How long til my child comes home you ask?

We are on step 14!!!!  THE VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If you are reading this, then you have an interest in me and this adoption process.  So I ask first before you look over the lengthy details that you pray for me and this entire process!  I have grown discouraged over the past 70 some days as I was told I would get my child referral in 3-5 weeks or so....and well it's been much longer.  While I want the process to go as fast as possible, especially for the sake of the little one as have learned a child's development is delayed one month for every three months spent in an orphanage, no matter how fabulous the facility may be.  So, I ask you to pray!  Pray for the Lord's timing in moving things from one stage to the next.  Only He knows why I have waited so long for a referral, a time that to Him is not long at all!  So here is the "expected" time frame AFTER all documents have a arrived in Haiti.  The time it takes to complete a Home Study and compile a dossier varies but I am told I finished in record time!  :-)

1. DONE  11/28/11  Arrival – Dossier arrives in Haiti at the orphanage.  We review it to ensure all the required documents are present and legalized by the Haitian embassy in the originating country. (Time is approximately one week.)
2. DONE 1/9/12  Legalization at the Minister of Foreign Affairs – We prepare the dossier for legalization at the Minister of Foreign Affairs office.  They legalize the signature of the Haitian Consular Officer who legalized the dossier at the foreign Haitian Embassy in the originating country. (Time is approximately two to four weeks.)
3. DONE 10/28/11- 9/7/12 Waiting for a referral – Once the dossier is legalized, we hold it until a proposal is ready for the family.  (Time varies, based on requested age, gender, length of waiting list, etc.)
4. DONE 9/7/12!!!– The referral is sent to the family, private adoption agency or government authority.  The family responds with questions or acceptance of the referral.  Upon acceptance, we prepare the dossier for IBESR and send it to the lawyer.  (Time is approximately one to two months)
5. DONE !!!!  Sometime between 9/7/12 and today!!!!!Lawyer and social history – The social history (a combined social history of the child and the adoptive family) is prepared for the dossier as we are preparing the dossier for IBESR. The lawyer reviews the dossier to ensure it meets legal requirements.  (Time varies from one to three weeks.)
6. DONE 12/21/12!!!!!!  IBESR (Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches) – Haitian social services reviews the dossier and gives approval for the adoption.  (Time varies from three to six months, but could be longer if you need a Presidential dispense.)  If you have biological children, a dispensations from the Haitian President will be required.  This can take an additional 3-6 months or possibly longer. You need to be aware of this as you go into the adoption process.
7. Done 1/22-1/25/13   Make 1^st trip to Haiti – The adoptive family comes to Haiti to appear before the judge and sign in the Judge’s book and appear before the civil judge.  This is usually a 3-4 day trip. US families will also file the I-600 at this time. 
8. DONE 3/11/13– After approval at IBESR, we prepare the dossier for Parquet (District Attorney).  (Time varies from one to six months)
9. DONE 4/10/13!!!!! - Courts – Once the adoption is approved by Parquet, the court papers are prepared for the finalization of the Haitian legal component of the adoption process.  (Time is approximately one to two months.)
10. DONE 5/13/13!!!!!Attestation signature (National Archives) – The National Archives of Haiti issue a paper to state that the signature on the act of adoption corresponds with the signature of the authorized party who signed it. (Essentially, this is a legalization of the signature.)  (Time is one to 2 weeks.)
11. DONE 5/13/13!!!!!Legalization at the Minister of Justice – All of the Haitian legal papers must be legalized by the Minister of Justice. (Time is approximately two to four weeks.)
12. DONE 7/31/13!!!!!Legalization at the Minister of Foreign Affairs– Legalizing the signature of the Minister of Justice. (Time is approximately two to four weeks.)
13. DONE!!!  Passport with errors came back 8/13/13 and MIRACULOUSLY the corrected passport was done 8/22/13!!!! Passport – The passport process actually involves a two step study of the application by the Minister of Interior’s office, and then finalization and printing at the Immigration Department.  (Time is approximately three to four months.) 
14. In this step now!!!!  Submitted to US Embassy 8/28/13 Final review and visa application – After the passport is issued, all of the paperwork is reviewed and any spelling errors are corrected before the dossier is given to the required authority for the child’s visa.  Minor errors do not cause a problem in the process of the adoption, but some countries will not issue a visa for even small spelling errors.  The visa process and timeframe varies widely by country, and for the United States and Canada, some paperwork is completed by GLA and/or the family prior to this point.  At this point, the remaining visa process takes approximately: 
1. Canada:  one week
2. USA: four weeks to four months
3. France: four to six weeks
4. The Netherlands: two to three weeks
5. Luxembourg: three to six weeks
15. Travel – After a visa is approved, the adoptive family works with GLA to make suitable travel arrangements, and they come to Haiti to pick up their child.

On average, adoptions are taking approximately 20 to 24 months from the time a proposal is accepted.  Every case is different, and adoption timelines are not necessarily directly comparable.  If you have questions, be sure to contact the Adoption Coordinator at gla-adoptions@glahaiti.org.