Expected Timeline

Our timeline can be seen by clicking "Adoption Timeline" in our header (I love looking at these from other families!) but the real question our friends keep asking is, “how much longer?”. 

Our adoption agency says we will receive a referral 6-12 months from the time our dossier is submitted to Honduras.  An adoption referral is when you get “THE call” where you are given a full profile, including pictures, of your child. 

Our agency is one of the best, most reputable in the U.S.,  and that is why we chose them.  However, only 10 adoptions were processed through Honduras in 2010.  Although Honduras says they are open to international adoption (learn more about the country and process here), and the experiences of many families in 2011 show that they are moving the process more quickly, there are a lot of families in the pipeline and it is a very “new” program.  There are only 5 agencies in the U.S. authorized to handle Honduran adoptions, which all must be processed through a government agency in Honduras called INFHA.  We are part of our adoption agency’s pilot program since they were just approved in 2011.  We were the 5^th family to “sign on” for the pilot program. 

When our agency visited INFHA, the officials told them they would expedite the applications of any families willing to adopt toddler age or older children, or siblings.  We have seen families who have only waited two months for a referral when they were open to a child up to the age of 4.  We are approved for a toddler boy, aged 24-43 months.  So once on the waiting list, we do not expect to wait more than 6 months for a referral.  But nothing is certain.  We can only hope.

After we receive the referral Johnny and I will travel to Honduras immediately.  We will stay for a week on that initial trip and will meet our son for the first time.  He will then move from the orphanage to a foster family to wait for a judge’s approval for the adoption.  3-5 months later we will return to the country with our two older children to stay for 4-6 weeks in Honduras.  Our son will live with us during this time while we finish the approvals and paperwork.

We can’t wait!!