The Process
The order of some of these steps seem to vary slightly from state to state and from agency to agency, but nearly everyone goes through what I've listed/defined below at some point. You can click on the underlined words to read a definition.
  1. Select a licensed, non-profit agency to work with.
  2. Complete a home study with a licensed social worker.
  3. Gather the paperwork for your dossier.
  4. Send completed home study & form I-600A to Immigration (BCIS).
  5. Wait for fingerprint appointment at your local Immigration (BCIS) office.
  6. Get fingerprinted by Immigration (BCIS) for FBI clearance.
  7. Wait for fingerprint clearance. If cleared you will receive an I-171H/797c or similar document from your state.
  8. Have your dossier notarized.
  9. Have your dossier certified by your local Secretary of State office.
  10. Have your dossier authenticated by your nearest Chinese Consulate.
  11. Have your dossier translated into Chinese.
  12. Mail dossier to the CCAA in China.
  13. Dossier gets logged in to the CCAA computers 3-5 days from when received.
  14. Wait, wait, wait...get your travel immunizations and start gathering supplies!
  15. Receive a referral from the CCAA in China. (NOTE: In 2007, the wait time for a referral from China has increased to nearly 2 years!)
  16. Sign an acceptance letter for the CCAA, stating that you accept your referral.
  17. Wait (typically 2-4 weeks) for the CCAA to send a "travel acceptance" letter (TA) inviting you to come to China to get your baby.
  18. Most families travel 4-6 weeks after referral. Make any airplane reservations for baby in her Chinese name!! She will be traveling home on a Chinese passport with a US Visa.
  19. Get your Chinese visas and travel to China for a 12-14 day stay!
  20. "Gotcha Day!" or "Forever Family Day" is the day you meet your child for the very first time in China.
  21. Typically, families spend one week in the province where the baby was living to get the baby's Chinese passport and to complete the paperwork to legally adopt the baby in the eyes of the Chinese government.
  22. Families from the USA spend the second week Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, to get the baby's physical/health certificate and US Visa from the US Consulate. (European families go to either Beijing or Shanghai.)
  23. Once the baby has a Visa, you can go home! When the plane touches down in the US, your baby becomes a US citizen.
  24. Typically, receive her letter of US citizenship 30 days after arriving home.