Special Immigrant Juvenile Program (SJI)

New Jersey Attorneys Protecting Abused Children

The Special Immigrant Juvenile 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.

Of course, 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 immigration attorneys explain the conditions.

In order 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 immigration attorneys can help you file and afford you the ability to live and work in the United States independently.

Call (800) 909-8129 today to speak with one of our attorneys about your eligibility.

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4713 Bergenline Avenue
Union City, NJ 07087

Find Out About Your Immigration Options

Speak with our attorneys today to talk about your situation and we will walk you through your options.

If you have a green card, find out if you can become a U.S. citizen.
If you are here on a visa, find out if you can get a green card.
If you do not have immigration status, find out if you may be eligible to get a green card, visa or work permit.
If you have a criminal arrest or conviction, find out how it might affect your situation, or if there is a way to erase it from your record.
If you are detained or put into deportation proceedings, ask for a hearing in front of a judge to get out of detention and to fight your deportation.

Common Questions

I am a fiancée of a U.S. citizen living outside the U.S. How can I enter the U.S. to marry?
Your fiancée must apply for a Fiancée Visa, also known as the K-1 Visa. The visa is for parties who have physically met within the past two years, have an intent to marry, and can document a relationship together. The visa is only for those who are residing abroad and cannot be used if the alien is in the US. The application is filed from within the US and when approved, will be forwarded to the American Consular where the alien fiancée will apply for the visa and be interviewed by an officer - usually about 8-12 months from the date of filing.
I live in the U.S. and I am marrying a U.S. citizen. How can I get a green card and become a permanent resident?
Assuming you have entered the US with a visa or are protected by an old law called 245i, you may be eligible to adjust status to receive a green card from within the US. If you have been illegally present for more than 6 months, you cannot travel until the green card is in hand. Current processing time is about 5-7 months.
I live outside the U.S. and I married a U.S citizen. How can I come to the U.S. to live?
To enter the US after a marriage to a US Citizen, you would go through Consular Processing. Paperwork would be filed in the US and forwarded to the embassy abroad to schedule an interview. The processing time frame from start to finish is between 9-11 months, depending on the embassy abroad. The process is document-intensive and requires careful attention to detail.

Conferences & Speaking Engagements

Staying Current to Provide Our Clients the Best Protection

Our Founding Attorney Lloyd E. Bennett, Esq. is one of the rare attorneys with as many as 30 plus years of experience in the field who possess the drive to constantly learn more to better advocate for his clients. Immigration law is a field that changes constantly as world politics unfold, new leaders front the United States and immigration processes change. In order to stay on top of this, Attorney Bennett remains an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) based in Washington D.C. and the New Jersey Chapter of AILA for which he is a former chapter chair. Attorney Bennett constantly attends conferences and presentations which analyze changes in immigration law and procedure to provide the most up to date advice for his clients. He is also a frequent speaker at civic events in New Jersey. His role in the immigration law community keeps his representation on the cutting edge.