The placement agency will help you develop your dossier which are the papers required by the country where your child lives. These include many of the same types of materials as the homestudy but some others as well. It helps to be organized. It also helps to make copies of everything you send to either the homestudy, placement agency or INS and keep track of the dates these were sent and to whom. When mailing important documents, it is a good idea to either hand carry them or send them so that they will be tracked either by US Postal Service overnight, two day mail or by certified mail or by a private carrier such as UPS or Fedex.
People often ask how long a homestudy takes.
The homestudy can be done in a few months or in over a year. Much depends on how appointments are scheduled, training dates and the timeliness of the papers being received by the agency. Get fingerprints done early, be sure to send in your letters for the abuse registry and check with your references to be sure they received the information they need and have followed through in writing the letter. The costs for international adoption vary widely. The agencies that do homestudies have varying fees as do the placement agencies.