I'm not sure where you're reading 6 weeks for PA's. I'm seeing 60 days. Isn't that like 8 weeks?

Does 60 days for initial processing mean 6 weeks or 60 working days? My thought is that it really means 10 weeks. We just received our PA in slightly over 9 weeks from receiving our DNA and generally it has appeared to take 9 - 11 weeks for people to get PA of the 5 or 6 recent cases I know of.

Teryl

Sorry, I had six weeks in there mistakenly. It should have, and now does, say sixty days.

Kevin
Guatadopt

I don't understand the Monday to Thurs thing.... I've got to get my employer on that schedule.

Kevin,

Is this immediately, are they implementing this right now, so that all of us currently waiting for PA can expect a much longer wait? Are you sure they mean PA and not just the initial approval to take DNA? Thanks~Melissa

Kevin,

Are we sure they mean 60 days to review cases before they issue PA? Could it be that they me initially review before they permit you to take the DNA? Then, another wait for PA? This would add significant time to the process. Also is this in going to start now, immediately? ~Melissa

I just received my PA on 5/11. It took 40 working days (8 weeks)

I'm sorry, but does the 4 days involving the pink slip occur before or during the pick up trip? Thanks for the feedback.
Danielle

Our PA took exactly 61 long days. For those of you interested, I counted Saturdays and Sundays too. This came to eight 7 day weeks plus 5 days. Hope this helps someone!
Lizze
Proud Mama to Anarosa since 5-26-04
Waiting for Migdalia, born November 2006

Do you mean 4 days for pink or 4 days for the visa after the embassy apt.?

My PA took about 9 weeks. DNA-Feb 23rd. PA-Apr 26th.

I guess I should have also posted the date that I received my PA above, for those of you who may be looking for trends . . .

[Doesn't this process have us doing the strangest things, like counting days, to manage our stress?! I'm so layed back generally, I would never be counting days to anything else :)]

I reveived email notice on 5-9-07 and as I stated above it was 61 days on 5-9-07.

Lizzie

I'm a timeline freak and have been watching this very closely. From what I can tell, a lot of people are now receiveing PA very close to 60 total days or 40 working days. Last week, it seemed like the embassy picked up the pace and some were issued between 45 and 50 total days, however, this week things have been slow again.

I agree with Kevin, this could be alleviated by hiring additional staff. It's not like we're not paying for this. I paid over $700 for my 171H which took 62 days and my local USCIS office blamed it on staffing. Hello? Hire someone, I'm paying you!

Jaimee (waiting for DNA, so PA is next)

Another question, if your Attorney submits paperwork to the Embassy to get DNA Authorization from them, don't they review that initial paperwork first? It seems to me that that would be the time to detect the problem? That would seem the logical thing to do, but then again what is logical about this whole process!

Here is what I was told that this means.
Yes, it affects everyone whose case is still in process but this is not new . We are seeing up to 8 weeks which is the 60 days they are talking about in the memo to appove the DNA results once they are completed and sent to Guatemala. Once your case has been approved by the PGN and released and all your final paperwork is submitted to the US Embassy for their approval it is taking up to 1 week to get visa appointment dates even though they are saying 4 business days. They have been experiencing these timelines for about 2 months. I guess now they are just putting it in writing to everyone.

Kevin,

How long are people waiting in PGN? We got preapproval Feb 5 and got into PGN a few days later, I assume. I believe it should be "any day now" before we hear of getting out of PGN and then 4 days for pink (which is the appt date)? How much time usually between getting pink and going to guat for picking up?
Melinda

Regarding staffing at consulates overseas: All US Embassies overseas are understaffed due in large part to funds that were first allocated to go to embassies have been channeled to Homeland Security instead. Increase charges on I-600/I-171H goes toward processing
at your local USCIS district office and not towards hiring additional staff to process adoptions in countries where adoptions are processed. Not all USEmbassies have an Adoptions Unit ovrseas.
Marie, Guatadopt.com

Our Pre-Approval docs were submitted late February and we just received our PA on May 8th. It took a long, long time. Much longer than the anticipated 30 days we were told when we went into the PA process. During this time, the US Embassy somehow misplaced our DNA results and after having those re-sent, they somehow thought our I-171H expired. I agree with Kevin, they need more staff and clearly more training! Our I-171H was not expired and our lawyer had to go to the Embassy to point this out. It's been quite a process. I've since involved my State Senator as this misplacement of documents, lack of professionalism and miscommunication within the US Embassy needs to not only be addressed but immediately fixed.

My husband and I are in our 9th week of waiting for a Pink Slip? Be cause we moved into a better neoghborhood and biigger house the address change has become a problem? Homeland Security assured us that the imformation was sent to the U.S. embassy in Guaetmala on May 2nd, the Embassy says they never got it. It was resent on May 10 as of Thursady we were told the Embassy says they never got it. The Attorney brought them proof, they still say the never got it. I have called 2 Senators for help, that was 2 weeks ago. Now we don't know if she will ever come home because as we were told by our Agency, this is what the Embassy does. They will just put your file aside untikl some decieds to look at it. Our daughter was supposed to be home before mothers day, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how my mothers day was? we have been waiting for our daughter since the day she was born. Thats how long Iwe have had our referral. She will be a year old June 20th. Now I have a child, who is mine but I can't bring her home and no one will help us. My heart is broken, she is our only child and we are missing the best part of her life. I can not have children so when we started this adoption we made sure that this would not take a year, we were promised she would be home by last November. We understand with all the delays things have taken longer but now what? Will she ever come home. We have tried everything our Agency has told us to do. Can you suggest anything? We were goping to fly there to visit her this past Thursday but our Agency told us there was no way she wouldn't be coming home by the 25th or the 29 th the lastest, now they have No idea? Any suggestions? Thank you for your attention concerning this Matter.

Fran

We got our PA after a 65 day wait, also after being told it would be 30-45 days. To see the new timeline in writing now from the USCIS is a little bit more helpful because at least your not expecting it after 45 days and running to check your email constantly. I too am also curious about the PGN. We were originally told 2-3 months and now we are being told it might be running at around 4-5 months. Is there anyone out there that can shed more light on this? What is the trend you are seeing?

We got her BC and Passport many weeks ago, everyone from our group with th same Attormey who got out of PGN atleast a month after us is picking up their babies on this MOnday. I just wanted to clairify that the only thing stopping us from getting our baby, this is what we were told that the U.S. Embassy is purposly holding back our visa appointment because they feel we didn't have our address change on the original I600-A? We feel we are being punished because we moved. We had been planning our move and had our home for sale when we started our adoption and were told it would not be a problem? Like I said before they only answers we get from our Agency is that the Embassy is not working for us but against us? We need to just sit and wait until someone at the Embassy decieds to look in our file and see thT THE PAPER WORK IS AND HAS BEEN THERE FOR WEEKS?

This is for Fran. The time is now to do as my wife and I did concerning our POA for our son, Philip. Get on a plane and go down there and take care of business. With my first child from Guatemala, Matthew back in 2002 I had to get on a plane down near the end and go down and take care of business because they spelled my name wrong on a Guatemalan document. I stayed for over a week but I came home with my son. If you go, do your homework before you go and be armed with all the documents you need or think you might need. My wife and I have no regrets about this action or the extra money that it took. I will do the same for my second son Philip if it becomes necessary in the coming months. I drove 350 miles to the USCIS office in Atlanta a week ago just to get the I-171 because USCIS wanted a statement written and sent to them, this drive shaved 2 weeks off our wait time and when I came out of USCIS that day with the I-171 in hand I drove 2 blocks to a FED/EX KINKOS and faxed it off. Do whatever it takes to stay ahead of the game. We pray first and then act. The positive action taken also helps to hold back the stress.

Hope all goes well for you.

Paul C.

Dear Paul thank you so much for your input. I have been thinking of doing something very similar to do just that. We are getting our paperwork together and fill out everything, bringing it with us and go with the Attorney with our paperwork in hand. Our Agency told us that a women from our support group did that but was turned away? However I think this women that did that was looking to bring her child home early and that is why she was turned away. I agree with you that it can only be fixed if we send the paperwork over night and bring everything else with us. Thank you agian. You are the only person who has answered my email with a suggestion. If nothing else at least we will see our daughter and fix the problem.

Sincerley
Fran

Fran- Whomever you signed to advocate for you on the G28 form is the one that should be contacting the USE in GT. Log onto the Guatadopt.com Forum (scroll on the left of this webpage) and find the thread on this topic for how to's or ask the question. Your agency can send a fax to the USE or you might want to contact your Senator.
Marie, Guatadopt.com

I have contacted two Senators, one told me we are backed up three weeks and hung up on me before I could even ask her name, I did call their main office and told them what happened. they were very sorry for the way I was treated and said they would get back to me, that was three weeks ago. The second Senator I contacted , I did speak with a case worker who forgot to tell me she was going on vacation? They gave me no other information except that I had to wait until she came back, they would not say when that would be? I will try what you have suggested and I thank you for the information. I was a Government employee for 15 years and I how slow the Government is, need I say more?

Sincerley
Fran

Sorry if my spelling is off, it's just that I am beyond upset, my I 600 expires on June 8 th?

Fran, if you have moved to a different house since your I-171H was issued, you need to have an addendum done to your homestudy, and the addendum needs to be sent to your local USCIS office. Could this be the cause of your problem??

good luck, Lisa

Great point! This actually happened to us, we moved after filing our I-171H and our agency had to do an addendum to our home study that was forwarded to USCIS. We had not exited PGN at this point. Has your agency done this? Marie, Guatadopt.com

We had a new Home Study done and addendum done three days after we moved in by our Agency. I havdn't even finfished unpacking when they came. And they have assured me that addendum was done. Homeland Security also sent paper work of an address change b when our fingerprints expired. The Embassy says they never got it? The Attorney who has power of Attnorey has proof they got it and they are still saying they don't have it? This has been going on and on and back and foreth. We have even written the Embassy oursleves in answer to their email to us. No answer from that yet? Thank you for your suggestions. I want to go and see my daughter so i will wait for another answer and if I don't here from them I'm going to visit my daughter anyway. I have never seen her in person, only pictures. I know people from my Agency who are getting their babies so I don't know why this is such a problem? The Agency doesn't want us to waste our money on a visit because they feel she will be coming home soon, but I want to see my child and meet with the Attorney while I am there.

Thank you everyone!
Fran

I don't know if all my emails are coming through, but yes Homestudy, addendum everything was done in our new home before we got out of PGN. Our fingerprints were going to expire before we were out of PGN also and that was taken care of,Homeland security also sent them info of our address change. Homeland Security sent it twice, once May 2nd and again May 10 th. The Attorney in guat, went to the USE with a receipt from the Embassy that they received the information. The USE told him , that no they had not? I can't figure out what the problem is, we were told that the USE does this all the time. If so, how unfair.

fan