For those of you, who want to know what all is involved in adopting a special needs child from Eastern Europe, I thought I would share some basic information, so you can have an idea. [By the way, I have no idea what I am doing with the layout of this post! So sorry! :)]
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| Start at the top, work your way down |
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| Push through the pain |
1. Make a commitment to a child
2. Notarize, apostille (that's a fancy term for proofing that the notary is really a notary), and mail the first set of documents to Ukraine.
3. Complete all paperwork required for homestudy.
4. Complete three homestudy appointments. 5. Wait on homestudy to be complete. 6. Submit application to USCIS. 7. Fingerprinting for USCIS. 8. Wait on USCIS approval. This can take as little as 3 weeks or as long as 3 months.
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| Get all your ducks in a row |
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| Try to make sense of the mess |
9. Compile dossier package-this is a set of documents that will be mailed to Vika's country, translated, and submitted to the Department of Adoption in order to get an appointment to accept her referral. It has to be done very precisely or it will need to be redone. All of the documents have to be signed, notarized, and apostilled.
14. Upon arrival, we have our referral appointment.
Homestudy Paperwork : $ 100
9. Compile dossier package-this is a set of documents that will be mailed to Vika's country, translated, and submitted to the Department of Adoption in order to get an appointment to accept her referral. It has to be done very precisely or it will need to be redone. All of the documents have to be signed, notarized, and apostilled.
10. Once USCIS approval is received, we mail our dossier to Vika's country, where it will be translated and submitted.
11. Wait some more!
12. We receive a referral appointment in Vika's country.
13. We travel.
14. Upon arrival, we have our referral appointment. 15. We travel to meet Vika in her orphanage.
16. We wait on a court appointment.
17. We go to court and wait in a determination.
18. Usually, there is a ten day wait period during which time her adoption could be appealed and before we can apply for her passport, and her visa. We can go home or stay. We don't know how we will handle this waiting period yet, but we are praying we won't have to wait at all! :)
19. Obtain Vika's birth certificate, passport, and visa. 20. Travel home. 21. Complete our adoption in the U.S.
What are the costs involved? Obviously the in-country costs can vary greatly, but here are estimates.
Homestudy : $1,500
Homestudy Paperwork : $ 100Commitment Fees : $ 250
USCIS : $ 890
Passports : $ 210
Apostilles : $ 200
Document Fees : $ 200
Mailing Fees : $ 200
Facilitator Fees : $9,000
Flights : $5,000
Accommodations : $2,800
Food & Supplies : $ 600
Transportation : $2,000
Passport : $ 600
Medical Exam : $ 150
Visa : $ 404
Orphanage Donation : $1,000
Total Estimated Cost : $25,104
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Are you serious? |
Really cute post. I loved the layout!! Good job.
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