And in other news...we have the receipt number for our I600A so I believe that means it's been accepted! I have tried checking on the status, but the receipt number is not in the system yet. Apparently checking for it every 30 minutes doesn't make it get entered any faster. We are trying very hard to get all of our dossier documents together but keep running into the same snags! We want to have all the documents ready now so that they are ready to send them to Ukraine when we get our approval letter (I-171H) from the USCIS.
We were recently blessed to receive another sizable donation toward the adoption fees we are facing. While we are not 100% there financially we are getting closer and closer! Our support system has been simply amazing and we are truly grateful.
I am excited to be hosting a gold buying event on Friday, November 12! If you are local and would like to attend, please RSVP by Friday, November 5. Bring a friend who sells gold and you will earn a cash gift! Each seller receives 100% of the fair value of their gold and at the end of the event SGB will donate 20% of the total amount of gold they purchased to help us bring Olga home!
If you or someone you know is looking for a way to help, here are our current needs:
- Prayers! Specifically that our I600A is processed quickly so that we can submit our dossier to Ukraine and that the Southeast Gold Buyers party I am hosting is a successful fundraiser for us.
- Re-post my blog to your Facebook page!
- Christmas Tree Fundraiser! If you typically buy your tree or wreath every year, please consider buying from Dutchman Tree Farms to help us raise money for Olga's Christmas hosting. Click on the following link, select "yes" for New Horizons for Children then select my name, Susan Langvin Pirkey, as the person you are sponsoring. Dutchman Tree Farms Fundraiser
- Southeast Gold Buyers fundraiser! Grab a friend and your unwanted gold and see how much money you can make while helping us raise money for Olga's adoption! For my local friends, be on the lookout for another e-mail with attached flier. If I somehow miss sending you an e-mail, RSVP anyway! :)
- Donate! You can use the yellow "Donate" button in the upper right corner of this blog to easily donate using PayPal.
Please e-mail me directly if you have any questions about our adoption process.
Thank you for hanging in there with us on this adventure!
S~
We found out the the receipt number will get you no-where using the online system. We were told that the online system is not used for adoptions. So, you can forget wasting your time on that one. Did you get your biometrics done yet? If not, you should receive a letter from USCIS with your appointment day/time. I hear in Atlanta you can usually just go early and they will let you in if they are not busy. Several other families have done it and of course so did we. Also, it then takes 48 hours for the prints to get into the system. So, call 48 hours afterwards and ask someone to check and then request that you be assigned an agent ASAP because your child has age issues. We called every other day until we got an agent assigned to us. Once you have an agent assigned to you then email the address on the receipt and ask that it be forwarded to your agent. Then contact your agent directly and tell him/her that you went early for your biometrics. Once our agent saw we had our biometrics done, it took 4 business days to get approval.
ReplyDeleteMelissa~ Thank you so much for all the tips! Especially a/b the online system not working. We have not done biometrics yet. We literally just got the receipt # today and they said the official receipt letter will come in the mail in 7-10 business days. We do plan to do biometrics as soon as we get the appointment letter and not wait for the actual appointment date. (We do need to wait for the appt. letter, right?)
ReplyDeleteSusan - Yes, you have to have the appointment letter. They will ask for it and will scan it in.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear on the biometrics thing, even if you do your biometrics early your case worker (once assigned) won't know unless you tell him/her. Melissa and I alternated her calling and me emailing after we got our biometrics done.
1. Confirming receipt of biometrics
* pray
2. Once you have biometrics, asking about a case working being assigned and mentioning the age/timing thing
* pray some more
3. Once you have a case worker, letting them know that you really are worried due to the age and that the biometrics are done. Tell them you believe you have provided everything that is needed at this point and please contact you if anything is not there.
* pray more
Thanks, Brian! While I really would have liked to have been more in line with what your timeline looks like, it is nice to have someone a step ahead showing us the ropes! I cannot believe how long it took the FBI to finish our clearance. I am so excited, though, for you guys to be so close to getting your SDA appt. I am praying it is set at the end of Nov. rather than the beginning of Dec.
ReplyDelete