Different Kinds of Waiting

There is some debate or curiosity at least about which is harder for adopting families: the wait before referral or the wait after referral.

Of course, the wait isn't the same across the board within any given country let alone between countries. Different countries have different policies and procedures resulting in drastically different time lines and experiences.

Those adopting from China, for example, are currently being quoted wait times of approximately two and a half years(!) from the time their paperwork is completed until the time they will receive their referrals. While that may seem like an extraordinary amount of time, the good news is that these families must only wait a few weeks from the time they first receive news and photos of their child until they can travel to pick them up.

While other countries have shorter wait times from paperwork completion to referral (I don't think any country has longer wait times than China!), as far as I know there are no other countries that have as long a wait AFTER referral than Taiwan. With Kazakhstan, for example, once a referral is received, families typically travel within a month or so to see their babies and their babies can come home, in most cases, within three months of referral (of course the families may spend seven weeks or more in country before coming home but that's a whole 'nother topic).

The point is that it makes no sense to me at all that babies that have been matched with families shouldn't be united with those families ASAP. *sigh* If only logic ruled the court systems of the world...