We really don't have a good gauge on whether we will get hung up or not in the steps ahead. We have dear friends that went on their bonding trips in Dec. 2014 and they are still battling to get their girls home, now stuck on the VERY last step!!!
The part of the process that we are currently in is the lengthiest and most unpredictable part from here on out. We are waiting for our Exit Letter from IBESR (the Haitian Adoption Authority). We've seen this letter issued as quickly as 3 months post bonding trip or as long as a year plus post bonding trip. We are really, really praying to be on the shorter end of that wait so that we can keep things moving. Once we exit IBESR the steps become a bit, I emphasize the word bit, more predictable.
Here is an outline our agency provided to us of what we have left and answers the question of, why does it take so long...
1. Parquet (1-2 months)
Once your dossier has been picked up from the IBESR, the lawyer will submit it to Parquet, also referred to as pre-court.
2. Court System (1-2 months)
Once the District Attorney has approved your dossier in Parquet and it will be sent through the court system. You will not have to travel to appear in court as your POA will allow the orphanage representative to act on your behalf. Once this court process is complete, your child will have your last name and you will have an adoption decree.
3. Attestation Signature (National Archives) (2 to 4 weeks)
During this stage the signature on the act of adoption from court will be legalized.
4. Minister of Justice (2 weeks to 3 months)
This is a legalization process where all papers in your dossier are reviewed for completeness and all signatures are verified.
5. MOI – Minister of Interior (3 weeks to 6 months)
During this process, ALL of your adoption paperwork will be reviewed, confirmed, evaluated and determined to be complete. If items are missing or incorrect, your dossier will be sent back to the Minister of Justice for correction and sent back to MOI for verification. Once all your documents are complete, MOI will issue authorization for a passport to be printed.
6. Passport (2 weeks to 2 months)
At this stage, your child will be issued a Haitian passport.
7. USCIS (currently stated at 6-10 weeks processing time) – Please note: wait times have recently increased in USCIS for I600 approval (up to 6 months)
Once your passport is printed, the lawyer will submit your paperwork to USCIS for I600 approval. You will be notified by email when you have been granted I600 approval. At that time your paperwork will be sent to the consulate at the US Embassy.
8. VISA Appointment (1 day – 14 days from I600 approval notification)
The Embassy will determine whether a visa is ready to be issued for your child(ren). You will be notified by email the date and time of your child’s visa appointment in Haiti. Families should not travel for their visa appointment due to the unexpected timeline for when visas will be ready. We will send an AWAA or orphanage representative to your visa appointment on your behalf.
9. Visa Pick-Up
At your child’s visa appointment, our representative will receive a date and time to come and pick up your child’s visa. This timeframe is usually 48– 72 hours after your child’s visa appointment.
10. IBESR Travel Authorization (48-72 hours after visa printing)
You must obtain travel authorization from the IBESR after your child’s visa is printed in order to leave Haiti. This will be applied for as soon as we receive notice of your child’s visa appointment so as soon as you have a visa, we can submit a copy to the IBESR and they will sign the travel authorization.
11. Trip #2 (3-7 days in length)
This is the moment you are all waiting for and it does happen! You will travel to pick up your child.
So please continue to hang in there alongside us and keep praying for swift movement through each of these steps. We count every single one of them, including our bonding trip as a victory and one step closer to our little love!!
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