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Go the Distance
Exploring International Adoption
Part Two
By Michele St. Martin
Many people who contemplate international adoption are intimidated by volumes of paperwork and complex requirements that include notarization, certification and authentication of documents.
Kay Harper is an expert on the intricacies of the paperchase. ("Paperchase" is a term used by adopters to describe the process of preparing all of the documents and forms required by your adoption agency, your home state, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the foreign government.)
Harper adopted her daughter, Jen, in 1994, when Chinese adoptions were in their early stages. "I hired a pioneering agency with the hope its experience would get me through the maze," she says. "But I was in for a rude awakening, and a tough adoption process. Like many parents today, I handled my own paperchase. ... By necessity, I became a quick learner." Harper's company, Dr. Dossier, and others like it can ease the burden of paperwork for those intimidated by the challenge of dossier preparation, not skilled at organizing paper or simply too busy to coordinate the documents in a timely fashion.
Generally, the first steps are the completion of a homestudy and the filing of a I600-A (orphan petition) form with the Department of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). These are often done concurrently, because the processing of the INS form can take 30 to 150 days. Many adopters submit the I600-A form right away, and submit the homestudy to the INS upon its completion, rather than waiting to submit the I600-A until the homestudy has been completed.
The homestudy generally will be completed by a social worker or other adoption professional. If your adoption agency is located in your state, your agency will probably handle the homestudy. If not, you can find your own homestudy agency or your adoption agency can refer you to someone local.
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