Stahlke Adoption

The Floodgates Open! (Part II)

In last Wednesday's conversation with Masha, we received a boatload of information on more than one topic. Jonathan jotted down a potential timeline for our Ukrainian stay, which has a number of changes from our trip three years ago:

Day 1: Travel to Ukraine's capital, Kyiv

Day 2: Registration with the SDA, followed by travel to the region to meet the child
The appointment day is the time that most parents look through children's paperwork and decide who to meet. We, of course, will see Mikola's one-page document and receive a letter of referral to allow us to visit him.

Our trip to Kirovohrad, the capital of Kirovohrad province, takes about five hours by car. I believe that Masha must first submit our SDA referral letter to the "DCFS" of Kirovohrad province. They issue a letter permitting us to visit Mikola, and then we drive across town to the orphanage and meet him for the first time.

Day 3: Submission of intent to adopt
We sign the formal paperwork indicating our intent to adopt Mikola. At this time, he receives his English name, and it's very important that we spell it correctly. Like our other children, Mikola will retain his Ukrainian name as a middle name. We will most likely call him Mikola while we are in Ukraine and later in our home, but will use his English name in public as our other children have elected to do.

10 days: Wait and visit
During a ten-day period, Mikola's paperwork churns through the Ukrainian legal system. During this time, we will probably spend two sessions a day with him. Three years ago, Jonathan and I arrived at the orphanage around 10:00 am and stayed until lunch time. We returned about 2:30 pm and left around 4:00. Most of our visits with the children took place on the orphanage grounds, weather permitting.

In these ten days, we bring fruit and small toys for him each day, and buy new clothes and shoes since we finally know what sizes to choose.

Day 13: Our day in court
During our court hearing, the judge presents his/her decision based on a review of Mikola's paperwork. After the court date, it is legally possible for us to travel back to the U.S. to help care for our other five children, although we are definitely planning that at least one of us will stay in Ukraine.

10 days: Waiting for the rare appeal
We continue to visit Kola at the orphanage during a ten-day waiting period. This is a new requirement compared to three years ago, when the judge could request a 30-day waiting period, but in most cases agreed to waive it. Now the waiting period is shorter but mandatory. During these ten days, third parties can appeal the adoption. In the rare case that an appeal is filed, an additional twenty days is added for further legal action.

Assuming there is no appeal, our parental rights and legal responsibility for Mikola take effect ten days after the judge's affirmative decision at the court hearing. We will celebrate every year on this date because that's when he legally joined our family.

Day 23: Travel to Kyiv
After more than three weeks, we leave Kirovohrad and return to Kyiv. Masha finds us an apartment to use as our home base while we begin our paperwork for the U.S. embassy.

Approximately four to six days: U.S. paperwork
Mikola will receive a medical examination, and this report must be submitted to the U.S. Embassy along with his vaccination records. We will also submit a multitude of other documents, all enumerated on the Embassy's website. The visa that we just sent to Masha is actually only the first stage of Mikola's visa application, but it eliminates a great deal of processing time. Before the final clearance, the parents and child meet in person with an embassy official to discuss the adoption process and how it all went.

Day 27 to 29: Travel to the U.S.
Mikola flies to the U.S., and when the plane's wheels touch the ground, he becomes a U.S. citizen. He is also reunited with the brothers and sisters who are waiting anxiously to see him again.

posted by Stahlkes @ 11:43 PM