The Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing won't get props for speed, but it is known as one of the most consistent fair programs in the international adoption world. The same rules apply to all families. You have a criteria to meet and series of steps to follow. Then you get in line. It doesn't matter who you are there is no cutting the line!
We signed on with CCAI, our agency, back in March of 2008. At the time the anticipated wait was 20 - 28 months. Before that clock starts you need to compile a dossier, which is the collection of documents you will ultimately submit to China. That along with your home study will tell the story of your life to China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA). In addition to obtaining these documents most of them will need to go through a process called "sealing". First documents are notarized, then certified by the appropriate county clerk and secretary of state and lastly authenticated by the appropriate Chinese Consulate or Embassy. So, documents that originated in NY for instance like my birth certificate have to be sealed in NY, while others might need to be sealed in Maryland. Needless to say the more you move around the more complicated it becomes.
By June of 2008 our dossier was on it's way to China and on July 17, 2008 we received our coveted Log In Date (LID). The LID is your number in line, a major milestone, and the clock begins ticking.
Now all we had to do was sit back and wait until we were matched with our child in China. However over the next year, we would watch with growing concern as the timeline began to stretch far beyond what we had anticipated. With speculation of timeframes lengthening to 48 months it was time for us to seriously consider whether we were willing to wait.
CCF
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