Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
Immigration representation involving Special Immigrant Juvenile classification and related Family Court proceedings.
What is Special Immigrant Juvenile classification?
Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification is a federal immigration protection for certain unmarried young people in the United States who cannot reunify with one or both parents because of abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a comparable ground under state law. A qualifying state-court order is required before USCIS decides the Form I-360 petition.
Age, marriage, and state-court requirements
The applicant must be under 21 when Form I-360 is properly filed, unmarried at filing and adjudication, and physically present in the United States. A state court with authority over the young person’s custody or dependency must determine that reunification with one or both parents is not viable and that returning to the relevant country is not in the young person’s best interests. State-court jurisdiction varies: some proceedings must be brought before age 18; others may be available through age 21. Prompt evaluation is important.
From Family Court to a green card
The firm handles qualifying guardianship and custody proceedings, SIJ petitions, and subsequent adjustment applications. Approval of an I-360 does not itself confer a green card. The EB-4 visa category, priority date, admissibility rules, and available protections during any visa wait must be evaluated separately.
Cases involving detention or removal
A pending or approved SIJ petition can intersect with removal proceedings, detention, and other forms of protection. The firm coordinates the state-court record and immigration litigation rather than treating them as unrelated cases.