We finally got it! We received our I800 approval!!! It came on Monday 8/25. I can't believe we finally moved a step closer to getting to China and to our Little Peanut!
So now what? Well, after our I800 was approved it was sent to another USCIS office to be given a GUZ number (I guess like an official government case number). I had to wait for that and it can often take about 5 working days to get. I was able to get mine on Thursday 8/28 in the afternoon. I needed that number and an invoice number to access the online Immigrant Visa application form. So, I was able to do that this morning. It is done! That was my final piece of paperwork on this side to bring our daughter here!!! I'm waiting on the official I800 approval paperwork but that's in the mail and we should have it tomorrow or Tues (another holiday on Monday, ugh!). I also need the emailed PDF form for our DS260 but that should come soon too. I will then forward that to the agency and they send it all to China and we just wait for paperwork to be dropped at the consulate in China, hoping for Thurs 9/4. Then pickup should be in 2 weeks. We'll be given a consulate appointment and travel approval. We are SO CLOSE!!! Timeframe?? Maybe 5-6 weeks. It is hard to say because of the week long holiday in China the first week of October. Still praying to travel for Mike's birthday 10/11.
But I think all the warm thoughts and prayers are helping. We moved through the GUZ number and DS260 process so quickly. Thank you all!!!
And any guesses on a name??? Need a hint????
M_________ M____ Pronovost
Friday, August 29, 2014
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Another Hold Up
I must start by saying that it has been a crazy week or so around here. Finding out that our I800 paperwork was misplaced was devastating. Thankfully I am such a control freak and found the error. Our agency worked quickly to recopy the paperwork, making sure a copy of our signed application was ok, and sent it all overnight. USCIS has had it since 8/13. The agency also has worked with USCIS to get our paperwork through the"lockbox" quickly and it was already on an officer's desk by this Monday 8/18. It can take up to 2 weeks to get through to an officer. So.... great news right!!!
Well...... our paperwork was given to one officer who was away for the week. Ugh! Then it was sent to another officer right away. At first I was a little upset because that officer doesn't answer her phone. But I was able to get her email and she responded right away. She told me on Monday that she would try to get it done on Tuesday. She looked at it Tuesday and.... issued an RFE, or request for evidence. She sent me an email saying she requested the evidence but not what it was. I tried to get her back but she had already left for the day. This morning she replied very early to tell me the evidence is a letter from our agency that hadn't been signed. Ugh! Another mix up. However, she emailed the agency and they are sending the new letter to her today, overnight. Great! However, the system is being shut down for an update on Friday and she probably won't be able to work on our approval until Monday. Monday will be 4 weeks since our LOA, approval from China.
4 WEEKS!!! Others with our LOA date have their I800 approval and are well on their way through the next couple steps. They are lined up for October travel. Us? Please pray it will be October. Hopefully these 2 setbacks will be it and we can move this along. We still have a bit of a wait after this approval as we wait for our little one's Visa to be issued and a Chinese Consulate appointment to be issued. That is my worry, that the appointments will all be given and we'll have to wait for a later one. I'm still praying to travel around Mike's birthday (10/11) but it will probably be later. Just pray it isn't in November. I just can't wait any longer. Our sweet pea needs to get home. Oh, and we just might have a name for her.......
Well...... our paperwork was given to one officer who was away for the week. Ugh! Then it was sent to another officer right away. At first I was a little upset because that officer doesn't answer her phone. But I was able to get her email and she responded right away. She told me on Monday that she would try to get it done on Tuesday. She looked at it Tuesday and.... issued an RFE, or request for evidence. She sent me an email saying she requested the evidence but not what it was. I tried to get her back but she had already left for the day. This morning she replied very early to tell me the evidence is a letter from our agency that hadn't been signed. Ugh! Another mix up. However, she emailed the agency and they are sending the new letter to her today, overnight. Great! However, the system is being shut down for an update on Friday and she probably won't be able to work on our approval until Monday. Monday will be 4 weeks since our LOA, approval from China.
4 WEEKS!!! Others with our LOA date have their I800 approval and are well on their way through the next couple steps. They are lined up for October travel. Us? Please pray it will be October. Hopefully these 2 setbacks will be it and we can move this along. We still have a bit of a wait after this approval as we wait for our little one's Visa to be issued and a Chinese Consulate appointment to be issued. That is my worry, that the appointments will all be given and we'll have to wait for a later one. I'm still praying to travel around Mike's birthday (10/11) but it will probably be later. Just pray it isn't in November. I just can't wait any longer. Our sweet pea needs to get home. Oh, and we just might have a name for her.......
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Paperwork Blunder... Not on My Part
Well, yesterday certainly was a mixed bag of emotions. I was so excited to receive the update and 2 new photos of Little Miss and then....ugh!
I am so grateful to be a part of many Facebook groups of parents adopting from China. There is a group of us who all logged in our paperwork in China in May. Having such wonderful people around who are going through the same experience has been a huge help. I have also been able to "stalk" their timelines to see how we are progressing through our paperwork. Well, through that stalking I KNEW our I800 paperwork should have been received and ready for approval early this week. I called Immigration Friday and again yesterday to see if it was received and they couldn't find it. The officer tried to locate it but it wasn't even in the system. So I called the agency. Long story short, somehow our paperwork was sent to China instead of to Immigration. 2 weeks have passed. 2 long weeks in which we should have received our approval. The agency has been great about trying to get the paperwork resubmitted, and they sent it last night. It is now at the "lockbox" waiting to be dealt with. Our officer has been notified and the file has been "tagged". Hopefully they will bump it ahead in the pile. But, 2 weeks are gone and now I don't know when we will travel. So, please pray that this doesn't set us off too bad. With the week long holiday the first week in China I can only pray we will travel mid-October.
Just goes to prove my point about why I am such a control freak. If I hadn't caught this, we'd still be waiting. UGH!!!
So, the adoption rollercoaster continues. Trying to "roll with it" but not feeling happy today.
I am so grateful to be a part of many Facebook groups of parents adopting from China. There is a group of us who all logged in our paperwork in China in May. Having such wonderful people around who are going through the same experience has been a huge help. I have also been able to "stalk" their timelines to see how we are progressing through our paperwork. Well, through that stalking I KNEW our I800 paperwork should have been received and ready for approval early this week. I called Immigration Friday and again yesterday to see if it was received and they couldn't find it. The officer tried to locate it but it wasn't even in the system. So I called the agency. Long story short, somehow our paperwork was sent to China instead of to Immigration. 2 weeks have passed. 2 long weeks in which we should have received our approval. The agency has been great about trying to get the paperwork resubmitted, and they sent it last night. It is now at the "lockbox" waiting to be dealt with. Our officer has been notified and the file has been "tagged". Hopefully they will bump it ahead in the pile. But, 2 weeks are gone and now I don't know when we will travel. So, please pray that this doesn't set us off too bad. With the week long holiday the first week in China I can only pray we will travel mid-October.
Just goes to prove my point about why I am such a control freak. If I hadn't caught this, we'd still be waiting. UGH!!!
So, the adoption rollercoaster continues. Trying to "roll with it" but not feeling happy today.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Photo Time
Well, I just realized that I never posted a photo of our cutie, Little Miss. I didn't want to post her photo before we had our official approval. Now that we have it, here are the few photos I have of her. The first few are from her file, dated June 2013 so aged 2 1/2.
I love the smile on her face!
And now today I received a wonderful gift- an update. A few of my questions were answered. We have new measurements for our peanut. She hasn't grown much. She's about as big as Colby was when we picked him up at 22 months. But I'm so thankful for new photos to look at. And here they are:
I love the smile on her face!
And now today I received a wonderful gift- an update. A few of my questions were answered. We have new measurements for our peanut. She hasn't grown much. She's about as big as Colby was when we picked him up at 22 months. But I'm so thankful for new photos to look at. And here they are:
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