Why are we going to Ethiopia?

We've been asked by a few people why were are going to Ethiopia now.  Some think just so we can see the kids.  Some think it's to bring the kids home.  Some just don't have a clue. :)  This trip is for the sole purpose of seeing the children.

If we only travel one time at the end of the adoption process, our childen will be issued an IR-4 visa.  That means that we did not see the children prior to the adoption being official, something that happens about a month before we bring them home.  If the kids come home on an IR-4 visa, we are required to have two post-placement visits, readopt the children through the North Carolina courts, and then apply for their US Certificate of Citizenship.  After receiving that, we can apply for their US passports.  We estimate that would take a bare minimum of 6 months and possibly as long as a year.

If we travel one time prior to the adoption being official, the children are instead issued an IR-3 visa.  With an IR-3 visa, the children are automatically issued a Certificate of Citizenship.  It takes about 30 days for us to receive that in the mail, but upon receipt, we can apply for their passports.  We also have the option of returning to the US through Hawaii and receiving the COC within 2 days, though we aren't planning on doing that.  By traveling this first time to see the children and getting our picture taken with them as proof, we will be able to get US passports for them within about 2 months, a much better option than taking only one trip.

Well, can't we just bring them to China on their Ethiopian passports?  Yes, we could, but being a US family adopting kids from Ethiopia is so far ouside of the box, that there is no guarantee that the visa office would understand and believe that Little W and Littler A are really our children.  Worst case scenerio is that they are issued visas that would require us to leave China with them every 30 days to get a new entry stamp in their passports.  We don't really know what would happen if we brought them on Ethiopian passports, and don't want to risk getting a visa that requires them to leave the country so frequently.

Hope this helps those of you who were wondering!