Waiting Children Process

	China Adoption Standard Process	Waiting Child Standard Process
Approval of the Family	Family has approved application to Small World. They also will need to have an approved home study recommending the family for the adoption of a child from China.	Family has approved application to Small World. Family signs a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Adopt the Special Needs Child which they have chosen and write a Care and Rehabilitation plan for their Waiting Child. They also will need to have an approved home study which recommends the family for the adoption of a “Special Needs” or older child from China.
Adoption Expenses and Fees		Small World application and agency fees, home study fees. Dossier (paperwork for China) preparation and processing costs. Travel and adoption costs. Costs for travel may increase slightly if travel with a group cannot be arranged.
Required Paperwork	Family completes agency, home study, USCIS, and dossier paperwork.	Family completes agency, home study, USCIS, and dossier paperwork. Families also sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Adopt a Special Needs Child and write a Care and Rehabilitation plan for their Waiting Child. The LOI may be signed at any time during the adoption process. The dossier can be prepared and sent to the CCAA before, with or following the LOI.
Referral of Child	The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matches the family with a child based on their request and home study recommendation. The family returns their letter of acceptance to the CCAA.	For families whose dossiers are not logged in at CCAA, the CCAA will issue a “Pre-Approval” (PA) for the family to adopt the specific child requested. The CCAA will issue a “Travel Approval” (TA) only for those families whose dossiers are already submitted. The TA will arrive approximately 3-4 months following the log-in of the dossier for those families whose dossier was not submitted before or with the LOI.
Dossier Preparation Time Frame	Preparation of the dossier takes about 4-5 months depending on the family’s progress, the timing of the home study completion, and local USCIS approval. The dossier is then submitted to the China Center of Adoption Affairs for their review.	Preparation of the dossier takes about 4-5 months depending on the family’s’ progress, the timing of the home study completion, and local USCIS approval. The dossier is then submitted to the China Center of Adoption Affairs for their review. The dossier may or may not have been submitted with the family’s request (Letter of Intent) to adopt their Waiting Child.
Dossier Registration	Approximately 3 weeks following the dossier being sent to China, it will be registered at the CCAA (logged in) This log-in date will be used as the official date for the waiting process.	Preparation of the dossier takes about 4-5 months depending on the family’s progress, the timing of the home study completion, and local USCIS approval. The dossier is then submitted to the China Center of Adoption Affairs for their review.
Waiting Time and Family Acceptance	Approximately 30-36 months following the log-in the family will be matched with a child by the CCAA.	Approximately 3-4 months from the time that the families dossier and Letter of Intent are received in China the family will receive the “Travel Approval” (TA).
Travel Permission	After the acceptance of the child and receiving “Travel approval” from the CCAA, the agency will schedule an appointment with the US Consulate for the child’s visa process and help families with planning their travel.	Because the family has already accepted the child, they will receive “Travel Approval” from the CCAA to travel to receive their child. The agency will schedule an appointment with the US Consulate for the child’s visa process and help the family with planning their travel.
Travel	The family usually travels 5-8 weeks after receiving their referral. Families travel within China with a group of other families who are adopting children from the same province. They will be accompanied by a Small World English speaking guide.	The family can travel within 2-3 weeks after receiving the travel approval. Small World will try to group Waiting Child families with other families. Families may travel without a group, but will be accompanied and assisted by English speaking Small World guide.
Time in China	10-12 days	10-12 days (may be less depending on child’s province)