China finally knows we are out there !

Date: August 15, 2005
To: June &. Bruce

From: Amy , Dossier Coordinator
Re: Confirmed Dossier Logged in with CCAA. We are very happy to inform you that on 7/5/2005, your China documents have been officially logged in with CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs). Your dossier will first be translated and forwarded to the Registration Department where an initial review of the documents is performed. This process can take 2-4 months. The next step in the process is for your dossier to go to Department One where the documents are more closely scrutinized for their content. This part can also take approximately 2-4 months. After leaving Department One, your dossier goes is Department Two, the Matching Room. The Matching Room is the department where you will be matched with a child referral. The officials use the information in your dossier and your family letter to match you with a child. Once the referral information is forwarded to our office and reviewed, we will call you with the news of your assignment.Currently, the issuance of child assignments has been taking approximately 6 to 7 months - from the time that your dossier is logged in with CCAA to the assignment of a childOnce a child is assigned we will contact you by telephone the day it is received in our office. Once you have accepted the referral, we express-mail your written acceptance to China. Following the receipt of your acceptance, the Chinese government will prepare the final paperwork for the adoption and forward it to the province where the child lives. In parallel, travel permission will be forwarded to La Vida. The final paperwork process should take approximately 4 to 6 weeks, during which time we will be making very tentative travel plans. As soon as we receive your travel permission, we contact the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China to request an appointment for your family. Upon receipt of a confirmed appointment, we will notify you (with a tentative itinerary) and complete the details of your trip. We make every effort to have you in China as quickly as possible given all current constraints and timing issues. This typically occurs within 3-4 weeks of receipt of travel permission, however, we ask that you understand that final schedules are not within our total control.In the mean time, please make sure that you have valid passports for travel. Your passports must be valid a minimum of six months after your estimated travel time (currently your estimated time of travel is approximately 7 to 8 months from your login date). When you receive your child assignment, we will also send you a visa application along with instructions for applying for your Chinese visa and other important information. Near the time that we expect to receive your child assignment, you will also be sent a comprehensive packet of travel preparation materials and an invitation to attend a group travel preparation meeting to help you better prepare for your exciting trip. We hope that you will be able to attend this meeting because we know that it will be very informative and you will enjoy the meeting. You will have the opportunity to meet other travelers and learn what to expect during your trip. By then, we will have a better estimate of the time schedule for you.We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to your family. Please do not hesitate to contact us whenever we may be of service.