Thursday 1 December 2011

Moscow tomorrow!

Time has finally come for our second trip and we head out early tomorrow morning.  Leaving Belfast and a balmy 10 degrees we arrive via London 8 hours later to snow, traffic jams and a couple of degrees above freezing if we're lucky!  Really looking forward to seeing Will again though, its been a long 8 weeks!!

However it wouldn't be an adoption without unforeseen problems cropping up just when things seem to be running smoothly, we just found out yesterday that Russia have changed the rules slightly regarding issuing passports.  Until very recently our agency in Moscow could apply for Wills passport in our absence and it would be waiting for us when we arrived for our third trip.  This has now changed and we have to be there in person to apply for the passport and it will take a further 5 days to be processed.  This means that if we arrive on the 20th, after the appeal period has expired as planned, then it will be the 25th December before the passport is issued, if you are keeping up then you will have already realised that is in fact Christmas day and the staff in Stormont will be eating turkey, pulling crackers and will not return to the office to process our entry clearance until the 3rd January at the earliest, just to make it even better our visa's expire on the 29th December.

We will try to get more info from our agency directly over the next few days but it looks like our potential options are as follows,

1.  The judge, in an admittedly uncharacteristic move appreciates the extenuating circumstances decides to waive or  reduce the appeal period thus allowing us to return much earlier and get all the paperwork sorted out before the holiday period.

2.  We return home as planned, scrap our existing visas and apply for new visas which extend into January then fly out last week of December and return first week of January.

Option one would be fantastic though in reality highly unlikely. 

Pray that we will get some positive and a clear direction in the next few days.  A Christmas miracle would be nice!!

Brace yourselves for a few more pics of Will in the coming days....

Philip & Amanda

3 comments:

wonder411 said...

Thinking of you both as you make your second trip, we pray for a safe journey to sweet Will and that you are able to continue as planned cannot wait to see new pictures of Will and how he has changed, looking forward to your next post!!

dnd82001 said...

It's all good - keep your focus on the fact that at some point your son will be home with you forever.

We just learned that effective January Russia is changing the 10 business day wait after court to now it will be 30 days.....they just make it harder & harder!!

Safe travels and look forward to pictures

Darlene

Springs Landing said...

Oh, all the wonderful rollercoaster rides with an adoptions. Remember, you are in adoption labor pains, so keep breathing, breathing, breathing. Meanwhile, all your guest (me) in the waiting rooms are eagerly praying and holding their breath - and might I say with a little heartburn, until we hear the happy sounds of the baby on your final arrival in N. Ireland as a family of 4. Good luck with the passports, court, appeal and everything else. Praying for a smooth journey. Godspeed