Garden Variety Family

garden variety pie

This turned out so well I just thought I'd show it off. Goodies from the garden inside: tomatoes, they are still everywhere; spinach, onions, mushrooms. Gorgeous isn't it? Whole wheat crust. I forgot the cheese. It still tasted great. Yeah, bacon!

USCIS I600/I800 transition resolution

I was supposed to be a mom by now. Today marks 18 months of waiting for our adoption referral from China. As you may have read in the last post things weren't looking so good on the US immigration front. But that was quickly resolved yesterday, I say quickly because it took 6 months of getting no where for JCICS and then the second day into the the letter writing and petition signing campaign everything seems to be fixed. Thankfully, we didn't let our I171H expire. Some PAPs were advised to do so which would be very frustrating to me because then we would have to switch to the I800 process which is more involved. So now we have another 36 months to complete our adoption, if that isn't enough time then I give up. If we have to renew again we'll have to pay the fees but it is small in comparision to the alternative. I think deep down I thought this would be successfully resolved but the threat of this going unresolved was just too much for us to handle, emotionally... financially...

I agree with the I800 process and to note in New York we already have to go through parent training. We did 14 or 16 hours I think (it's been 2 years since we took it, maybe they should require the prep classes be taken towards the end of the wait time since it is taking so long it would be good for the information to be fresh in the brain not buried by 3 years of life while waiting).

Here is a list comparing the differences between I600 and I800 processes.

Comparison of I-600A vs. I-800A

Fee
I-600A $830
I-800A $830

Processing Office
I-600A Local USCIS
I-800A One centralized location/NBC

Processing Time upon receipt of complete filing
I-600A 6 weeks to 6+ months
I-800A 3-4 months

Home Study Update
I-600A Yes
I-800A Yes

Birth/Marriage Certificates, etc.
I-600A Yes
I-800A Yes
Child Abuse Clearances
I-600A Yes, last 5 years in the United States only
I-800A Yes, since age 18 in the United States or abroad

Parent Training
I-600A No
I-800A Yes/10 hours

Length of Approval
I-600A 18 months
I-800A 15 months

One time free extension
I-600A Yes
I-800A Yes

Will the feds give PAPs a break?

***PAP = Prospective Adoptive Parent***

I know a lot of us are in the same boat: we are adopting from China, we are caught in a long long line, {Disney World has nothing on the CCAA}, and we are grandfathered in to the I600A Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition. I believe it was the original intention of the USCIS to extend this free extension to the form with the understanding that it would cover us while we wait for our referrals during increased time frames. As the JCICS, Joint Council on International Children's Services acknowledges it is that understanding that gives us hope that US immigration will honor our I600A forms for the duration of our wait times and neither make us restart our home study nor be forced to obtain new and increased documentation under the I800A forms enacted this year.

The position paper presented by JCICS  outlines the issues raised by the collision of I600 and I600A forms, new Hague requirements, I800 and I800A forms with the increasing wait times for referrals from China and Haiti and 10,000 families from the USA waiting for their families to grow through adoption providing in depth details and what I think is a fair proposal of solutions for all parties involved. ( I know it kis a long sentence but I am too tired to fix it, I think you catch my drift. Feel free to comment or cantact me if you have questions)

There are lots of ways to help. There is a petition to sign, Adoption for All: The Fairness for Families Petition. Also, you can write your state senators and local representatives on October 14, 15 and 16 that is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. It is easy and could really help Adoptive families who have chosen international adoption as the method for growing their families. Copy the text below replacing the red text with your Representative's name and adjusting the "I/we" pronouns accordingly... You don't have to be an adoptive parent to help out. 

I/we understand that USCIS is actively engaged in seeking a resolution to the I-600A issue.  I/we respectfully ask the Senator/Congressperson to contact USCIS and express their support of efforts to find an immediate resolution to the I-600A Extension issue. Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide for this very important issue.

And... please keep us and families like us in your thoughts. Our very ability to have a child rides on this issue getting resolved. This is our one shot.