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What?
Adopting internationally is not a down-and-dirty process.
They don't call it a "paper pregnancy" for nothing, that's
for sure. So what steps come next? While there are exceptions,
most international adoptions consist of eight basic steps:
- The paper chase, which is the compilation and authentication
of all documents relating to the social, medical, and financial
details of your lives (e.g., physical exams, financial statements,
references, criminal record checks, and the like);
- The home study, which is what Famlink specializes in. A home
study is an assessment by a licensed social service worker, approving
you and your family for the placement of a child;
- The immigration approval, which is when you will apply for,
and hopefully receive, approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services;
- The translation and authentication, which is, literally, the
translation (and government authentication) of all of your documents
into the language of the country from which you are adopting;
- The dossier submission, which is when the adoption agency
sends your translated "dossier" (all the translated and
authenticated documents) to the appropriate agency within the foreign
country from which you are adopting;
- The referral, which is the picture and personal information
of the child who has been matched with you and your family;
- The travel, which is where either you will travel to the country from
which you are adopting
(like China) or a counry host (such as from Korea) will escort
your child to the United States; and
- The legalization or finalization, which is done either in
the country from
which you are adopting,
or in the U.S. court system once you return
home.
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