Over the past several years, “juvenile courts” throughout the United States have been confronted with a growing number of applications from non-U.S. citizens who seek to qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) under federal immigration law. Family Court judges in New York State—talented professionals in their field who are no strangers to expanded caseloads—have become quite experienced in handling these matters. It is suggested here that juvenile courts may benefit significantly from the assistance of others to get this important job done, particularly the attorneys representing SIJS applicants.
SIJS was created by the Immigration Act of 1990, as amended, and enables abused, neglected, abandoned (or other “similar basis”) juveniles under the age of 21 to apply for lawful permanent residency in the United States.
