Brief overview of the process: For the most part, dossiers (Chinese adoption applications) requesting healthy children are processed first come, first served in the order the dossiers are received in China. The only exception involves applications from ethnically Chinese applicants (they are given a preference by being given a short wait).

Thus, the log in date (LID) of the receipt of the dossier by China is very important in determining where one is in the wait process.

Referrals (notices of child matches) are sent by China in monthly batches rather than one at a time over the course of a month. The last monthly batch was sent out by China and received by couples around the world earlier this week.

Thus, the next batch should be sent out at the end of August. Because the last batch involved LIDs up to July 13, 2005 and our LID was July 25, 2005, we really think we’ll be getting a referral in the next batch.

Travel to China would then be 4-8 weeks after the receipt of the referral.