Our Agency: US Asian Affairs
| We used US Asian Affairs for both of our adoptions. Since they performed a pretty important role in our life, I thought it was only fair that we say a few nice things about them. First of all, they're not actually an "agency" in the true sense of the word. They're a China Facilitator. They only do China. And they do China with amazing efficiency and have for more than 10 years. |
You won't find them online. They seem to not be interested in advertising on the internet. And it doesn't seem to hurt their business at all! If you read the book "The Lost Daughters of China", you might be interested to know that the author used USAA. I hope I'm not giving away a big secret by saying that "Max" in Karin's book is really "Norman", above.
They're competitively priced - actually less expensive than most of the large agencies. More importantly, though, I really believe in my heart that their efficiency saved us many months of waiting for our precious Gwendolyn. Our process from date of application to Gotcha day was exactly 11 months. They're based in Los Angeles but families from all over the USA use them. They did all of the dossier authentication for us and they're very much experts at it. We collected our documents and mailed them to USAA and they took care of everything. Even the "tricky" stuff (my husband wasn't born in the USA). They're also brilliant when it comes to the way they assist during our time in China. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this part of their service.
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The "China Team" (left) is simply amazing! We only had to remember to bring the baby to our appointments. Everything else was handled for us! |
You don't know how valuable this part of their service is until you read about other people's experiences. There were no glitches or unpleasant surprises. All the paperwork was perfect and we were never delayed at any of the government offices in China. On top of that, they're the most friendly people I've ever met. Philip and Martin took care of us during Gwen's adoption and Sarah took care of us during Maddy's adoption (we love you, Sarah!!).
If you want more information about USAA, you can contact them by phone. Please tell them that Donna referred you. Since 2004, we've referred more than 21 families to USAA (that we personally know of). Please post a comment or email us and let us know if you decide to use them. It'll be fun to follow you on your journey!
But, in all fairness, I should warn you that if you're looking for lots of cozy hand-holding during the months leading up to your referral (while you're still here in the USA), you won't get it from USAA. They don't publish newsletters or call families when delays are expected. It's just not their way and this could drive you crazy! But you'll have some really good company during your wait and I'm happy to answer any questions I can to help you too!
If you're a current or former client of USAA, there is a online forum you can join. Please email me if you're interested in the URL. You'll get tons of support there too!
