Consulate Red Tape
It appears the US Consulate in Guangzhou has decided to stop accepting an addendum to a home study saying you are approved for a special needs child. It would have been nice if they had warned agencies and families, as there are now families stuck in GZ for an extra week or more while a new home study is written and sent to USCIS where it gets added to your file and then a cable is sent to GZ from your local USCIS office saying you are approved for a SN child. For Hague families I think there might be another step in there somewhere, but this issue is affecting everyone: Hague and non-Hague.
There is also another issue, and that is for those families who are adopting a NSN child who turns out to have minor SN’s. You can no longer have your social worker fax an addendum to China. They have to write a new home study, send it to USCIS, etc. This is even happening where the medical appointment is noting developmental delays and the possibility of a SN – families are now stuck in GZ until their social worker can send a new home study to USCIS, etc.
What a nightmare.
If you are going to be traveling soon, and if your home study only approves you for a NSN child, it might be prudent to get your social worker to write another home study and send it to USCIS and get that process started now.
Otherwise, when you do your next update, you should probably consider having your social worker approve you for special needs as well as non special needs.
As always, talk to your agency and follow their advice. I’m just letting you know what I’m hearing from families who are in Guangzhou now.
July 8th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Ugh… I do not know if it is different because we now will be a Hague family, but when we went through our local USCIS office, it was impossible to be approved for SN or Minor SN or even corrected SN in general. The local USCIS office would only approve specifically spelled out SN – so you have to try to guess what your NSN child may have or appear to have. Right now we are only approved for developmental delays and illnesses like flu since we had a hard time guessing what other things we might encounter. I can’t believe families were given no advance warning!
July 8th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I agree, what a pain and another neverending hurdle for families, especially when agencies are not kept in the know.
All I can say is that I am truly sorry for those families caught in this long arduous process, and that I am so grateful that we adopted our children when we did. I had a strong push not to hesitate by my inner self and one of our agencies.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Well this is kind of funny timing. I am in the process of discussing this matter with my adoption agency. They sent me an e-mail yesterday expressing their concern over this rule change by USCIS. Of course this just agitated me in light of the super extended wait and all of the disappointments that has come with it.
Our agency suggested that we put a statement saying we would accept a child 0 to 36 months and mild to moderate SN. Well that set me off because first in our adoption letter I put 1 to 6 months knowing that realistically it would be 0 to 12 months and we requested a NSN girl.
** I received a response that put most of my concerns at ease as they told me that CCAA would not see this updated statements and as such would not affect the child matched to us.
I checked our last updated home study and it contained a statement that the home study agency approves us for “one healthy female child young as possible up to 12 months.” They also stated that we “have been counseled about adopting a Special Needs or a healthy baby and they are financially and emotionally capable of caring for such a child.”
I think that should cover us but I have not heard back from our adoption agency yet.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I thought it was assumed all along that the agencies had to amend the HS. I know it has to be amended if you are changing age range.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
We thought our wait was long at 2.5 years from beginning to end. I can’t even begin to image the heartbreak & fears that waiting families are experiencing right now with the wait and all the changes being made all of a sudden. Our thoughts & prayers are with all of you for a speedy referral and that there won’t be anymore surprises.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
KarenInCa – read what I wrote again. You can no longer amend the home study. They won’t let you do that anymore.
It has to be a whole new home study, and it has to go to USCIS and be approved and made part of your file and go through the whole chain that eventually leads to a cable being sent to GZ saying what you are approved for.
It is no longer a matter of your social worker sending an addendum. That was apparently too easy, and we can’t have anything be easy now, can we.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
This is the exact problem that my travel group has had. We all received TA in May, but had to re-do our homestudies. It also, was not just for SN. If the child with whom you are matched is older than the age listed in the homestudy then you also have to re-do the homestudy. Almost everyone in our group had to do have homestudy updates that were processed through CIS and then re-cabled through the NVC to the consulate in Guangzhou. It has held us back by at least a few weeks. Fortunately, we have all received our updated approvals and have our CAs. We travel next week!
July 8th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
The problem with a blanket “mild to moderate special need” is, as I have read from others in this situation, you must have the EXACT special need on the homestudy. I don’t think it’s possible for a NSN family to “prepare” for this one.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
RQ, do you know how the consulates of other countries handle addenda to homestudies? Have you already heard of European families who are having the same problems with their consulates?
July 8th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I very rarely hear about issues with other countries and their consulates or embassies.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
This really hit a nerve with me when I read this, because 6 years ago we found out in China that our daughter, who was referred to us as a NSN child, was actually severely hearing impaired. We were able to get a homestudy update faxed to the consulate and all was fine, but to think that we could be in a similar situation today and possibly not bring her home makes me cry…
Sandra
http://jazzieandtahlia.typepad.com
July 8th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
This is ludicrous. I would really like to know what their rationale is for this no-notice change. Show me an institutionalized child who is NOT developmentally delayed!! I think deluging our elected Congressional representatives with phone calls and emails – plus notifying the media about this senseless, horrifically expensive, and totally unannounced policy change – is in order. A homestudy amendment ought to be perfectly acceptable, in the event the child you’re referred is a bit outside the parameters of what you were dreaming of nearly four years ago!!
July 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
WOW- I didn’t know that RQ..That IS insane.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
And bureaucrats wonder how they get a bad reputation … seriously, what’s the point other than to be difficult? If your social worker is willing to add an addendum then surely that same social worker is willing to put the same information into a new home study. There’s no new information. No indication that getting the new home study will change the conclusions. Completely pointless. Sigh.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
hugumom – you would still be able to bring her home, just a week or two later than originally planned. And with the expense of an extra week or two in China, and having to change your airline tickets.
By the time you reach that point in China, the child is yours by Chinese law, you’re just trying to get the US to acknowledge the adoption and then give your child a Visa that will allow him or her into the U.S. Until you get that Visa, you and your child are stuck in China.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
loplop Says:
The problem with a blanket “mild to moderate special need” is, as I have read from others in this situation, you must have the EXACT special need on the homestudy. I don’t think it’s possible for a NSN family to “prepare” for this one.
I’m guessing that the social worker could possibly list a dozen or so of the most common things? Moderate to severe developmental delay, hearing loss, spina bifida, missing or extra digits, rickets, etc. I’m just thinking off of the top of my head, but surely someone can come up with a list that should cover the majority of what a family adopting a NSN child might encounter.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Does this also cover the home study updates you submit when you refile your I1600 with USCIS? Or is it just that the consulate needs things to come through USCIS so since the home study update with the I600 goes through USCIS perhaps that’s OK. OK … time to get out the duct tape, my head is about to explode.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Our Large China only Agency informed us of this the other day. It is not that they will not take an addendum, it is that they will not take a faxed addendum. The Addendum needs to go to your local CIS office and they forward it on, which of course will take time. According to our agency you do not need a new home study.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Oh please say this is actually the case! We JUST filed our I800a supplement 3 for a home study addendum. We are SN from the get go, but we chose a child from the waiting child list and our home study didn’t list one underlying condition she has so we did the addendum. If we have to do another complete home study, then I just wasted $340!
July 8th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
F.Y.I., my agency has families in China who are having difficulities as well. It’s not just happening to families who went from NSN to SN, or have been referred a child who now appears to have an SN. It is also happening to families who have had “major” changes in the circustance (have moved or switched jobs, ect) since their last home study was sent to USCIS. So, make sure that your most recent home study not only went to your local USCIS office, but that they wired the new information to China. We are in the process of double checking with our local USCIS office because we are leaving on the 29th for China.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Honestly, it would be nice if just once we had some good news!
July 8th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
My heart goes out to all of you who are affected by this! It sounds plain crazy. I never hear of these kind of problems among families in my European country. In some ways the US seems to be handling IA in an overly beauraucratic way. And I don’t mean to offend anyone, I just feel very sorry for you all. You have so many more issues connected to bringing your children home. Shots, TB tests, some paperwork that seems to be handled in a much more time consuming process than ours, and now this.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Our agency just wrote an addendum to our homestudy and we sent it to USCIS as a supplement 3, paying an additional $340.00. Just because we didn’t had ear deformity on our orignal homestudy when just mentioned hearing impairment.
It’s been about a month and I’m still waiting for the updated approval, hopefully this will be enough for china and there won’t be any delays.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
It must be very tough for those that didn’t know. After being in China for 2 weeks, we were ready to come home. I can’t imagine being surprised with this.
We’re going to have to remember to get plane tickets that can be changed on the days coming home from now on.
At least now it’s known for all that follow. Hopefully, the agencies will all take note, so that as soon as they get a referral for a child who’s info is not covered on the original HS, they can do an updated HS before traveling.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Do we have a “why” on this yet? This is crazy!!!!!
July 8th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Hello everyone! My very large agency blasted an email to all of us in the China program. They only do email blasts when the info has been confirmed (we’re always the last to know about referrals and such). The message states that ONLY I-600 families are affected, and that they are required to have a home study addendum submitted through the local USCIS office. I hope that helps. I’m I-800 so I don’t even understand any of this.
July 8th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Absolutely ridiculous!
July 8th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I am next for referral and do need a whole new homestudy. I talked to my China agency today, and local agency. USCIS is fine with an addendum but it does have to go to your local office, then be cabled to Guangzhou.
But- in certain states there are different laws. Our state will not allow an addendum, it has to be a a whole new homestudy, be approved by the state and then sent to USCIS.
This ir really frustrating because of the timing, and we just had a new homestudy done in January.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
seriously……what’s next? you would think that with all the struggles families have to go through so far they would try to make things a little easier for us to stick with the program. I already hesitated renewing my I-600 and my homestudy for the 3rd time lid 10/11/06 and with more bad news I don’t know how much more of this I can take. I try to remind myself everyday that this will all be worth it in the end…….right? .
July 8th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Ok, so now families are having to deal with possible extended stays for:
–TB testing
–quarantine
–unknown sn
plus, kids over 2 have to have a whole series of shots. Am I missing any other ridiculousness that’s popped up in the last few mos?
Seriously, I am so sorry to all of you are still caught up in this incredible mess. How many hoops must you jump through?
Of course, it will all be worth it in the end but until then, my heart goes out to all of you still waiting and in the midst of this all.
susan
July 8th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
I have no idea what to say. This is ridiculous! I cannot imagine what families who are there/next are feeling. The only bit of hop I have is that we have enough time to get this taken care of.
Good luck to those of you who have to deal with this immediately.
Eventually things have to get better. They just have to!
July 8th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Okay, my friends (and I say that with honesty as I know only you understand the heartache we are going through), I am going to jump on this pity-party with both feet. We have been waiting almost 4 years for our first child after being unable to have a child on our own. We are just shy of 50 and so worried about what we will do if this doesn’t work out and somehow China stops the program or changes the rules.
So, I’ve just gotten home from the hospital where I visited my sister-in-law who just had her first baby. Lucky guys..she got pregnant on the honeymoon. I have prayed that their baby was healthy and that she would be okay and all of that was delivered. Now I am trying to hold back the tears of regret that it didn’t happen to me.
I am losing my patience with all of the bad news and delays.
Enough of that…I’m going back to nurse my “refreshing beverage” and go to bed.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:22 am
TB test is for kids over 2. Immunizations is for all Hague families regardless of the child’s age.
There is a thread in the forum about the Guangzhou medical exam. It seems they are catching a lot more issues in Guangzhou to make this change? Are they doing THAT much more at the medical exam than a year or two ago?
Why does this all have to go through so many channels? I feel for the families delayed. And the family waiting for them back home. Imagine the separations issues coming up with siblings waiting at home when mom and dady don’t get home on schedule traveling to get new baby brother or sister?
That is very sad scdelacruz…
July 9th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Okay so maybe it is becuase it is late or maybe becuase it has been a heck or a day or that I am just plain dense… but am I to understand it that if you submitted a HS addemdum noting your specific childs name and their respective SN with your hauge dossier that you are okay? And that this ridiculous new rule is affecting those with NSN referrals and those that recieved a SN referral after they were DTC?
Clairification anyone for these tired eyes and brain?
samba in sac
http://www.talesfromthebigtomato.blogspot.com
July 9th, 2009 at 2:58 am
…and does this mean that the agency will just rewrite the home study with the changes or does it mean they make you do a whole new home study update with new medicals, references, etc. which our agency required for the update.
July 9th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Why is this completely at odds with what others are reporting about the medical exam (that it is not much of an exam at all)? This is the newest thread:
http://chinaadopttalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=36278.0
But I can’t recall another thread where folks said anything else other than it was a sham. *Something* has to be different–I know USCIS changed some of the “approved clinics” in the years since we started the process in ’05… Perhaps one or more of these new clinics is doing a “more thorough job?”
Also: list of what China constitutes a “special needs” child does not include things such as a “simple developmental delay.” It must be “moderate 6-12 mos” or “12+ mos.” To fairly evaluate this will take MUCH longer than the 20-30 mins people report for these “exams.” Is this actually happening?
Who is stuck in China right now due to this change? What were their circumstances? The change needing a HS addendum (if your state allows) or new HS to add a child’s specific special need has been boiling now for well over 2 months, so folks should have been aware of that.
Further, what is the circumstance of the NSN family stuck finding themselves needing a SN update?
July 9th, 2009 at 7:42 am
We live in Australia and this is the first we have heard about this. Our file has been in China approx three years now, all up we have been in the process just over four years, the longer we wait the more worried we get that we may never get to China. Just when we think we have passed a hurdle another pops up. We get very limited information from our adoption agency here, it is so frustrating.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:26 am
scdelacruz… I totally understand how you feel. I will be 44 in November, and my husband 40 in September. First time parents. Couldn’t have a child of our own either. We were fortunate enough to fall into that 35% bracket of “unexplained infertility”! Gotta love that. We can’t have a baby and doctors can’t tell us why! :) (really, I laugh about it now…) Like you, we have also been waiting 4 years already… Well, it’s been four years since we submitted our paperwork to our adoption agency… but that counts too! I am on pins and needles these days because our LID is 3/22/06… we are so close… BUT I am also on pins and needles these days because of everything else that has been going on lately. It was the whole swine flu thing last month… now this… and how many countless other things before that. This has been a completely horrific emotional rollercoaster. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cried my eyes out throughout this whole ordeal. I’ve cried because all I ever wanted was to be a mom… I’ve cried because I was worried something would happen and change these adoption plans of ours… (that’s alot of worrying over the 4 year period!)… I’ve cried because we embarked on this journey which was supposed to be so easy when we started (6 – 8 months was the wait back in 2005!), and well, it’s been anything but that. Seems there was (and still is) always something trying to get in the way of our becoming parents. All this red tape… all these unexpected things… last minute rule changes… and no one we can really complain to. It just isn’t fair. Not to mention, most adoption agencies aren’t very forthcoming with information. (Thank God for the Rumour Queen… she has really helped me hold on.) We just completed our third home study (no, maybe it was thefourth? I’ve lost count) and I don’t plan on getting anything updated in light of all of this recent news. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate the “heads up” but I just can’t afford to lay out another dime. Besides, the way I look at, if we end up having to get another HS while we’re in China, I’d rather spend the money on additional days there (hotel, airfare change) with our daughter, than spend it now on yet another HS and then find out we didn’t even need it. I was worried sick over this all day yesterday, but today I’m going to put it behind me. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. And hopefully, there won’t be that bridge to cross!
So hold on a little longer. You’ve made it this far… You’re almost there. You have been so strong and determined. So focused… and now you will soon be parents!! If you’d like to drop me a line and talk some more, please do so at lla927@yahoo.com. Please don’t beat yourself up for feeling regret or sadness at other people’s baby news. I’ve struggled with this for years, and I still go through it each time I hear news of a new baby. It’s normal, really. Just keep thinking of the joy you will soon have. We WILL soon have a child of our own… and they will be so loved… and so lucky to have us as moms! You’ll see. :)
(When’s your LID?)
Emily’s Mom.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Now our agency back in April when we accepted a SN had our home study agency update their study to include our SN.
Can they make things any harder than they all already are? IA will be phased out with all these new regulations.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I haven’t read all the responses yet as I am SICK, so please forgive me if this has already been asked.
I is an addendum the same as an update?
July 9th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Never mind called my HSP and got the answer. THANKS!
July 9th, 2009 at 10:45 am
In reference to the comment about IA being phased out with all these new regulations I would like to ask:
RQ: is the any way of knowing how many people are still sending dossier to China today as opposed to three/four years ago?
July 9th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I leave for China is 7 days. 2 days ago I found out about this. I had already done an addendum (for a change in circumstances – I moved to another state AND for a change from NSN to SN), but not sent it to USCIS, as it has always been the practice to just take it to the consulate when you go. I basically haven’t slept for 2 nights. I have no idea what is going to happen. I’ve sent my addendum to my USCIS office, called repeatedly, emailed…but have no idea if they will expedite it or if it will sit there or what….I guess it just wasn’t enough stress to just try to get me and my daughter ready for the trip to China, take care of all my work (I’m a self-employed attorney), pay all the bills that will come up now and again in August, worry about the quarantine….and on and on and on…but now this too? I’m trying to keep faith, and focus on my little boy, waiting for me in China. that is the most important thing. The rest HAS to work out…someday!
July 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
The instructions for the medical form in question seem to be here:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/dsforms/3026.htm (the instructions for the other forms are there also)
It is clear that USCIS is not concerned with “minor” stuff, really the concern is mostly surrounding communicable diseases and major stuff. I wonder if we’re seeing a disconnect here, between what the instructions are to the medical examination stations, and between the interpretation of those instructions by some facilities or the embassy?
July 9th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Do homestudies expire after a certain period of time? For example if I am matched 11/2 years from now and have my homestudy updated will it still be valid?
LID 5/30/06
July 9th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
You need to do the homestudy thing again every time your paperwork with USCIS expires – every 18 months. Most of the time your social worker can do it in update form so you don’t need all of the appointments with your social worker and bios and everything else all over again. Usually you do the medicals again, financials again, and have one or two appointments with your social worker for the updates. The laws are different in every state though, and sometimes different social workers also have their own way of doing things.
July 9th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
loplop – you can argue about how it used to be, or about how it should be all you want. I’m telling you what is being reported that is actually happening.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Thanks for hte help rumor queen/ So you are saying even if my I-71h is currrent at match time my homestudy must be less than 18 months old.
5/30/06
July 10th, 2009 at 6:27 am
No, that is not what I said at all.
Check the dates on your I-171H, it’s only good for 18 months, and letting it expire means you have to do things under Hague.
If your I-171H is over 18 months old then a new homestudy is the least of your worries – the background checks and extra red tape will make a homestudy seem like a walk in the park.
July 10th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Does anyone have knowledge of what the USCIS is charging to process the new update? We are an early April LID and are guessing that we might see our referral in Sept and we’ll need to get an update done in advance so that we don’t get stuck in China.
July 10th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I received my referral in June. After flipping out upon receipt of the urgent email from my adoption agency regarding home study addendums and new I797C/I171H paperwork, I was able to speak to a USCIS officer. There are no costs involved in adding an addendum. If the age or status of your child is outside the limits of your home study (for instance the age range), you must simply forward a copy of the home study addendum (cost nothing from the social worker), to USCIS. USCIS will then forward this information to the National Visa Center, which will in turn send the visa 37 cable to Guangzhou. While I expended several tears on my way to this information, it cost me nothing financially!
July 10th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
There is no cost…at least from two conversations with the USCIS office in Los Angeles. For many of you, this will not be a giant issue…if your travel is out a way and know that you need an updated I-171H because of an addendum (remember, this is a separate issue from a renewal/update etc.), then you will be able to send it to USCIS, get the update, have the visa 37 cable to Guangzhou, and all will be well. At this time, this is only a major problem for those who are already in China and now can’t finalize or those who are traveling in the next month or two, because of the delay/processing time to now get the I-171H updated by USCIS here in the states with the information from the addendum, instead of just being able to hand it in at the consulate at the time of the visa approval. None of this changes the existing rules about expiring and renewing of I-171H (where you need to get a Home study update and so on). I received my referral in March and could have easily complied with this rule, gotten my addendum, filed it with USCIS and so on….but the consulate didn’t informed us of it in advance. It is only because they just decided to suddenly implement it with no warning that people like me are either now having to delay travel or getting delayed at the time of visa processing in Guangzhou. What a nightmare.
July 10th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Can you give me more information on minor medical needs? Our agency is saying it could be an extra finger, flulike symptoms or birthmarks. Is there a minor medical list that has been established? My personal struggle is that we have been in the process for over three years waiting on a NSN child and now we have to change our homestudy and not sure what minor special needs includes/excludes.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:56 am
We accepted a referral in April 09. Left for China June 10 and returned June 24. Our child has a minor SN (extra digit on foot). She also had an auditory brain stem test done while in China, which alerted our agency in that she may have a hearing loss. I had several individuals look at the test and everyone agreed that it appeared normal. As a precaution, our agency sent an updated home study addendum with us and I filled out all the US consulate paperwork listed both the extra digit and a possible hearing loss. When we went to the medical exam in GZ the doctor marked off the extra digit and the possible hearing loss. I had taken an extra set of paperwork with my spouse’s signature and notary so I had to redo all the paperwork to NOT list the extra digit or possible hearing loss. We sent the addendum along with all our paperwork to the US Consulate and they kept everything but sent back the addendum?? It is possible that this all started after we got home, but if you can take care of things before you go I certainly would!!!
July 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am
These changes took effect July 1.