PROCESS PROCESS PROCESS

We have had a number of people ask us what steps are involved in international adoption and where we are in those steps. We thought it might be helpful to describe the process for readers of Krahnicles as well.

Overview of Steps for Ethiopian Adoptions to Canada

1) Register with CAFAC and request an introductory package. CAFAC is the adoption agency located in Manitoba that facilitates Ethiopian adoptions. When we began, there was only one Canadian adoption agency that could facilitate adoptions from Africa, now there is also one in Ontario.

2) Register with Choices adoption agency. We needed an adoption agency within our province to complete a home study and meet the provincial requirements for approval.

3)Complete education component. We had to satisfy an education component for both agencies which consisted of a massive amount of reading and some homework. Had we lived in Manitoba, CAFAC would have required that we attend some seminars.

4) Complete Home Study. This consisted of quite a number of interviews (5-6 is average I think) with a registered social worker. The social worker came to our home, met the boys and asked a TON of questions. Main topics include family history, personal values, and parenting strategies and philosophy. While many people find the home study intrusive and onerous, we didn’t really. We have heard of other families being put through the mill and their homes gone over with a fine tooth comb, but this wasn’t really our experience. Our social worker was flexible and easy to work with. The home study interviews are conducted over a minimum of three months.

5) Prepare Dossier. The dossier consists of the home study plus other documentation that we had to gather up while we were doing the home study. The information includes: power of attorney letter, letter of intent to adopt, agency approval letter, home study, certificate of training, photographs of applicants, original birth certificates for the entire family, original marriage certificate, criminal record checks, medical reports, statement of net worth, letter of employment, post placement report agreement, and photographs of our home and family. We sent the package to CAFAC who had it notarized and sent to Ethiopia. The paperwork must be legalized by foreign affairs and authenticated by the embassy. The package was received in Addis Ababa, translated and certified September 1st 2006.

6) Immigration Paperwork. After sending our dossier on, we had to begin the first of our immigration paperwork. You can only go so far with this though until you have a proposal for a specific child.

7)Waiting for a Child Proposal. That one little sentence seems like it wouldn’t be a big deal at all… however this is where we are stalled. We began the adoption process in February 2006, flew through the paperwork and have been waiting the last ten months for a proposal. Right now applicants whose paperwork arrived in July 2006 are receiving proposals, so our turn is coming (our papers arrived Sept 1 2006) but it has been ten long months. When we began our adoption, proposals for infant girls were being received much more quickly (6-9 months). Currently, the estimate is about a year for infant girls. Boys, sibling groups and older children take much less time (3-6 months). In another blog entry I intend to explain the reasons (as I understand them) why it takes so long.

8)Travel Preparation. We have to get our passports updated (I am still waiting for mine to come in the mail… I sent it in February and I still haven’t got it), get immunizations and eventually travel visas. For us the biggest travel preparation we are completing is saving the money to go. For both of us to go, it will cost between 6 and 8 thousand dollars. The boys will stay with my parents because we simply cannot afford to bring them.

9) Child proposal. We will eventually receive a proposal for a child that will include photos, a medical report and any known social history. Based on this information we will say Yes or No to the proposed adoption. If we say yes, we will have to submit a formal acceptance letter.

10) Finalization of Adoption. Once we have accepted the child, an immigration medical exam must be completed. The adoption will be completed on our behalf in the Ethiopian courts by a representative appointed by the adoption agency. Once this is complete, we have to wait for Canadian immigration to issue a visa so we can bring our baby home. This process takes between four and nine months.

11) Travel to Ethiopia. This trip is between 10 and 14 days. We will meet our daughter the first day after we arrive and the day after that, we will receive full custody. The remainder of the trip is all about getting used to each other, acclimatizing and getting ready to be a family together as well as collecting the last of the paperwork. Hopefully we will be able to take in a little of Ethiopia’s rich culture as well.

12)Home. Once we are home we will have to apply for citizenship, provincial health care and all the other government agencies that need to know about our newest addition. We will also be required to fulfill post placement reports every year until our daughter is 18 years old. This is only our part, I have said nothing of all the behind the scenes stuff from the other side of the equation. In Ethiopia, there are over 40 steps each child must go through before they can be released for adoption. As you can see, both governments and our agency are very careful. It is really easy to get frustrated with all the red tape and what seems like an overly onerous process, but in the end, everyone is working on making sure that the kids come first and that their safety and well being is considered before all other things and this IS as it should be.