First sign of forward movement in 10 months!!
We just received this e-mail from the Lagos Consulate this morning:
“Your cases are currently with USCIS for adjudication of the I-600 petition. In order to expedite the overall process, USCIS has forwarded your cases to the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos for the mandatory I-604 Determination on Child for Adoption, commonly called the orphan determination process...The Consulate reviews each case individually and is unable to make a clear prediction for how long this process will take. This information is also outlined in the travel.state.gov page that provides information on adoptions in Nigeria which can be found here. Please be assured, we are doing all we can to process your applications as quickly as possible.”
Praise the Lord! This was the step we expected to happen in August of last year after submitting our I-600 applications to USCIS. Over the last three months we have been attempting to contact USCIS with the assistance of Senator Bennet’s office, but the limited communication back from them has just been very generic and vague in nature. About 4 weeks ago, a fellow adoptive family from Colorado traveled to Lagos to pick up their newly adopted daughter. They helped us by hand-delivering a letter to the Consulate requesting their assistance with Peter and Zion’s cases.
We are SO GRATEFUL that the files have finally been received by the Lagos Consulate so that they can conduct the I-604 Determination. This is a huge answer to prayer. Please keep praying for this process! Historically, the I-604 investigation can take several months and there is always the potential for hiccups and roadblocks. Here is a summary of what the I-604 entails from the State Department’s website:
“The Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues, wishes to remind U.S. adoption service providers (ASPs) and prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) adopting a child in non-Hague Convention countries of the potentially lengthy time involved in processing the Form I-604, Determination on Child for Adoption (commonly referred to as an orphan determination). Consular officers are required to conduct a Form I-604 determination to verify the child’s orphan status prior to immigrant visa processing. Conducting this determination is a critical part of the adoption process in countries that are not signatories to the Hague Adoption Convention.
When USCIS adjudicates a Form I-600 petition in the United States, the consular section in the child’s country must complete a Form I-604 determination. When Department of State adjudicates a Form I-600 petition, the consular section must complete the Form I-604 determination to verify the child’s orphan status prior to visa adjudication. Consular officers appreciate that families are eager to bring their adopted child home as quickly as possible; however, depending upon the circumstances of the case, it can take several weeks or, in some cases, months to complete the Form I-604 orphan determination. While the Form I-604 determination for most cases will consist of an analysis of available documents, some cases will require additional interviews, documentation, or a field investigation, all of which may result in delayed processing of the case.
Some additional factors that may contribute to the length of the investigation include prevailing fraud patterns in the country, civil unrest or security concerns that restrict travel to certain areas of the country, available staffing in the consular section, and poor infrastructure and record keeping in the child’s country of origin. Consular officers make every effort to complete the orphan determination as expeditiously as possible while following the requirements of U.S. immigration law. PAPs are advised to keep their travel plans flexible while awaiting the Form I-604 determination results.”
We have been thinking a lot in recent weeks about the story of the wall of Jericho in Joshua 6. On May 2, this was my journal entry:
“I do believe we are dealing with a spiritual wall put up by the powers of this dark world. Lately it has felt discouraging. We’ve been pressing on, praying and fighting in whatever ways we can think of, but it’s felt like we are ‘walking in circles.’ Maybe that’s the point. We’re going to keep ‘walking in circles,’ praying, interceding, pleading, praising God, awaiting the day when the wall will dramatically fall down flat. For now it feels quiet, fruitless, monotonous but the day is coming— with the shouting and the trumpet blowing— when GOD HIMSELF WILL DO IT. And that wall will suddenly, drastically be no more. Lord, we’re all ears. Give us instruction— to walk, to wait, to shout, to fight, whatever it might be. We anticipate You doing it. Even the wind and the water obey You. You just have to say the word. Amos 5:24 ‘But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.’ “
We know God hears your prayers. Keep them coming! We are hopeful that this wall is coming down SOON!
