Home Study Complete

checkbox1We just received word that our Home Study was completed and approved. This is a huge milestone! We have been working on our Home Study since August 2013.

Next Step: Apply to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to be deemed suitable to adopt, then wait 2-3 months!

Technically the application form is the I-800a or the “Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Convention Child.”  A “Convention Child” is a child from a Hague Convention country.  A Hague Convention country is one that has signed the The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, but I won’t get started on that right now.

With our Home Study complete we can also apply for grants, and hopefully set up an account to allow people to donate money tax-free if they are so inclined.

More to come, thanks for being on this journey with us.

 

End of the Beginning – In Sight

We are nearing the end of our Home Study (the first step in our adoption journey). Actually it is a lot of steps. I have attached a list of our Home Study steps below.

Check list:

  • Application
  • Fee Agreement
  • Statement of Understanding
  • Duty to Disclose Agreement
  • Release of Information
  • Client Information Form
  • Consent for Services
  • Self Study Questionnaire
  • Release of Information/Child and Adult Protective Service Requests
  • Fingerprinting/Criminal Checks
  • Criminal History Release for Local Criminal Checks
  • 1040 Tax Return
  • Financial Statement
  • Monthly Budget
  • Mortgage or Rental Letter Confirming Good Standing
  • Verification of Life Insurance
  • Employer Reference Request
  • General Physical Examination Form (each Potential Adoptive Parent)
  • Child’s Health Form (each child)
  • Verification of Health Insurance
  • Marriage License
  • Birth Certificate (each Potential Adoptive Parent and all children in home)
  • Three Personal Reference Requests
  • Firearms and /or Weapons Statement
  • Verification of Training attended
  • Prior Home Study Information
  • Statement of Guardianship

It could be done as soon as next week. As soon as we have that done, we will begin applying for grants. (Just a note for those considering adoption, people survive this process all the time.) More to come, thank you for praying.