Adoption Update

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Our agency notified us today that our dossier has been submitted to IBESR!

For those of you unfamiliar with Haitian adoptions, IBESR stands for Institut du Bien-Etre Social et Recherches, which translates to Institute of Social Well-Being and Research. Basically it is Haitian social services. They're looking at our dossier to determine if we meet Haiti's adoption requirements and if James is a good match for our family.

When we adopted Elijah and Josephine, our dossier was in IBESR for 11 months. Our agency has told us that they have had families approved by IBESR in 2 months, but they also have families who have been in IBESR for 8 months and still aren't signed out. The families that have waited longer are waiting for presidential dispensation - which is a signature allowing for a family exception to the adoption law.

Recently GLA's director attended a meeting at IBESR, where the new director of IBESR stated that it will not take more than 2 months to sign a dossier out of IBESR, and also that she is assigning a member of her staff to check up on dispensations. There is more detailed information about that meeting here.

We do not know if we will need dispensation. There is some confusion whether families with more than 2 children, or families with more than 2 biological children need dispensation. That is the only questionable part of the adoption law for us. Our agency is trying to get an answer from GLA's perspective, but we may not know until we are signed out of IBESR or until they request we get dispensation.

Please pray with us that our dossier's stay in IBESR will be short, and that we do not need dispensation.When we are out of IBESR, we will travel to Haiti to file immigration paperwork at the US Embassy, and also for two court appearances. We're excited to finally be "in-process" to adopt this adorable little guy, to meet him, and bring him home to join our family!