Today in the mail we received our Notice of Provisional Approval of our Form I-800 (Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative) from US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Our paperwork now goes to the USCIS National Visa Center (NVC) where it will be processed and a 'cable' (which I suspect is really an email these days) will be sent to the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China to let them know we have approval for Mei Mei's US Visa. An 'Article 5' letter will then be generated by the US Consulate in Guangzhou. Our agency will send a courier to pick up that letter and ship it to the China Center of Adoption Affairs in Beijing. China will then process our final paperwork and issue our Travel Approval. Then, once we actually get to China and adopt Mei Mei in China, we get to do a bunch more paperwork and processing at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, including a medical exam for her, TB testing and vaccinations, and an oath-taking ceremony, in order to actually obtain her US immigrant Visa. Doesn't this process sound simple and straight forward - HA!
We are getting so close now! We hope to get TA sometime in January and complete the adoption formalities before the beginning of Chinese New Year, which begins February 14th, and perhaps stay for some of the festivities.
Oh, and here are pictures of the birthday cake we sent to Mei Mei and the fruit basket for her foster family. The cake has the Chinese characters for 'Happy Birthday' and the little animal is a snake - Mei Mei was born in the Year of the Snake.
We used a regular Chinese delivery service rather than an adoption care package service , so no pics of her with her cake, unfortunately. It was much faster and less expensive that way and I have a package on the way. I am having too much fun shopping for gifts for Mei Mei, most of which we will bring with us to China. We are bringing her her own digital camera to take pictures and a Leapster 2 handheld game and cartridges for entertainment and to help with language acquisition. Lots of markers, notepads. Next on my list are clothes! If you have suggestions for your favorite place to clothes shop for an 8 year old girl, please do tell! I need to bring lots of layers - it will be cold in Wuhan and even colder in Beijing if we can get her there, and in the 60's in Guangzhou. Need a bathing suit, too for indoor pools! Of course, we can shop in China too (and almost certainly will)!
Hugs, Laura Beth
Well Hoorah! We got the 'letter' from USCIS that the A5 had been delivered to the US Consulate in GZ - TA should be right around the corner! Sorry LB - but if we can pull off any part of the travel while the kids are on Christmas Break - we're outta here! Britt's teaching high school now - and her district has approved indefinate leave for her to go to China with us if a doctor is willing to say it is important for her to be there to help Marie and facilitate Chase bonding with his parents...ain't that some cool? We really want to return the favor and keep the travel time to a minimum for Britt.
ReplyDeleteExcited for you guys still - come on - get a quick TA and travel early!
hugs - aus and co.
What a neat cake and pretty fruit basket. I think Mei Mei is looking forward to meeting her family - finally - after this long wait. I am so glad that mom and Drew and I will be there to share the experience with you, Adam, Ben, Eliana and Maya Mei.
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