From: US Citizenship and Immigration Services

 

Immigration is approved. Praise the Lord!

Adoption is an impressive learning process from everything to waiting, to learning your child's culture (if you adopt internationally), to learning how to parent, to learning the 'side effects' of how adoption affects children in different ways, to learning how to fundraise, to learning how the immigration process works, and so many more aspects. 

You definitely have to be teachable, willing to learn and commit to learn to adopt - and in your learning you will be pushed out of your comfort zone, you'll be tired, worn out, discouraged...and OVERJOYED to see a child flourish in life because you were __________!

So, as we learn, sharing with you the immigration steps we have to take in our adoption:

First, us (as a couple) have to apply and be approved for the I800A, which is the Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country. Many documents are needed to accompany this application. The approval of this means we are cleared to bring an immigrant into the country with the intention of adoption.

Second, we apply for our daughter to be cleared by the US Immigration offices. We do this by applying for the I800, which is the Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative. "To determine the child's eligibility for classification as a Convention adoptee. The U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parent files the petition to finalize the immigration process of a child who habitually resides in a Convention country" 

Third, this now allows for us to apply for our daughter's visa, which allows her legally to be in the states until her adoption is finalized. For those who may of forgotten our first adoption journey, our daughter will not be legally adopted for about a year after we travel to bring her home. At her legal adoption into our family, she will at that point be a US citizen. 

These are needless to say, super important steps in uniting us with our daughter. Outside of applying for the visa, which is a quick process, we are READY for travel! However, borders continue to be closed. We have no answers on when we'll be able to meet our daughter and bring her into her forever family. Please be praying for the many families who have been waiting months (be mindful many of us have already been in the process months or years) to be united with their children, for these kids that are having to wait to be with the family they have longed for, for government officials to work together to allow international adoptions occur, and in all this, that we each would rejoice in seeing God work today, even when we may not see it!

(*Convention Country: Above the word Convention Country means Thailand is part of the Hague Convention, which is a group of countries committed to the protection of children in adoption. Because these countries meet certain criteria to be a part of the group, the adoption process proceeds a certain way with certain criteria to adoptive parents for the protection of the children being adopted)