Once our dossier arrived in Haiti, it had to be translated into French and legalized with Haiti's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The boys’ dossiers were also being compiled, as they would need to accompany ours through the process.
IBESR is the first step of the official adoption process in Haiti after a family is matched with a child. It stands for “Institut du Bien-Etre Social et Recherches”. In English, that translates to the Institute of Social Well-Being and Research. It's Haiti’s bureau of social services. IBESR will make a decision as to whether we are eligible to adopt and whether our boys are a good match for our family. Because we have two biological children, the President will have to sign a dispensation making an exception to Haiti's "no biological children" guidelines. Once President Martelly and the social workers and lawyers at IBESR sign off, IBESR will issue a certificate of authorization telling the courts they approve of the adoption. Based upon timelines posted by my Haiti adoption friends, IBESR approval can happen as quickly as a couple of months or it can drag out for a year or longer.
Last month, Haiti announced that IBESR would only be accepting new dossiers until Friday, September 14. Any dossiers not received by that date would be subject to Haiti’s new adoption laws and procedures, once those laws and procedures are finalized and promulgated. Knowing how long it can take for legal things to happen in Haiti, and not knowing what those new laws and procedures might say (it is a real possibility that we or our boys may not even qualify to adopt or be adopted under the new laws), we were really hoping to meet that deadline. We knew the children's home lawyers and director were working hard to get our file ready, but we became anxious as the cut-off date got nearer. Adoption is such a journey of faith! It's not always easy to leave hopes, dreams, worries and fears at the cross. But we need to remember that God is in control. And He is faithful! Thursday afternoon (boy, it was right down to the wire!), we were thrilled to learn that our file had been submitted to IBESR!
This is mainly for my own future reference, because this whole process can be so confusing. But just in case you’re curious, here’s a summary of the next steps (along with estimated timelines), which should probably all be taken with a grain of salt because there seems to be little that can be predicted with respect to Haiti adoption! I would love for things to happen at a swifter pace than these estimates predict. The waiting is so much harder after seeing those sweet faces, knowing their stories and circumstances, and imagining them going through each day and night without a mommy and daddy in their lives. Our hearts are already starting to ache for them to be home. As Aunt Martha reminded me last night, prayer changes things. It can change these timelines! We are petitioning the One with authority over the mountains, oceans and every government to bring our boys home soon. While a potential 2-year process seems like an eternity to us, a thousand years is but one day to God, and his timing is always perfect. It will be interesting to one day look back and see how these estimates compare to our journey.
What Happens: Case is assigned a number and reviewed by social worker, lawyer and other government personnel specializing in certain areas. Questions must be resolved before moving to the next person. IBESR submits the file to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the MOJ gives it to the President for approval. Once approved by President Martelly, notice of approval is published in a government newspaper (Le Moniteur). MOJ gives the file back to IBESR for final approval by the IBESR director.
Estimated Timing: 2-18 months Actual Time: 6 months First Required trip to Haiti/Parquet/I-600 filing
What Happens: Prospective parents appear and sign papers at the local court (where relinquishment occurred) and the Civil Court "Parquet" in Port-au-Prince. File I-600 and Adjudicate Orphan Status First paperwork at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office in Port-au-Prince. Prospective parents visit with their child(ren) and their child(ren)'s caregivers and spend quality time in their environment.
Estimated Timing: 2-4 weeks after IBESR approval/Dispensation
Civil Court/Parquet
What Happens: Civil Court "Parquet" reviews the file and IBESR's recommendation and issues a judgment of adoption. The judgment is typed up by an office within the Civil Court and then hand-written/officially recorded in a Court Book. Transcription of the judgment is then done by Birth Certificate Officer to add adoptive parent's last name to the child's name.
Estimated Timing: 4-6 monthsNational Archives (NA) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
What Happens: The case is attested at the NA, a higher office than the Civil Court/Parquet. MOJ is the highest office. Once the MOJ has reviewed everything to insure it is complete and correct, they issue their stamp of approval.
Estimated Timing: 2-4 months Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
What Happens: Upon completion of NA/MOJ, cases go back to MOFA again before review and approval before going to the Ministry of Interior.
Estimated Timing: 4-6 weeksMinistry of Interior (MOI)
What Happens: The MOI reviews the file and if approved, the Director of the MOI signs off. A child's passport cannot be issued until this signature is received.
Estimated Timing: 2-5 monthsPassport Office
What Happens: Application for child's passport.
Estimated Timing: 2 weeks-3 months
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
What Happens: DHS interviews child's birth parent(s) or other family members. DHS may require clarification about a document or have questions. After DHS approval, the U.S. Consulate must review and grant approval. They sometimes request additional documentation.
Estimated Timing: 2 weeks-2 monthsChild's Visa Medical Exam
Estimated Timing: 1-2 weeks
U.S. Consulate
What Happens: Consulate reviews the file and lets the creche/orphanage know if any questions or action is needed before they will issue the visa.
Estimated Timing: 2 weeks-2monthsFamily's Second Required Trip to Haiti
What Happens: Prospective parents appear at IBESR with the child and show the child's visa. IBESR provides a "travel authorization document" that will be required prior to departure. Spend a few days visiting and bonding with the child. Come home!
Estimated Timing: Any time after the child's visa is approved
Very exciting! Praying for a speedy process for you and your family!
ReplyDeleteWhat a process!!!! Praying things go faster than projected and that your hearts can have peace as you endure the wait.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate this. I came across your blog as a new adoptive parent (hopefully). This is so helpful. Daunting, but helpful! :)
ReplyDelete