Finally! We have a USCIS appointment for fingerprinting early Monday morning for our China adoption. For those who have been through the international adoption process, you know exactly where we’re at and the mountain of paperwork that still looms ahead. Yet, for those who have not adopted internationally let me take a minute to explain the purpose and timing of all these forms in our second China adoption journey.
USCIS, or US Citizenship and Immigration Services, plays a major role in international adoptions. The process is slightly different if you are adopting from a Hague country versus non-Hague. China is a Hague convention country, and this post will follow more closely the China’s adoption process.
Once you have selected your adoption agency and your homestudy has been completed and approved, you are ready to begin the USCIS process.
I-800A
An I-800A is basically an application for USCIS to determine whether you are fit to adopt. You will send an original copy of your homestudy with your I-800A application. Once your application is received, you will receive a receipt notice. Approximately 14 days after we mailed our I-800A, our fingerprinting notice was delivered. The fingerprinting appointment date was set for about 10 days after it was delivered.
I-797
For all the fancy numbering, an I-797 is approval (or denial) of your I-800A application. Usually this is the very last document needed to complete your dossier to China. Although USCIS does not provide a timeline, in my experience and from what other adoptive parents have said, it takes about 4 weeks from the date of your fingerprinting appointment to receive your 797. This document will eventually need to be notarized and authenticated. So despite all the waiting, you’ll likely be in a rush to get it properly certified as soon as you receive it.
I-800
Once you have provisional approval to adopt an orphan from a Hague convention country, you simply wait to be matched with a specific child. This is where the I-800 comes in. Once you have received your match from your agency and approval from your chosen country, you are ready to file an I-800 which is approval for a specific child.
Be aware that there are nuances in this process. For example, if there are any discrepancies regarding the age or health of the child for which you were approved in your I-797 versus the child with whom you are matched, then a Supplement 3 is required. Contact your agency if you have any specific questions and good luck wading through this forest of paperwork!