OUCH!

The one good thing about the actual PROCESS of adopting from Haiti is that it's making us appreciate the Chinese process. We moved out of the first stage for Haiti on August 6th. We never dreamed that SIX MONTHS LATER we would still be waiting to ENTER stage two. We try to stay positive, folks, but we are only human. This anniversary SMARTS.


Here again is the process for Haiti. All wait times are approximate and often are longer. Not included here is the wait time BETWEEN the steps:

1. First Legal - 1 to 4 weeks. WE MADE IT THROUGH IN JUST LESS THAN 2.5 WEEKS.
   
2. IBESR is next, which takes anywhere from 3 to 12 months
   
3. Second Legal - 1 to 4 weeks.
   
4. Then comes Parquet- 1 to 14 months. The official wait time is 2-4 months, but people have waited 7-8 months there.
   
5. MOI- It's supposed to take 1 to 3 months. Apparently 5-6 months is more likely.
   
6. Visas issued - This used to take a few days or maybe weeks. Now it is taking 5 months or more for American adoptions. It is due to a problem with the US Consulate in Haiti. Visas are issued by the Canadian consulate in 24 hours or less. The French consulate, less than one week.

At least with China there is some way to gauge the time-frame. This is a taxing process for Haiti, and in a country where there are so many kids who need forever homes, we pray that the process gets better and FASTER! FOR EVERYONE!!!