More Big Ol' Crap Pile

OK, I'm going to start this off with the fact that there was one referral last week of a 4½ year old healthy boy. That is good news. The rest...not so much.

This is not too encouraging:
"There is still no official announcement regarding the situation in Vietnam or a new agreement. From what we have heard unofficially at this point it does not look like a new agreement will be reached before September 1, 2008. The two governments are in the process of sitting down to discuss a new agreement but this has not occurred yet so it is unlikely that a new one will be reached by 9/1/08."

This sounded encouraging:
"As of now (certainly things can change between now and September) all dossiers will be returned on 9/1/08 if you are not yet matched with a child. The dossiers would then have to be re-submitted to Vietnam once a new agreement is reached. We have also heard however that they will continue processing special needs referrals post 9/1/08. This has been confirmed by both the US and Vietnamese governments. They are still working out the details regarding this and told us they would let all adoption agencies know once the protocol for this is decided."

Until I asked if special needs dossiers would remain at the DIA and got this response:
"My understanding is that all dossiers will be returned come 9/1/08. I have already emailed USCIS in HCMC asking about how the special needs cases will be handled after 9/1/08 and they told me they are still working on the protocol for this and will inform all adoption agencies when they have it worked out. But my understanding is that you would have to resubmit your dossier at that time when you received a referral of a special needs child."

I don't get how matches can be made if there are no dossiers to match them up to. Granted, matches aren't made to the individual families from the orphanage simply to the adoption agency and then the agency contacts the next family in line that meets the needs of the particular child. However, if there is no paperwork logged then the "after-match" process is going to take WAY longer than 6 months. Especially since the USCIS has, ONCE AGAIN, changed a policy that will effect the well being of the children in the orphanages and cause further delays and possible heart break for all families. Read excerpt below.

"On July 1, 2008, the USCIS changed what their definition was of an official referral from Vietnam. The new requirement of an official referral is a letter from DIA to the family approving them to adopt a particular child. This letter is not issued to the family until after the match has been made to the family by the agency and the child's paperwork is processed. So it happens later in the process of the adoption. The USCIS is now requiring that all families receive this letter from DIA prior to 9/1/08 to be considered as having a referral. So this is where the JCICS is coming up with the number of referrals by 9/1/08. There will actually be very FEW referrals being made to families between now and 9/1/08 by all agencies. Most of the cases will not be able to be processed and have the letter from the DIA issued that quickly."

This crap is ridiculous! I'm SO pissed right now I can't see straight. The 16 months that I have invested in this process are going down the drain with nothing to show for it except tears, anger, regret and more anger! I'm tired of dropping money into a money pit. One disappointment after another. How much am I supposed to take before I give it the finger? Right now I would tell anyone wanting to go the international adoption route to steer clear. WAY CLEAR! In the past 8 months the US has f-d up the Vietnam program. Was there a need for some change? Yes. Did the US need to go about it in the manner that they did? No. There was certainly a more diplomatic way to make changes without alienating the VN government and forcing their hand by DEMANDING VN do things the US way. I agree that corruption needs to stop, but fix your own house as well or hell, even first!

Of course, possibly none of this would be effecting me had I accepted the referral in June, so naturally I'm kicking myself right now and wishing I could turn back time. Then again, with the new definition of referral I could have just as easily lost my referral and I would be in the same boat I am now. It's all just a big ol' crap pile! And yes, I've started looking into other options.