Special Immigrant Juvenile

You can qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification if you are a child who needs the protection of a juvenile court because your parents have abused, neglected, or left you. If given SIJ classification, you might be eligible for legal permanent residence (also known as getting a Green Card).

The conditions under which you are eligible to apply for a Green Card as a special immigrant juvenile are being under 21 years of age, having never been married and if previously married, the marriage was ended due to divorce, annulment, or death.  

You can qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification if you are a child who needs the protection of a juvenile court because your parents have abused, neglected, or left you. If given SIJ classification, you might be eligible for legal permanent residence (also known as getting a Green Card).

 It is also necessary for you to be present in the United States at the time of SIJ application; it’s considered invalid if applied anywhere outside the country.

A state court should also confirm through a juvenile court order in the United States that you are indeed judicially dependent or in the supervision of a state agency, Department, or other person or organization and there are proven records of you being abused, abandoned, neglected by any of your parents. Hence the reunion is near impossible and should be mentioned in the paper.

If you are a foster child without legal representation, regardless of your immigration status, you should get help from your organization and ACS. It would help if you let your foster care agency’s case planner know about your legal immigration issues to get proper help and assistance.

The juvenile court ruling must include the conclusions drawn on dependency or custody, parental reunification, and best interests as required by applicable state law. For each judicial decision and the juvenile court’s order for relief from parental abuse, you must provide proof of a legitimate factual basis.

A valid court order issued by the juvenile court is mandatory to classify as a special immigrant juvenile. Also, it can be processed further if you are under 18.

If you are eligible for SIJS (Special Immigrant Juvenile Status), our legal services provider will cooperate with you during the application procedure. They’ll aid you with document collection, acquire a judicial order to support your application, complete the immigration forms and go with you to the immigration appointments.

Our expert panel in the law firm has dealt with many SIJ cases and has all the knowledge to apply and file for a successful immigration process.

The risk of visiting Family Court is very low. Acquire a court order that will serve as proof for your claim. However, if immigration rejects your request for SIJS, you could be subjected to deportation or removal proceedings. Due to this, be sure to consult an SIJS legal services representative. Before submitting your application to the provider, do not submit one without getting competent legal counsel.

We help guide clients through the immigration process.  Call us today for an appointment with our immigration attorneys.