11/8/09 - Apply with Christian World Adoption
11/10/09 - Application accepted
11/12/09 - Completed Initial Application Package
11/16/09 - Assigned a CWA Case Manager
11/16/09 - Found Home Study Provider and begin process
11/16/09 - Begin Dossier Process
11/26/09 - Apply to US Citizenship and Immigration Services
12/10/09 - USCIS Application and check returned; needed to send to TX office (Uggh!)
12/11/09 - USCIS Application and check resubmitted
12/14/09 - USCIS confirmation of application acceptance
12/17/09 - First Home Study Interview and Appointment.
12/22/09 - Completed all paperwork required for Dossier (minus home study requirements); met with Notary for all notarizations
12/31/09 - Separate Interviews for Home Study
12/31/09 - USCIS Fingerprint appointment letter received!
1/13/10 - Final Home Study Complete
1/14/10 - Received Home Study and remainder of information for Dossier
1/15/10 - Sent Draft Dossier to CWA for review and approval
1/18/10 - Draft Dossier Approved by CWA
1/20/10 - PA State Department Authentication
1/20/10 - Final Dossier Document received from CWA
1/21/10 - Hand carry to US Department of State and the Ethiopian Embassy for Authentication in Washington DC
1/21/10 - Overnight completed package to CWA
1/22/10 - Dossier received by CWA
1/22/10 - Dossier sent to Ethiopia - Official DTE Date
1/25/10 - USCIS Fingerprint Appointments
1/25/10 - Home Study sent to USCIS for completion of application.
2/9/10 - Completed Intercountry Adoption Training (8 hours)This completes our training requirements!
2/26/10 - USCIS Form I-171H Received!
3/10/10 - Ethiopia Government announces parents must make 2 trips to Ethiopia; one to appear and court; and one for Embassy Appointment
3/25/10 - Adoption Tax Credit Extended until 2011
5/21/10 - First round of travel immunizations.. Ouch!
5/22/10 - Yard Sale Fundraiser! ! $1500 Earned
7/2/10 - Suspect we might be pregnant!
7/23/10 - Pregnancy confirmed- Bio Baby due in early February 2011
7/27/10 - Adoption HOLD until August 2011 when Baby F is 6 months old.
10/25/10 - Contacted Social Worker for a Home Study Update
11/9/10 - One Year IN PROCESS. . .
2/10/11 - Faithlynn Grace born!
3/1/11 - Begin to redo our Dossier
3/15/11 - Current Social Worker unable to do Home Study Update
3/25/11 - Selected new Home Study Agency
4/12/11 - Home Study Update Appointment
5/6/11 - Re-Fingerprinted
5/17/11 - Home Study Update Complete
5/23/11 - Sent USCIS Extension Request for I-600A
6/10/11 - Received USCIS I-700H Approval!
6/22/11 - State Authentication
6/23/11 - Dept of State Authentication
6/24/11 - Ethiopian Embassy Authentication
6/25/11 - Sent Pkg back to CWA
7/7/11 - Documents arrived in Ethiopia
8/3/11 - Put back on the official Wait List
9/9/11 - REFERRAL!!!!
11/3/11 - 2nd Medicals Approved
11/15/11 - Submitted to Court
12/1/11 - Travel Date given!!
12/26/11 - Leave for Ethiopia - First Trip
1/2/12 - Court Date -- We passed!!
1/23/12 - Court Decree Received
2/3/12 - Birth Certificate Received
2/21/12 - Embassy Submission
3/22/12 - Cleared for Travel (by Embassy)
3/26/12 - Leave for Ethiopia - Second Trip
3/29/12 - Embassy Appointment
3/31/12 - Forever Home
We are getting ready to submit our Dossier. We also live in Pennsylvania and are wanting to hand carry it to Harrisburg and then D.C. How did you find out about what to do or who to call? We are also going through CWA. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsay! Congrats on having your Dossier ready to submit. That's such a huge accomplishment (I know.. because we had to do it 2 times) :)
DeleteTo hand-carry your Dossier (actually, it's only a page or two of the actual dossier) to the PA Department of State to the Authentications Office. I believe it's $15 and they do it while you wait. It's basically authenticating the fact that the notary that signed your cover sheet (or something like that) is in fact a Notary in PA. Here's the DOS website for more information -- http://www.dos.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/certifications%2C_apostilles%2C_and_the_authentication_of_documents/12630
After you have that (which is another sheet with a raised seal) you take all of that to the State Dept in DC and then to the Ethiopian Embassy for authentications. Make sure you follow the directions on both of those websites as far as what type of funds they will accept. The state dept in DC will punch a hole through the entire dossier and put a grommet and ribbon through all of it. The State Dept in DC will do it the same day. Also, depending on how busy the Ethiopian Embassy is -- they may ask you to come back the next day to pick it up :(
Please let me know if you have any additional questions -- or email me thru my blogger profile. We've completed this process twice, so it seems so simple now.. haha!
Take care
Angie