New Life Link
  • Adoptions Overview
  • Adoption Process
  • Volunteering
  • Français
  • Español

Time Frame

Picture
Our wait is about 12-18 MONTHS .  By the time that we receive your complete dossier in Haiti, it takes us about 30 days or less  to give you a referral for a child who is 2 years old and up.  

Before we can give you a referral, we must  receive your complete dossier from our partner HAGUE - IBESR approved adoption agency.. 
After you receive the picture of your child, the date that we receive your notice of acceptance is your date of referral.  From the day when the adoption agency informs NEW LIFE LINK that the adoptive family accepts the child who was referred to them, it takes about twelve to eighteen 12 + months for your child to be ready to go. This is possible in the light of the improvement taken place at IBESR  and the government offices in Haiti. In the meantime, we are fighting to get done with the old dossiers which got stuck in the system for over 18 months.

Keep in mind that the sooner that your child is ready to go, the better it is for all of us.

Adoptive parents who ask to have a newborn child which is 0 - 12months old at the time of the
referral, these parents will have to pay an additional fee of $2,000, because it costs more money to care for the newborns, and their waiting period for referral may be as long as two (2) months or longer. However, parents who are flexible enough to adopt an older child, do not have to pay the additional fee, and their referral waiting period is about 30 days .
 PLEASE,NOTE THAT THERE IS ALSO A $2000 EXTRA FOR ALL PRE-IDENTIFIED CHILDREN.

Our correspondence is important with the prospective adoptive parents who adopt directly from NLL.  Know that we are doing our very best for your child to be with you as soon as possible.  The sooner is better for all parties involved. With the grace of God, we believe that we are doing a good job so far.


Families, remember that for our relationship with you to stand the test of times, we need to build it on a solid foundation.  We need to trust the Lord and trust each other.  If you truly believe that the Lord Jesus leads you to adopt from NLL, you will need to prove it by trusting us as God's instrument in the adoption process of your child. We will never knowingly deceive you or neglect your dossier.  In the Name of Christ our Lord, and with His grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to do our very best for all of our children and their adoptive families.  You are important to us.

 Preventive rules In order to develop and maintain the best Christian relationship with you as our HAGUE - IBESR licensed adoption agencies and adoptive families, we may apply the following preventive rules during the waiting period:

  1. After we receive your complete dossier in Haiti, you may receive the description and / or pictures of your child and the necessary information within 30 days.
  2. From the day when the adoption agency informs New Life Link  that they accept the child who was referred to them,  it takes approximately 12 months for your child to be ready to go.
  3. After the referral, we will send you ONCE a month pictures, weight, and height of your child, and any important information.
  4. There is no guarantee that we will be able to answer all of your emails. However, we, ourselves may send you many e-mails, if we have to inform you on something regarding your child.
PS. Keep in mind that these rules are set to protect our Christian relationship with you as adoption agency and adoptive parents and to preserve our sanity in Haiti, as we seek to fulfill faithfully our commitment to you. We covet your prayers, patience, understanding, and TRUST.

Transfer of dossiers ? Some adoptive parents express the desire to transfer their dossiers from other crèches in Haiti to NEW LIFE LINK. We do sincerely appreciate their intention, however, NEW LIFE LINK will have to consider the appropriateness of the situation before making such an important decision.
IF ACCEPTED, THE TOTAL ADOPTION FEE FOR ALL PRE-IDENTIFIED CHILDREN IS $15,000.

What do I do first?  ANSWER OUR BASIC QUESTIONS.

Picture

A. First, e-mailing the office: newlifelink@yahoo.com  and  jbnewlifelink@yahoo.com

When contacting us for the first time, please give us the answers to the following basic questions :
1. Do you believe in and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior ?  
2. Are you active member (s) of a church ?  If yes, please name the church, provide its address, explain to what  denomination it belongs, and describe your involvement.
3. Are you single,  married ( Give wife and husband first names), or divorced ?
4. How old are you and your spouse? ( if you are married )  How long have you been married ?
5. How many children do you already have  at home? their ages ?
6. What gender and age range of the child you hope to adopt ?
Our children's ages range from 0 to 15 years old.  It is difficult sometimes to have newborn children and we hope adoptive parents will understand the many reasons.  One of the reasons is that too many parents want to adopt a newborn.  Also, most biological mothers in Haiti want to keep their child until they are very sure that they do not have a way to provide for the needs of that child.  Consequently, we encourage adoptive parents to be more open in accepting children in the following range:

1)  0   to  12 months  old - newborn child, or pre-identified children (add $2,000 on the regular fees)
2)  1   to 2 years old
3)  2 to 3 years old
4)  3  to 4  years old and so on ...
The more flexible the adoptive parents are, the easier and faster it is for us at New Life Link.

You will need to find an HAGUE - IBESR accredited agency to complete your adoption through.  Independent adoptions are no longer permissible.

B. Then you will gather the documents for your dossier.  Your agency will assist you in gathering, notarizing, authenticating, translating, and legalizing the following:


List of documents for the Haitian government and/or New Life Link

1- Letter addressed to the Director of the IBESR, requesting the adoption of a child.  The letter should introduce who you are, tell a little about your family and motivation to adopt, the age and gender of the child you wish to adopt, and what your plan is to help your Haitian child know his/her culture and history.  This letter must be signed by both parents and notarized.

 2-Approval from USCIS to adopt (I-171H approval letter)

3-Form G-28 (http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/g-28.htm), signed by both parents and notarized.

4-Home Study (notarized. authenticated by the Secretary of State, and legalized by the Haitian Consulate)

5-Psychological Evaluation done by a psychiatrist or a psychologist (A one-page letter addressing your competence to parent an adopted child with the psychologist’s signature, notarized. authenticated by the Secretary of State, and legalized by the
Haitian Consulate)

6- Power of Attorney to “Dr Jacob J. Bernard  or Abraham Chevry  or Chrismène Beaubrun or  another representative of New Life Link.” (notarized. authenticated by the Secretary of State, and legalized by the Haitian Consulate).Please,know that it is perfectly fine to write the three (3) above names on the same POA. 

7- Health certificate and detailed test results for HIV, TB, and Syphilis for each parent. (A one-page letter addressing your health status, lab results, and ability to parent an adopted child; doctor’s signature must be notarized)
 
8- Original of birth, marriage and/or divorce certificates for each parent.

9- Eight (8) passport pictures of each parent.
 
10- Letter from your bank addressing the standing of your account(s), how long you have had the account(s), and the balance.  The bank manager or assistant manager must sign and notarize this letter.  Include your two most recent bank statements.

11- Employment letter from your employer, stating your position, salary, projected salary for the coming year, whether you have health insurance through this employer and whether or not the adopted child will be covered by the health insurance. Signature must be notarized.

12- Federal income tax returns and supporting W-2 forms for the last 3 years.

13- Clearance from your local Police Station for each parent in the form of a notarized letter indicating a record check was performed.

14- Two (2) letters of reference, notarized.


15- A letter of recommendation from your home church, notarized.

Almost all the documents require notarization.  It is important to note that your notary’s commission should not expire within the next 15 months.  Please check with your notary before using his/her services to make sure your document has a notarization that will not expire during the adoption process. 

Once your documents are gathered, the following documents must be authenticated by your Secretary of State.  Contact that office for instructions.

1-Homestudy
2-Psychological evaluation
3-Letter to the IBESR
4--Power of Attorney

 When the authentications come back your dossier must be translated.  All documents must be translated into French and certified by the translator EXCEPT for the bank statements, tax returns and lab reports. New Life Link recommends Deborah Blaz, who can be contacted at blazm@yahoo.com.  She has translated over 150 dossiers for Haitian adoptions.  Please contact her directly if you wish to use her services. You may also find your own translator.

After the translation is done, the same documents that were authenticated (see list above) must be sent to the Haitian Consulate for legalization.  The Haitian Consulate charges $25 per document.
Consulate General of the Republic of Haiti
220 South State Street, Suite 2110
Chicago, IL 60604

www.haitianconsulate.org

Once you receive these documents from the Haitian Consulate, send the complete dossier directly to NLL in Haiti via Fed Ex or DHL.  Please send NLL the original and THREE (3) copies of everything in the dossier. 

For all correspondence, please always use the following mailing addresses:

Dr. Jacob Bernard
MFI-Unit 2109-UEBH
3170 Airmans Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34946


Or Send your dossier by DHL, Federal Express or UPS to:

Dr. Jacob Bernard
c/o NEW LIFE LINK / AGENCE NACIA
200 Rue Mgr. Guilloux
Port-au-Prince, HAÏTI

Fees

Our Fees are reasonable and the quality of our professional services is one of the best in Haiti.

$13,000 US covers all fees in Haiti, except the cost of the American visa(s) for the child(ren). Please, note that there is an additional $2000  for all new born children, and for all pre-identified children.
The parents need to send  NLL the $230 for the child's visa right after the dossier gets out of MOI. The adoptive parents need to pay for the airfare out of the country for the child(ren). 

After the dossiers come out of IBESR, both parents have to come to Haiti to attest before the Justice of the Peace and the Judge at the Civil Court that they are adopting their specific child or children. As the families come, they must plan to spend two (2) full days in Haiti. As they come to Haiti, their only expenses are their lodging , food, and transportation. Generally, the families stay at BETHEL GUEST HOUSE. 

FAMILIES COSTS TO STAY AT BETHEL GUEST HOUSE
Rates are as follows:
  • LODGING
  • First guest: $80 US per night.  Each additional adult in the same room is $20 per night each, and $10 per each child, including the NLL children). There is a family suite which sleeps 7 people easily. The suite cost is $150 per night It is the best deal for large families.

  • MEALS
  • .Breakfast is $8 per person
    Lunch is $7 per person
    Dinner is $15 per person
  • Adoptive families need to keep in mind that their children ought to eat at the NLL Center.However,if they choose for their children to eat with them at BETHEL, then: Children age 5 and under EAT FREE; Children age 6 and up pay the FULL COST for their meals as stated above.
  • (For more information, please, visit us at  www.bethelguesthouse.org )
  • p.s     Please, keep in mind that 51% of ALL of our profits goes right to support our different ministries for the the advancement of our Lord's kingdom)
  • TRANSPORTATION:
  •  There is a FLAT FEE of $100 per person from age 13 and up. Children age age 0-12 ride FREE.
  •  This flat fee covers pick up from and drop off to airport, going to Courts, U.S. Embassy, IBESR, Church on Sunday, the Haiti Baptist Mission, or the Boutilier Overlook for sight seeing and shopping.It does matter how many necessary trips made for the adoption process,it stills cost the flat fee of $100 per adult.


PAYMENT OF THE FEES
Adoption Agencies who adopt from NEW LIFE LINK, need to send only  $6500 of the total fees with their complete dossiers.  The total balance is due immediately right after the dossier comes out of IBESR.  Please, give us your full cooperation.  Please, always send us a bank check. We have no time to send out bills.  Parents or adoption agencies can choose to send us the full fees with their dossiers, if that is the way they want to do it, but it is not required. Keep in mind that the fees paid are not refundable, once you accept our referral. If you do not accept our referral, most likely, we will not be able to work with you. Therefore, your dossiers and your fees paid will be returned to you ASAP.

In either case, all the fees must be paid in full right after the dossier comes out of IBESR.  

NO CHILD CARE
There are no childcare expenses.  We believe that charging adoptive parents for childcare expenses during the usual waiting period is a rip-off, an unethical, and a cheating practice. We believe that as long as the child remains in Haiti, it is our total responsibility to provide for all of his / her needs as long as the adoptive parents provide all the information and paperwork we need.   

BANK TRANSFER . Here is the necessary information to make a bank transfer:

Dr Jacob J. Bernard
BANK OF AMERICA
1001 Red Bug Lake Road
Casselberry, Florida 32707 U.S.A.
Téléphone (407) 265 - 0755      
Our checking account number : 0028 - 3247 - 9974  
Routing # for domestic transfers: ABA #026009593

Or you can choose to send a bank check to NEW LIFE LINK at the Haiti's address.

After sending in your dossier...

Picture
Our wait is about 12+ MONTHS as the dossier enters IBESR, one of the shortest in Haiti.  By the time that we receive your complete dossier in Haiti, it takes us about 30 days  or less to give you a referral for a child who is 2 years or older.  

Before we can give you a referral, we must  receive the complete dossier. 
After you receive the picture of your child, the date that we receive your notice of acceptance is your date of referral.  From the day when the adoption agencies inform NEW LIFE LINK that they accept the child who was referred to them, it takes about twelve (12 +) months for your child to be ready to go home. This is possible in the light of the improvement taken place at IBESR, and some of the government offices in Haiti. In the meantime, we are fighting to get done with the old dossiers which got stuck in the system for over 18 months.

Keep in mind that the sooner that your child is ready to go home, the better it is for all of us.

Adoptive families who ask to have a newborn child which is 0 - 12months old at the time of the
referral, these parents will have to pay an additional fee of $2,000, because it costs more money to care for the newborns, and their waiting period for referral may be as long as two (2) months.  However, parents who are flexible enough to adopt an older child, do not have to pay the additional fee, and their referral waiting period is about 30 days .

Our correspondence is important with the adoption agencies.  Know that we are doing our very best for your child to be with you as soon as possible.  The sooner is better for all parties involved. With the grace of God, we believe that we are doing a good job so far. However, we can improve our service through your constructive suggestions and support.



Families, remember that for our relationship with you to stand the test of times, we need to build it on a solid foundation.  We need to trust the Lord and trust each other.  If you truly believe that the Lord Jesus leads you to adopt from NLL, you will need to prove it by trusting us as God's instrument in the adoption process of your child. We will never knowingly deceive you or neglect your dossier.  In the Name of Christ our Lord, and with His grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to do our very best for all of our children and their adoptive families.  You are important to us.

 Preventive rules
In order to develop and maintain the best Christian relationship with you as our adoptive parents, we may apply the following preventive rules during the waiting period:

  1. After we receive your complete dossier in Haiti, you may receive the description and / or pictures of your child and the necessary information within 30 days.
  2. From the day when the adoptive parents inform New Life Link  that they accept the child who was referred to them,  it takes approximately 18 months for your child to be ready to go.
  3. After the referral, we will send you ONCE a month pictures, weight, and height of your child, and any important information.
  4. There is no guarantee that we will be able to answer all of your emails. However, we, ourselves may send you many e-mails, if we have to inform you on something regarding your child.
PS. Keep in mind that these rules are set to protect our Christian relationship with you as adoptive parents and to preserve our sanity in Haiti, as we seek to fulfill faithfully our commitment to you. We covet your prayers, patience, understanding, and TRUST.


List of documents to send to US Immigration for approval

List of Documents to submit to USCIS (US Immigration) for approval 

Submit your I-600A with the following, numbers 1-4:

1- Home Study, done by a licensed social worker.
2- Form I-600A (http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-600a.htm),  Application for Advanced Processing of Orphan Petition
3- Birth, Marriage and/or Divorce Certificates

USCIS will send your approval to the American Embassy in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, if you request so on your I-600A form.  When you
receive your I-171H approval letter from USCIS, double check that they have sent
it to Port-au-Prince; if not, submit a letter asking them to do so. 
Forward a copy of your I-171H approval letter to NLL.

Parents must come to Haiti to submit their forms I-600 to USCIS in Port-au-Prince. 
Your agency will assist you in preparing your form I-600 and accompanying documents.

(Consult with your local USCIS office for more information or visit their website, www.uscis.gov)


NEW I-600 FILING PROCEDURES:

In the past, families would send their I-600 to NLL to be filed on the family’s behalf at the USCIS office in Port-au-Prince.  This proxy filing is no longer accepted by USCIS.  Therefore NLL recommends that all families file their forms I-600 in person in Port-au-Prince using the Adjudicate Orphans First pilot program while they are in Haiti to go to court.  Your adoption agency will assist you with preparing your I-600 filing packet.

What we will do in Haiti

C. List of things we will do in Haïti Identification and selection of the child.
 Pictures of the child and the parent (s)
 Consent to adopt, and Unconditional relinquishments from the Justice of the Peace.
 Medical Screening for HIV, Sickle Cell Anemia, TB, Hepatitis B,  and Syphilis.
 Social History of the Child.
 Minutes of Adoption.
 Authorization of Adoption from IBESR
 Extract of the Minutes of the Clerk of the Civil Court.
 Adoption Certificate.
 Pictures for Passport and Visa
 Passport.
 Medical Examination, and Vaccination of the child for the American Consulate.
 Packet-4
All other necessary legal documents in Haiti.  Meeting the adoptive parents at the Airport and escorting them through the  process.

WARNING TIPS FROM US INS  "Unscrupulous adoption practices are common in many areas of the world.  Prospective adoptive parents are advised to retain a reputable agency with foreign adoption experience or competent legal representation in their efforts to bring foreign-born children to the United States.

WARNING TIPS FROM US CONSULATE  "The ease with which fraudulent documents can be obtained in Haiti necessitates that special attention be paid to each and every adoption case...  It is recommended that, prior to their traveling, prospective parents have a representative in Haiti contact USCIS for an appointment to begin the I-604 investigation..."

Contact Information:
For more information please contact Dr. Jacob J. Bernard directly.

Telephone
Office:                     (011-509) 3713-7000, 3720-7000, 3384-7000, 3385-7000, 3389-7000, (shared with Agence Nacia)
Jacob's Cell Phone:   (011-509) 3710-7000, 4272-7000, or  Claudette Bernard's cell phones: 3712-7000, 4273-7000


FAX----None
Postal address
MFI-Unit 2109-UEBH
3170 Airmans Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34946


If you are rushing any documents to us, send it by :

DHL, Federal Express, or UPS at:
Dr. Jacob Bernard,
c/o Agence NACIA / NEW LIFE LINK
200 Rue Mgr. Guilloux,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Electronic mail: jbnewlifelink@yahoo.com, jacobbernard@newlifelink.org,or jbernard@ passionforsoulshaiti.org

General Information: newlifelink@yahoo.com

For personal questions or the permit of the fees, write directly to Dr. Jacob Bernard: jbnewlifelink@yahoo.com (personal email)

For questions about this web site, or if you have comments or problems to report, please email the Webmaster. Thanks in advance.

Traveling to Haiti

Port-au-Prince - Airport : Welcome to Haiti ! Your child is waiting on you. As you get to the Airport in Port-au-Prince, you need to claim your luggage. If you want to use a cart, go to the left end corner of the luggage area and buy a ticket for $2, and somebody will hand you a cart. Go through customs and go outside the building; just follow everybody else, for there is only one door to go outside. As you step outside, there will be a crowd waiting and some of the guys would try to grab your luggage. Do not get intimidated, they are not thieves, but just aggressive porters who want a job.  Look for someone with a sign which reads: " NEW LIFE LINK welcomes you to Haiti". That driver will be standing by the exit door. This driver works for NEW LIFE LINK / BETHEL GUEST HOUSE, but please ask him for identification. He will take you right to Bethel Guest House.

Bethel Guest House - click here for more information on costs for rooms and board at the Bethel Guest House, managed by the Bernards.

TRANSPORTATION:

1. For adoptive parents, for standard transport around Port-au-Prince ( pick up and drop off airport, shopping, visiting New Life Link, U.S Consulate.etc), total flat fee is $100 per adult. 
2. For excursions outside the city the fee is $175 per day for an SUV, including gas and driver. The SUV can hold up to 6 people.
3. We also have a 15 passenger van, or a minibus, or Taptap available for $250 per day including gas and driver, depending on the need of families or groups..
. 


Our Relationship Our Relationship is very good with the Haitian Government Agencies, the American Consulate/ USCIS  office in Port-au-Prince.  We have a very good record of success with these most important offices in adoption. With the grace of God, we will maintain such a good working relationship which is above reproach.

YOUR DECISION to adopt from NEW LIFE LINK is much easier now that  you have all the necessary information. We covet the privilege of having you among our group of satisfied adoptive families. If you have been seriously praying, planning, and trusting God about adopting a child, let us know how we can be at your service. NEW LIFE LINK based in Haiti, can find a child for you from birth and up. You just decide the gender and the age range of your child.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.