We have our LOA!

The government agency that oversees adoptions in China closed on the 27th to install some computer upgrades.  In the past it has been a common thing for them to "clear their desks" of pending matters before a shut down.  I have had the strong gut feeling that our LOA would be issued on December 25th or 26th before that shut down.

Our agency is closed for the holidays from December 24 until January 5.  I specifically asked if they would be sending my LOA if it was issued between Christmas and New Year's and was told they would not process any documents until their return on January 5.

So I was totally shocked when my LOA arrived on December 29!  The date of issue?  December 26!  I'm very thankful that someone took the time to send this out even though our agency wasn't open.

So what happens now?  There are still several steps, but now they are measured in days or weeks instead of in months.  Today I intend to send the immigration papers that declare "Pat" to be an immediate relative (I-800) overnight to USCIS.  It typically takes two to three weeks for this approval.  If there are no further delays we should be able to complete the adoption towards the end of March.