New Jersey Special Immigrant Juvenile Program (SJI) Lawyer

Helping Abused Foreign Children in the United States

The Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program is one designed to offer aid for foreign children in the United States who have been abused by their parents or primary caretakers. The program allows victims under the age of 18 to obtain a green card under this status that could, after a set duration of permanent residency in the United States, lead to full citizenship and all of the rights that pertain to it.

Unsure if you qualify for the special immigrant juvenile program? Call our SJI lawyer in New Jersey. We've helped thousands of immigrants since 1987. Contact us online or call (800) 909-8129. Se habla Español.

Am I Eligible For The SJI Program?

This program is only available to those who qualify, and the Department of Homeland Security has put limitations in place so that the program is not used by their parents as a means of obtaining a green card for themselves. Our New Jersey special immigrant juvenile program lawyer explains the conditions.

To be eligible for the SJI program, the following must be true:

• Your under 21 years old when you file
• You are not married
• You are in the United States when you file
• You have been abused, neglected, or abandoned
• This history makes it impossible for you to be reunited with your parents

Exceptions and Rules with an SJI Green Card

This status is very generous, as it ignores a lot of the other conditions that stop most people from getting a green card, such as an inability to provide for yourself, not having passport, and the manner in which you entered the country, all for a humanitarian cause. But it does have limitations.

The Department of Homeland Security wants to be sure that you are not a public danger because of a mental disability, and if that applies to you, they want to see that you’re treating the condition. Additionally, they also want to know that you are not willfully involved in the drug, prostitution, or human trafficking industries. Once you obtain an SJI, there will be certain things you cannot do.

You will not be able to:

• Petition for a green card for your parents
• Petition for a green card for siblings until you are a full U.S. citizen

If all of these conditions are met, the proper ones avoided, then our New Jersey SJI attorneys can help you file and afford you the ability to live and work in the United States independently.

Can Special Immigration Juvenile Status Be Revoked?

USCIS may revoke an approved SIJ petition if there is evidence or information that conflicts with the petitioner's eligibility. There are also circumstances that may result in an automatic revocation.

Reasons for automatic revocation of an approved SIJ petition:

• Petitioner gets married
• Petitioner is reunited with parents (and parents are not viable of abuse)
• Juvenile court reverses a decision that originally granted SIJ status

If your petition has been revoked, you may appeal it within 15 calendar days of the decision or 18 days if the denial was sent by mail. There are no exceptions for this unless the petition has proof that the delay was reasonable and was due to something that was beyond their control.

Call (800) 909-8129 today to speak with our sji lawyer in New JErsey about your eligibility. We speak Spanish!