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What Is Special Immigrant Juvenile Status?

What Is Special Immigrant Juvenile Status?

Juveniles who are the victims of abuse or abandonment have the opportunity to obtain a Green Card under the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is intended for children who suffered abuse, abandonment or neglect at the hands of a family member as a juvenile. These SIJS applicants must have been a non-citizen minor living in the United States when the abuse occurred, although they are not required to be a minor to apply for SIJ status.

Not all juvenile immigrants pursuing lawful permanent residence will qualify for SIJS. It is important to work with an experienced local immigration attorney who can guide you through the application process and make sure the necessary paperwork, including a qualifying juvenile court order, is in place and review an individual’s qualifications for SIJS.

Qualifications For Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)

A large number of SIJS applications are ultimately denied. An experienced juvenile immigration lawyer can advise whether you meet the qualifications for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and if you have alternatives to qualify for Green Card status.

Permanent Residency through SIJS

If a juvenile is granted SIJS, they have the right to seek permanent residency. This involves an adjustment of status, which occurs when an immigrant already in the United States wants to change from one legal status to another.

Juvenile Immigration Lawyer

Do you have questions about a Special Immigrant Juvenile Status application or do you need to talk to a juvenile immigration lawyer? Contact the experienced immigration lawyers at Godoy Law Office at 630-912-0322.

Mario Godoy
Mario Godoy
Immigration Lawyer and Illinois Crimmigration Attorney

Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.

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