SIJS protects children and young people under 21 who cannot reunite with one or both parents because of abuse, neglect or abandonment. It can lead to a green card. The case has two parts. First, a state court must make certain findings about the child’s welfare. Then the case moves to the federal immigration agency.
Timing is critical. The young person must be under 21 when the petition is filed, and state court findings can be harder to get as a child gets older, so don’t wait. At our firm, both parts are handled under one roof. David’s law partner, Yolanda Edwards, who is licensed in Georgia, handles the state court part of the case, and David handles the immigration petition. Working together, they make sure the court’s findings give the immigration case what it needs.
SIJS no longer comes with automatic protection from deportation or an automatic work permit, and young people from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador may wait years for a green card. We explain what protection is and is not available at each step.
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