There are benchmarks in every China
adoption. To give you an idea of what is involved in a
China adoption through CCAI, the following is a
six-point summary that highlights the major steps and
timeframe of the process. Because of the nature of
international adoption, this timeframe can change during
your adoption process, but CCAI is committed to
keeping you informed of the current timeframe as you
work toward your adopted child. Understanding the
process and timeline now will enable you to be better
prepared for this incredible journey that brings you and
your child together.
1. CCAI Application for Adoption - 5
Working Days
Your application allows CCAI to screen your
qualifications for a China adoption. From your
application, we are able to determine whether or not you
meet the requirements of our agency and the requirements
of the various government entities that will be involved
in your adoption- U.S. government, Chinese government,
etc. If a family submits a complete and truthful
application and is approved by CCAI, we commit to
serving you through all the stages of a China adoption.
2. Compilation of Dossier Materials -
Approx. 5-6 Months
Once your adoption application has been
approved, you will begin to compile your adoption
dossier. Your dossier is a collection of documents that
report on various aspects of your life and represents
you as adoptive parents to the China Center of Adoption
Affairs (CCAA), the Chinese government agency
responsible for all international adoptions in China.
This part of the adoption process often seems daunting
to adoptive families, but it is important to remember
that by following CCAI's copyrighted Adoption Dossier
Guide, and getting help from our knowledgeable Dossier
Team, over 8,500
children have been successfully adopted.
You generate and compile many of the
dossier documents on your own, but your dossier cannot
be complete without your China Home Study Report and
immigration approval from the USCIS (United States
Citizenship & Immigration Services). The timeline for
compiling your dossier is determined by how efficiently
your Home Study agency and the USCIS office runs and
how diligent you are when preparing your documents.
For those families who need
extra help to complete their dossier, CCAI does offer
the option of a Full Dossier
Compilation Service for an additional fee. Please
contact the Dossier Department at 303-850-9998 for more
information.
3. CCAI Dossier Review and Mail to China
- 9-11 Days
Once you submit your completed dossier to
CCAI, our Dossier Team will critically review your
documents, bind your dossier, mount the pictures, and
write an agency recommendation in Chinese. We will then
send it to CCAI's China office via international express mail. Our Beijing representatives will hand-deliver it
to the CCAA.
4. The Wait and CCAA Child Match -
Approx. 43 Months
Child match and travel timelines are very difficult to predict and are
subject to change. Currently, child match timelines continue to lengthen. The times
noted above are only applicable to families most recently matched with a child.
This may not be your
timeline. This timeline is provided for your information only and is not intended
to predict future timelines. We expect to see the timelines drop dramatically once all of the dossiers logged in before May 2007 are matched. This is due to the new qualifications (please see the "Qualifications" section) from the CCAA that went into place May 1, 2007, which resulted in a much lower number of dossiers logged in each month. Throughout the
wait, families are encouraged to check in with CCAI
regularly. We publish a newsletter that will help you stay
informed about the current match timeline and also post
frequent updates on our Website.
When it is your turn to be matched, the
CCAA will match you with a child according to your
qualifications and preferences as presented in your
dossier. Your child's photos and translated physical
examination report will be sent to you through CCAI.
5. Travel - 9-11 Weeks After Match
Once you sign and return your Child's
Acceptance letter to CCAI, we will express
mail it to
the CCAA. You will be put into a travel group and
invited by the CCAA 9-11 weeks later to travel to China
to complete your adoption. We will provide you with the
needed travel training. CCAI will arrange your group's
travel, accommodations and adoption finalization in
China. Your China trip will last approximately fourteen
to sixteen days.
6. Post Adoption Support and Adoption
Validation
After you return to the United States, CCAI
will provide ongoing post adoption support to assist you
with your adoption transition. Two post adoption reports
must be submitted by your Home Study agency to satisfy
CCAA requirements. CCAI will provide necessary
information to you concerning how to validate your
finalized adoption through your local court, enable your
adopted Chinese child to receive a U.S. birth
certificate from your state, and obtain her/his Social
Security card and citizenship, if necessary.
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