Red Couch Photo

These children will be heading home tomorrow.  The boy in the middle was happy until his parents sat him down with the girls!  (If you are reading this from the yahoo group, please go to our blog at ftiachina.blogspot.com to see the picture.)

Changes from the US Consulate in Guangzhou

The Consulate has announced changes that will be beneficial for families!

The changes below will take effect February 28, 2011.

Consulate Appointments

The family interview appointments will now be available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  The document intake process will be combined with the oath swearing ceremony during those mornings, which will allow a faster turn-around time for the child’s visa.  The visa will be issued late afternoon of the day following the consulate appointment, which means that families will now be able to leave Guangzhou one day earlier (the 2nd day after Consulate appointment instead of the 3^rd)!

There will be approximately 12 appointments allowed for every time slot during these mornings.  Families are asked to limit the people attending their appointment to just the adoptive parents and the newly adopted child as there will be limited space.  The coordinator will be able to assist families prior to their interview, but will not be allowed to accompany them during the interview.

DS230 Submissions and Pick Ups

The above changes to the Consulate appointments will allow the Consulate to expand their times for the drop-off of DS230 packages and subsequent pick-up of the LSC/Article 5 letters.   Couriers will now be able to drop off and pick up these items on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons.   It will still take the Consulate 10 business days for this process.   For our families, this will mean that your DS230 can now be delivered to the Consulate on  Tuesday or Wednesday (instead of having to wait for Thursday) after it is sent from our US office.  Your Article 5 will then typically be available for pick up by our courier the same week day 2 weeks later (or 10 business days if holidays are involved).

Referrals and new program information

Referrals came earlier this month for two of our families both with a LID of 5/30/06.  Their new children were both girls from the Gansu province, born in December of 2009.  Congratulations to the new families!  The last group of referrals went through June 2, 2006 LIDs, which means those families waited 56 months from the time their dossiers were logged in until the time they received their referrals. 

We currently have 3 regular China and 2 Waiting Children families in China that are scheduled to return the end of next week.

Information on our new waiting child program, called Jing Yi Program, is up on our website now.  To find out more about this program and to see information on the children currently available in this program, please go to our website at:  http://www.ftia.org/waitingchildren/JingYiProgram.asp

The Chinese Consulate will be using a new form for families to obtain their visas, effective June 1st.  The new form is now 4 pages long, however it’s not yet up on their website.  For now, you can find the new form here:  http://big5.fmprc.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/chn/qzhz/qz/P020110127196754166806.pdf

"Oil and Water: The Attachment Disordered Child in School" by Lawrence B Smith L.C.S.W. - C., L.I.C.S.W., is a great resource full of strategies and ideas for you and your child's teachers.  You can find this article, courtesy of EMK Press here:
http://www.emkpress.com/oilandwater.html

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Today is the official New Years Day in China.  All businesses are shut down as families return to their homes to celebrate the start of a new year.  Before shutting down for the holiday, the CCAA sent out referrals and they arrived in our office on Wednesday.  FTIA’s referrals went to families with a log-in date of May 30, 2006.  Congratulations to those happy families that waited so long for their new children!!

This New Year, according to the Chinese zodiac, will be the year of the Rabbit.   The year of the Rabbit is thought to be a calming year, since it follows the aggressive Tiger year.  The Rabbit is traditionally associated with home and family, artistic pursuits, diplomacy and keeping the peace.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!  Happy New Year to You!