Well, I certainly expected to be much happier when I finally got to announce that we have our TA. But it seems that the agency forgot to mention one little detail when they called with our travel info last Friday: until we have our I-171H, they cannot make our consulate appointment.
For those of you who are not fluent in the crazy lingo of China adoption, your TA is your Travel Authorization. It's what China sends at the very end of the process, inviting you to come to China to pick up your child. Once your agency has your TA in hand, they can call the US consulate in China and make an appointment for you to get the visa for your child to enter the US. Your entire trip to China is planned based on your consulate appointment, because it is the last thing you do in China before you come home with your child. The I-171H is advance permission from the US government for you to get a visa for your child to enter the US. Without the I-171H, no consulate appointment. Without the consulate appointment, no trip plans can be made.
The travel department at our agency believes that the applications department contacted the US Citizenship & Immigration Services in Denver last Friday, but they're not sure. (?!) She said that if the I-171H comes in the next week or two, there's still a chance we could travel with our group and leave on the 14th. If not, well, travel is delayed indefinitely until that stupid piece of paper comes. USCIS is closed today so there's nothing anyone can do. I'll call the agency late tomorrow, and unless they tell me USCIS has said the I-171H is in the mail, I'll be calling our US senator next to ask for help.
I sure wish the agency hadn't told us we'd travel on Feb. 14. They really should have mentioned we needed the I-171H before they could make the CA. It's not very nice to get our hopes up like that.
How ironic that as screwed up as China adoption has gotten over the past two years, it's the US government that might mess it all up for us in the end.
My countdown clock: Temporarily suspended until the I-171H is in hand.
4 comments:
Whatever you have to do, do it!
Keep smilin!
That is NOT RIGHT! We are hoping hoping hoping for good news in the mail tomorrow!
Anne and Mike
Crap....and a bunch of other dirty words....but I didn't want to write them here in case your family's watching. Maybe they'll pull it out quickly since everything else is "on."
Fingers crossed for you!
Figures. We'll keep good thoughts taht it will co,me in soon and you can go get that little one.
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