Governmental red tape

Yesterday Andy and I got fingerprinted for the FIFTH time since we started the process to adopt. And we're not talking re-dos for mistakes--each time was a separate requirement.

#1 First we had to be finger printed by the state for DCFS/CANTS clearance...

#2 Then we got caught in ILLINOIS' new requirement to get FBI clearance BEFORE we could proceed with any international adoption application...so we had to get inked at the police station and mail our prints off to the FBI.

#3 Then, once we got a clear background check from the FBI, Illinois allowed us to proceed. The next step was to clear the Federal government's (USCIS) criminal background check with another finger printing session (in spite of just clearing the FBI check for the state!)...so we paid and printed AGAIN.

#4 Then, in the mean time, unrelated to adoption, Andy & I had to be fingerprinted by a nearby school district so we could volunteer with at-risk kids... You'd think our FBI clearance would have been good enough...but at least they didn't charge :)

#5 Then, yesterday, we had to go back to USCIS to be fingerprinted for the Federal government AGAIN because it had been 15 months since we last printed and those were now "expired." As if our fingerprints changed and expired?? You'd think they could just run a criminal check on our prints already in their system?? Seems like just another way to get $140 out of us!

Seems a bit redundant doesn't it? This is just one of the many hoops required for international adoption. Wouldn't want to make it too easy now would we?