At the moment we are waiting on two things: I-600 approval from US Immigration and an emigration permit from the Korean government. The I-600 is a "petition to classify an orphan as an immediate relative" so that our son can get a visa to enter the US. We expect the I-600 approval will come in a matter of weeks.
After this, we are just waiting on the emigration permit (EP). This permit is issued by Korea so that Sam has permission to leave the country and live in the US. Unfortunately the EP is going to take a while and it's really hard to guess when it will be issued. There are still a lot of adopting families in line ahead of us and it just depends on how quickly they are processed.
Once the EP is issued, the process starts picking up speed again. There is a process Sam has to go through (including blood tests and medical checkup) to get his Visa and passport. Once he is approved for a Visa we get the call that he is ready to travel. Then we freak out and find the quickest way to Korea!
So when will that be? When do we finally get to hold Sam in our arms? The best guess we have right now is April. But like I said before, it's hard to guess. We'll know more as time progresses. And when we know more, we'll post it here. So stay tuned!
In the meantime there are things you can do while we wait:
1. Learn about Sam's culture - the language, history, food, the country, there is so much to explore: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
2. Become an advocate for adoption. There are so many orphaned kids out there. Even in Korea which is a pretty developed nation, there are thousands of kids in orphanages that will never have a mom or dad. Make a contribution to Holt International http://www.holtinternational.org/ or another adoption agency or charity. November is National Adoption Awareness month. There are many ways to spread awareness: http://national-adoption-month.adoption.com/
3. Write Sam a letter. You can write to him and let him know you've been thinking of him and give it to him when he's older. We've been keeping a journal.
4. Most importantly pray for Sam. Pray for his safety, his health. Pray that his foster parents will give him the love and care he needs. Pray that the adoption process will go smoothly and quickly so that we can all spoil him together soon!
Once the EP is issued, the process starts picking up speed again. There is a process Sam has to go through (including blood tests and medical checkup) to get his Visa and passport. Once he is approved for a Visa we get the call that he is ready to travel. Then we freak out and find the quickest way to Korea!
So when will that be? When do we finally get to hold Sam in our arms? The best guess we have right now is April. But like I said before, it's hard to guess. We'll know more as time progresses. And when we know more, we'll post it here. So stay tuned!
In the meantime there are things you can do while we wait:
1. Learn about Sam's culture - the language, history, food, the country, there is so much to explore: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto
2. Become an advocate for adoption. There are so many orphaned kids out there. Even in Korea which is a pretty developed nation, there are thousands of kids in orphanages that will never have a mom or dad. Make a contribution to Holt International http://www.holtinternational.org/ or another adoption agency or charity. November is National Adoption Awareness month. There are many ways to spread awareness: http://national-adoption-month.adoption.com/
3. Write Sam a letter. You can write to him and let him know you've been thinking of him and give it to him when he's older. We've been keeping a journal.
4. Most importantly pray for Sam. Pray for his safety, his health. Pray that his foster parents will give him the love and care he needs. Pray that the adoption process will go smoothly and quickly so that we can all spoil him together soon!
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