TA!

I totally expected to wait clear through the Chinese New Year holiday to hear anything, but guess what?  Our agency received a package today and in it was our TA!!!!  We're going to China!  Can't wait to see this boy again!  And this time, we don't have to say good-bye!

Article 5 issued

We received an email from the Consulate in Guangzhou that our Article 5 has been issued.  Our agency's representative should have picked it up today and sent it via overnight express to the CCCWA in Beijing where our travel approval will be issued.  Almost there!

Visas here!!

Six passports have arrived home containing Chinese Visas!

Last Steps!

When the I800 has its provisional approval it is sent to the National Visa Center.  When it is entered into their computer system there it is issued a GUZ #  which basically means the number needed for the Consulate in Guangzhou.  We received our GUZ# on January 26th.  Once I had this number I was able to fill out the electronic DS-260 online to apply for Pat's entry into the country.  Then the biggie, that rtf letter (emailed) that proves the Guangzhou Consulate was cabled the letter needed to start the final steps.  I waited patiently (mostly) for the rest of the day for that email only to find out that the NVC had closed early due to the blizzard in the eastern states, and worse yet would also be closed the following day.

I don't know if the letters go out automatically in the middle of the night or what, but I was shocked to find it waiting for me in my email the next morning!  This completed the documents that our agency needed to send everything to their in country coordinator for the drop off of our Article V.   There seems to be some confusion as to when (if?) our A5 was dropped off as I'm getting a conflicting date report.  It always takes ten business days to complete it (unless there is a holiday in there) so I'm hoping it WAS indeed dropped off right away and we are closing in on the half way mark to that approval.

What is the A5?  According to  Bureau of Consular Affairs "If the Consular Officer determines that the child appears eligible to immigrate to the United States and that the information provided indicates that the adoption process thus far has complied with the Convention and IAA, he or she will notify the Convention country's central authority by issuing an Article 5/17 letter. The Article 5/17 letter will inform the foreign central authority that U.S. competent authorities have determined the prospective adoptive parents are eligible and suited to adopt, that the child may enter and reside permanently in the United States, and that the U.S. Central Authority agrees that the adoption may proceed."

This is the FINAL step before we are sent our TA from the Chinese government.  The Travel Approval - the "go ahead and come get your son"!!!!!  We are still hoping to make Pat's adoption official at the end of March.

I800 Approval here!

Our written copy of the I800 Provisional Approval is here!  Best guess is for our travel approval to be issued in five to six weeks!

Moving forward!

At last we heard from our USCIS agent that our I800 was approved!   Our fingerprints were due to expire in February, and the way our renewal was approached cost us time. But it is what it is, and we are happy to be moving forward again now.

This picture shows how I have spent the last few days.  These six stacks are the applications for our Visas to get in to China.  I've done these forms before, and yes the forms themselves seemed easier this time.  But getting Chinese Visas for FORMER citizens of China involves a LOT of paper work!  It weighed in at just over two pounds when I dropped it all off at Fed Ex today.

While the Chinese embassy works on our Visa paperwork, our adoption paperwork is moving on to the National Visa Center where the papers for Pat's citizenship are entering their final phase on this side of the world.  Travel approval should come in a matter of weeks now.

I don't work well under pressure, so I've begun to sort out what we have and making a list of what we still need for our trip.  This is all starting to feel a lot more REAL now!

It isn't 100%, but we are proceeding as if the kids will be able to go.  There are still many details that need to fall into place in order for this to happen.  We'd appreciate your prayers as we plan for this huge trip with our little crowd! 

Thank you, Jake!

This guy... he has worked cheerfully and tirelessly to get the Cincinnati Dragon team going and we will always be grateful for it. But.... even more. Ethan and Isaac were the first to arrive at practice this week. When Jake drove up Isaac's eyes got really BIG and he asked, "He can DRIVE?" Yes, my dear boy. The chair does not limit you as much as you've been led to believe. Thanks for being an inspiration on the court and off, Jake!