Today I hope I'll get an email from my adoption coordinator that all is OK with my dossier and they can send it in. I also have to wait for my I600 to come back from the USCIS which will enable me to bring an orphan home to the US. However, that is supposed to be back in a week. :)
Ok-- clarification- USCIS Form I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) is done before you know what child you will bring home. This allows the USCIS to first process the application that relates to your ability to provide a proper home environment and your suitability as a parent. Then, once a child who meets the INA's definition of orphan is identified, you must file USCIS Form I-600 (Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative) on behalf of the child.
When I was at IAN on Friday they said that the USCIS had approved me. Cool.
Next step is once I get on the list IAN will try to match me with what I requested on my home study. A boy between infant and 17 months. There are at least 4 families on the list ahead of me wanting baby boys. I might then get an older child-- more toddler age because of that. IAN will send me a photo of a baby and ask for approval. I'll get a minimal medical info chart on the child. I believe I could request further medical testing at my expense. Some people request a video tape of the child and then send that to special international adoption doctors who evaluate milestones of the child via video tape. I don't know much about this part--I have to research it more.
Then once I say, YES THIS IS MY BABY. They work to get me on the court dates in Ethiopia. Once I get a court date, I plan my trip to Ethiopia, about two weeks after the court date (i believe... I could be completely wrong, but this is what I gather). So that is what I am waiting for.
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