vietnam, translated, and then logged in! Then more waiting begins...
The lawn is beginning to show some life...little bursts of green are popping up in various spots. We are supposed to get a mini heat wave this weekend so we think that will speed up the growth a bit. I'll try to insert a photo one of these days...
Peace~
After driving on six different freeways yesterday to get out to Norwalk and then to downtown LA, all of our documents were county and state sealed!
I just returned from Fed Ex where I had our dossier shipped to the Consulate of Vietnam. It was a little hard to let go of those documents...it has been a journey to obtain them.
Included in the dossier are our marriage certificate, copy of passport, copy of I-171H, both medical letters, both police clearance letters, Mark's employment letter, and our homestudy.
We're praying that they all make it up there safely and get returned to our agency in a short period of time. Rumor has it that it takes approximately two weeks...we'll see!
After our agency receives the dossier back from SF, they are sent to Vietnam, translated, and then logged in! Then more waiting begins...
The lawn is beginning to show some life...little bursts of green are popping up in various spots. We are supposed to get a mini heat wave this weekend so we think that will speed up the growth a bit. I'll try to insert a photo one of these days...
Peace~
Monday, October 15, 2007
It's here!
The long awaited I-171H form has arrived!! We are off to the notary and then to downtown LA to get the county and state seals on the entire dossier. I learned that this can be done in town instead of sending it all to Sacramento. (This will surely save us a good week or two)
If all goes well, our dossier should be arriving in San Francisco at the Vietnamese Consulate by the end of this week. We're making progress...
If all goes well, our dossier should be arriving in San Francisco at the Vietnamese Consulate by the end of this week. We're making progress...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Still waiting...
I just talked with a woman at the State Deptartment here in LA, and she told me that our approval letter won't be ready for another one to two weeks.
Sigh...
Sigh...
Monday, October 8, 2007
Vaccinations
I went to my doctor today, and he gave me shots for Hepatitis A, Flu, Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis. Ouch! Mark gets to go on Thursday!
The medications for Typhoid and Malaria aren't taken until shortly before we travel. I have to say that my arms are a little sore.
On another note...for those of you who have been following our lawn reconstruction story....the stumps have been removed and the grass seed has been planted!
We should have a nice lawn for little feet!
The medications for Typhoid and Malaria aren't taken until shortly before we travel. I have to say that my arms are a little sore.
On another note...for those of you who have been following our lawn reconstruction story....the stumps have been removed and the grass seed has been planted!
We should have a nice lawn for little feet!
Friday, October 5, 2007
A bump in the road
Thái Nguyên Province is a province situated in the mountainous and midland region of North Vietnam, and it is one of the six possible provinces where Baby Wieds will be discovered.
Apparently some families who have traveled to pick up their children in this province are having trouble getting their visas. They are actually in Vietnam waiting, and the word "investigation" is being used. Not exactly sure what that means...
I pray that these families get out with their babies soon. I am also a bit nervous about what this may mean for the future adoptions in this province. Hopefully it is nothing more than a short delay.
The good news is that our agency works with three orphanages in HCMC and gets referrals from all of them. In the North, they also get referrals from Lang Son and Bac Ninh, and they soon expect to have another northern province before the end of the year, but I am not sure of the name.
Meanwhile, we are still waiting for our DOS approval letter...it's been 3 weeks since fingerprinting. Trying to stay positive!
Apparently some families who have traveled to pick up their children in this province are having trouble getting their visas. They are actually in Vietnam waiting, and the word "investigation" is being used. Not exactly sure what that means...
I pray that these families get out with their babies soon. I am also a bit nervous about what this may mean for the future adoptions in this province. Hopefully it is nothing more than a short delay.
The good news is that our agency works with three orphanages in HCMC and gets referrals from all of them. In the North, they also get referrals from Lang Son and Bac Ninh, and they soon expect to have another northern province before the end of the year, but I am not sure of the name.
Meanwhile, we are still waiting for our DOS approval letter...it's been 3 weeks since fingerprinting. Trying to stay positive!
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