Information from another Agency
A couple of people sent me info from an agency saying:
- The move is slated to begin on Tuesday July 18. They do not know how long it will take them to move.
- The White Swan was planning a renovation for late 2006, but that has been pushed back and will begin after CNY in 2007. The hotel will not be closed while this is going on, they will renovate sections at a time.
- Guangdong has a new official who has made the requirement that will require 10 business days instead of five. Apparently this is not yet a “done deal”, and various government agencies within China are still talking about this. It is hoped that an outcome will be known shortly.
The Guangdong info is interesting – I have a few emails that basically say that the new edict came from the CCAA, but this appears to be saying that the new official in Guangdong is responsible and the CCAA had no part in it. FWIW, there is reason to believe this particular agency over the previous information. I don’t know which is right, but this seems more credible than the other.
I’ve seen the White Swan reno thing a couple of times, nice to have an answer to it.
And, the move. Many agencies have stated that the move started last week, but this says the move will begin Tuesday. And with the long downtime on the server, many of us assumed they were moving it when it was down. It’s down again now, but according to the CCAA’s statement this downtime is due to an upgrade, not the move. My guess is perhaps they were preparing to move last week. Boxing things up and getting organized, and that the items will actually be physically moved starting Tuesday. Who knows how long it will take to move the items and get organized again. But they have a lot of things to move. How many waiting dossiers do you think they have? I’d guess between 20,000 and 28,000 – all currently organized by month and by agency. Plus another 25,000 or so that are waiting to be matched up with post placement reports. They can hire movers to move the items, but I would guess that the actual CCAA workers will have to box the dossiers up and label them so the movers will know where to move the boxes to and where to place them so the CCAA workers can unpack them so that they will actually be able to find them again when those dossiers are ready to be reviewed or matched. It sounds like a lot of work.
July 16th, 2006 at 9:46 am
I realize different agencies have different trip timeframes, however I have never seen or heard that their was a require stay period in China. Rather the stay was based on how long it would take to do the necessary paperwork entailed. I have been looking at the different agency web site this morning and the range for stay in China seems to be 10-16 days with the norm being 12-14 days they are never listed as CCAA required stays. Where as agencies that do different countries will list some of those countries as required stay. Some agencies may have cut the trip to China as short as possible where other agencies seemed to stretch it out but I don’t think either case really was breaking any rules dictated by the CCAA or China. Certainly if the Guangzhou stay extends this long it will not help families absorb culture but rather dash their ability to see the sites and culture of Bejiing. As far as I can see it would also hurt the established tourism industry. If families need to stay that long in Guangzhou they will probably opt to stay at more reasonable hotels than W.S.(especially with the US Consulate already moved) and then all those little shops on Shamian Island will suffer too. I hope they work this out it seems arbitrary and it will be very limiting to our families. I went straight to Guangzhou the first time and there is not that much to see and do for 10 plus days especially in the hot months with soring temps and it will delay travel a lot during the trade show and CNY if we need to be there that long.
July 16th, 2006 at 9:50 am
Re the move — when we moved our office a few years ago, the first thing to go over to the new location were the servers, and they went over a weekend. The idea was that as long as they were up & running by Monday morning, we could all work, whether from the old office, new one, or home. Then everything else went (for us though, still on the weekend — Sunday afternoon). So apparent contradiction between the computer being down over the weekend & the move beginning on Monday seems perfectly reasonable to me!
July 16th, 2006 at 9:56 am
I would actually guess (make that a WAG) that they moved the server last week when it was down, and that while the office is actually moving this week and no work is being done that they are going to do an upgrade to the software package they use.
We may or may not see a difference to the site – sometimes software packages have a major upgrade that involves a lot of work, but must be done because the old version of the software has security holes. The new software runs basically the same (with maybe a few more bells and whistles), and it usually looks exactly the same on the front end. So it is possible they are taking this opportunity to do the upgrade.
But, that’s not coming from anyone.. just a WAG.
July 16th, 2006 at 10:04 am
AHHHHH.
Okay, I’ve now got three emails from people saying their agency said that last week the CCAA was busy making maps of how to arrange their desks at the new office, and that it is going to take a month to move, and that “some jobs” are going to be delayed while they move.
I didn’t post the first because it sounded like a prank to say that the CCAA is just now deciding how their desks will be laid out, when this move has supposedly (according to other agencies) been “well planned” for over a year now. But now I’ve got the info from three people, so I’m guessing this agency is really saying this.
July 16th, 2006 at 10:09 am
I am also sure that the only things needing packing are the files on one’s desks. They must have file cabinets. When our office (Dr.) moved the cabinets were moved with the files in them. It was a very quick easy move. But I understand that they have many departments, so this complete move will take time.
July 16th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Re Guangdong regulations. Isn’t it Guangdong that has been causing problems for Central Government? I heard it’s economic status means it is quite powerful and it has shown tendencies towards unilateral decisions that haven’t gone down well with Beijing. Maybe new people have put in charge because of this. But if so, I wouldn’t expect them to be going against Beijing at all.
As for the moving stories? AAARRRGH!!!
July 16th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Hey J,
I threw around some ideas re. your comment on a previous (“18-month-wait”) thread; wonder what you think of my panicked logic. (maybe that ought to be “logic”).
As for making pictures of where their desks will be… “AAAAARRRRRGHH!!” “AAAAARRRRRGHH!!” “AAAAARRRRRGHH!!”
Nobody would make that pne up so it’s gotta be true.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHH!!”
July 16th, 2006 at 10:20 am
There are lots of pictures floating around of the CCAA offices, and there are NO filing cabinets. Just stacks of different colors of files tied together and piled high.
July 16th, 2006 at 10:40 am
I still doubt that this move will affect things all that much. I can’t see it delaying referrals coming out by more than a couple of days, and I’m guessing things will basically (mostly) continue as usual. But maybe that’s the optimist in me hoping like crazy they send referrals out this Friday, which matches up when they sent them last month.
July 16th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
NOvary – Wouldn’t that be nice, I hope they send referrals out Friday too. LID 7/6
July 16th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
RQ,
yes, my agency said the same thing last week about mapping the arrangement of desks and that some jobs may be delayed. Sounded a lot more positive to me than what other agencies are saying.
July 16th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
RQ – gotta ask …. I’m starting to get a sinking feeling that there may be no “light at the end of the tunnel” here for some of us in this wait. We are April 06 LID. Realistically, if this wait turns into 2-3 years, are most PAPs going to hang in there and wait that long? If a decreased number of available babies (either through increased SN from pollution, China’s “put on its best face for the 2008 Olympics”, or its increasing domestic adoption programs) continues, at some point – which is really impossible to determine – then IA from China will no longer be a viable option. Yikes – what a depressing thought! I’d like to say that I don’t think that will happen for a while …. and that CCAA would give a heads-up to agencies or using quotas …. but what if they don’t? Any thoughts in this depressing concept?
July 16th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Katy: I too have the feeling that there is no light at the end of the tunnel!! We are LID 3/24 2006. This morning I’ve been calculating: when our referral will be sent out by september 2007 (we won’t receive THE call before half of october), than that means that CCAA have to match 18 days each month. So, I find it very difficult to believe an 18 months wait but when you calculate it seems very realistic….. eeeks.
But for our own peace it’s perhaps better to believe in september 2007. All what they match more, is positive for us! And hey: september 2007 is only 14 months away….. :-(.
July 16th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Someone asked me this morning about the adoption and I told him about the rumors and the CCAA move. He said, “I can see it now – a pick-up truck piled high with folders blowing all over the interstate.” I laughed and said, “hope not.” When you said they do not have filing cabinets – Oh Dear! – hope they have closed moving trucks. One more thing to fret about! LID 7/8 – hoping, hoping, hoping!
July 16th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Hi RQ,
Have you heard anything about TAs coming out, being in the mail, or being delayed?? Anything?
Thanks!!
July 16th, 2006 at 8:30 pm
Long time reader, first time poster ;)
I’ve been going out of my mind with my homestudy agency because they are soooooo slooooowwww. I’ve had my paperwork turned in since April and we still haven’t had our final home visit yet. At this rate we won’t be DTC until October or later. I’m going to lose it. BUT, maybe it’s a blessing. I can also see dossiers getting lost in the move. What a disaster that would be. I really hope it doesnt happen, but I can see it.
July 16th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Okay, while there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel–I am NOT even thinking our wait (LID4/4/06) stretching to September 07. I am just not even capable of wrapping my brain around that one. I am sticking with June 07 referral–it will all happen over next summer. That is the only way I am surviving this summer: “Next year at this time we’ll be…” Please let me live in my fantasy world!! :)
July 16th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
To quote RQ “so that they will actually be able to find them again” and….
“There are lots of pictures floating around of the CCAA offices, and there are NO filing cabinets. Just stacks of different colors of files tied together and piled high.”
This is what I’ve been worrying about [before you mentioned it btw, RQ] – well, actually, one more thing I’ve been worrying about. I thought our LID was a safe bet we were “in the queue” and in the CCAA system.
I mean, I’ve lost things never to be seen again in house moves let alone office moves. And this one sounds a little haphazard at best.
Can someone please tell me if there’s a computer system our files/LID are in as well as paper stacks so if files are misplaced there’s a way that CCAA would know??
What a nightmare to be facing this endless wait and then find out files had got lost in the move. Aaaaaaah, one more thing to lay awake at night over – don’t you just love it!!
July 16th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
When I’ve seen photo’s of the CCAA matching room they all had computers on their desks but I have no idea what they do with those computers!!!
RQ, do you have access to any of the CCAA photos that maybe you could post for everyone?
July 16th, 2006 at 9:31 pm
I really, REALLY wouldn’t seriously worry about someone losing your dossier. I think the CCAA will be incredibly organized. Think about it: how many times someone doesn’t get a referral and how many times it’s the CCAA’s fault: in the two years I’ve been in process, that has happened, as far as I know, 0 times. I really doubt they are going to lose anything–if there is one thing I think we can all agree on it is that the CCAA is organized to the T.
And I am sure that the files get put into the computers, at least on a basic level. Don’t worry, please. I really, really think all of the files are going to make it. And I also think that this move will barely make a wave in the work the CCAA does. They might not be great at disseminating information, but they are, as far as I understand, very organized—and as we have found out, very thorough. (Sometimes too thorough!)
LID June 29 and not worried that my dossier will get lost anymore, actually strangely calm but talk to me in a week if referrals still haven’t been sent, then I may be a crazy psychotic fool :)
July 16th, 2006 at 9:43 pm
NOvary,
Thanks for your sane wise comments. In light of your LID, I am in awe of your ability to stay calm. Here’s to hoping it continues through this week and ends in you receiving your referral.
I’m 2 months and 1 day behind you…that is, of course, in LID terms….chronologicaly, who knows?
http://www.babysites.com/sites/laureenmary
July 16th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
When we are logged in they scan some of our information in, and they enter basic information about us. When we go through the review process more information is put into the computer about us. People who have been to the matching room talk about the workers being able to pull parent pictures and baby pictures up on their computers to compare them side by side (the “mug shot” passport pictures).
You can see some pictures here:
http://www.angelcovers.org/ccaa.shtml
July 16th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Oh, and my DH says that as long as DHL isn’t handling the move maybe nothing will get lost.
July 16th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
mmmmm, ok, thanks everyone, like I need to invent reasons to worry about this wild ride, right???
breathing deeply and backing awaaaaay from the computer now…..
July 17th, 2006 at 7:33 am
This was posted last night on DTC Oct. Yahoo group…maybe old news…but it’s good news…
My friend and other families and children were at the meeting with
CCAA officials including the Matching Room Director.
She was told that with a login date of November 2005 she would
receive allocation in 3-4 months time. This is keeping with the 12
month time frame stipulated by CCAA.