ALL LEGAL AUTHORITIES

• INA 101(a)(27)(J) – Special immigrant juveniles
• INA 203(b)(4) – Certain special immigrants
• INA 245; 8 CFR 245 – Adjustment of status of nonimmigrant to that of person admitted for permanent residence
• INA 245(h) – Application of adjustment provisions with respect to special immigrants
• 8 CFR 245.1(e)(3) – Special immigrant juveniles
• 8 CFR 204.11 – Special immigrant juvenile classification
• Section 153 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT 90) – Special immigrant status for certain aliens declared dependent on a juvenile court
• Section 302 of the Miscellaneous and Technical Immigration and Nationality Amendments of 1991
• Section 113 of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1998
• Section 235(d) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) – Permanent protection for certain at-risk children

INA 101(a)(27)(J) 

SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE DEFINITION

(J) an immigrant who is present in the United States-

(i) who has been declared dependent on a juvenile court located in the United States or whom such a court has legally committed to, or placed under the custody of, an agency or department of a State, or an individual or entity appointed by a State or juvenile court located in the United States, and whose reunification with 1 or both of the immigrant’s parents is not viable due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis found under State law;

(ii) for whom it has been determined in administrative or judicial proceedings that it would not be in the alien’s best interest to be returned to the alien’s or parent’s previous country of nationality or country of last habitual residence; and

(iii) in whose case the Secretary of Homeland Security consents to the grant of special immigrant juvenile status, except that-

(I) no juvenile court has jurisdiction to determine the custody status or placement of an alien in the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services unless the Secretary of Health and Human Services specifically consents to such jurisdiction; and

(II) no natural parent or prior adoptive parent of any alien provided special immigrant status under this subparagraph shall thereafter, by virtue of such parentage, be accorded any right, privilege, or status under this chapter;

8 CFR 204.11 

Special immigrant juvenile classification

§ 204.11 Special immigrant juvenile classification.

(a) Definitions. As used in this section, the following definitions apply to a request for classification as a special immigrant juvenile.

Judicial determination means a conclusion of law made by a juvenile court.

Juvenile court means a court located in the United States that has jurisdiction under State law to make judicial determinations about the dependency and/or custody and care of juveniles.

Petition means the form designated by USCIS to request classification as a special immigrant juvenile and the act of filing the request.

Petitioner means the alien seeking special immigrant juvenile classification.

State means the definition set out in section 101(a)(36) of the Act, including an Indian tribe, tribal organization, or tribal consortium, operating a program under a plan approved under 42 U.S.C. 671.

United States means the definition set out in section 101(a)(38) of the Act.

(b) Eligibility. A petitioner is eligible for classification as a special immigrant juvenile under section 203(b)(4) of the Act as described at section 101(a)(27)(J) of the Act, if they meet all of the following requirements:

(1) Is under 21 years of age at the time of filing the petition;

(2) Is unmarried at the time of filing and adjudication;

(3) Is physically present in the United States;

(4) Is the subject of a juvenile court order(s) that meets the requirements under paragraph (c) of this section; and

(5) Obtains consent from the Secretary of Homeland Security to classification as a special immigrant juvenile. For USCIS to consent, the request for SIJ classification must be bona fide, which requires the petitioner to establish that a primary reason the required juvenile court determinations were sought was to obtain relief from parental abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under State law. USCIS may withhold consent if evidence materially conflicts with the eligibility requirements in paragraph (b) of this section such that the record reflects that the request for SIJ classification was not bona fide. USCIS approval of the petition constitutes the granting of consent.

(c) Juvenile court order(s) —

(1) Court-ordered dependency or custody and parental reunification determination. The juvenile court must have made certain judicial determinations related to the petitioner’s custody or dependency and determined that the petitioner cannot reunify with their parent(s) due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under State law.

(i) The juvenile court must have made at least one of the following judicial determinations related to the petitioner’s custodial placement or dependency in accordance with State law governing such determinations:

(A) Declared the petitioner dependent upon the juvenile court; or

(B) Legally committed to or placed the petitioner under the custody of an agency or department of a State, or an individual or entity appointed by a State or juvenile court.

(ii) The juvenile court must have made a judicial determination that parental reunification with one or both parents is not viable due to abuse, abandonment, neglect, or a similar basis under State law. The court is not required to terminate parental rights to determine that parental reunification is not viable.

(2) Best interest determination.

(i) A determination must be made in judicial or administrative proceedings by a court or agency recognized by the juvenile court and authorized by law to make such decisions that it would not be in the petitioner’s best interest to be returned to the petitioner’s or their parent’s country of nationality or last habitual residence.

(ii) Nothing in this part should be construed as altering the standards for best interest determinations that juvenile court judges routinely apply under relevant State law.

(3) Qualifying juvenile court order(s).

(i) The juvenile court must have exercised its authority over the petitioner as a juvenile and made the requisite judicial determinations in this paragraph under applicable State law to establish eligibility.

(ii) The juvenile court order(s) must be in effect on the date the petitioner files the petition and continue through the time of adjudication of the petition, except when the juvenile court’s jurisdiction over the petitioner terminated solely because:

(A) The petitioner was adopted, placed in a permanent guardianship, or another child welfare permanency goal was reached, other than reunification with a parent or parents with whom the court previously found that reunification was not viable; or

(B) The petitioner was the subject of a qualifying juvenile court order that was terminated based on age, provided the petitioner was under 21 years of age at the time of filing the petition.

(d) Petition requirements. A petitioner must submit all of the following evidence, as applicable to their petition:

(1) Petition. A petition by or on behalf of a juvenile, filed on the form prescribed by USCIS in accordance with the form instructions.

(2) Evidence of age. Documentary evidence of the petitioner’s age, in the form of a valid birth certificate, official government-issued identification, or other document that in USCIS’ discretion establishes the petitioner’s age. Under no circumstances is the petitioner compelled to submit evidence that would conflict with paragraph (e) of this section.

(3) Juvenile court order(s). Juvenile court order(s) with the judicial determinations required by paragraph (c) of this section. Where the best interest determination was made in administrative proceedings, the determination may be provided in a separate document issued in those proceedings.

(4) Evidence of a similar basis. When the juvenile court determined parental reunification was not viable due to a basis similar to abuse, neglect, or abandonment, the petitioner must provide evidence of how the basis is legally similar to abuse, neglect, or abandonment under State law. Such evidence must include:

(i) The juvenile court’s determination as to how the basis is legally similar to abuse, neglect, or abandonment under State law; or

(ii) Other evidence that establishes the juvenile court made a judicial determination that the legal basis is similar to abuse, neglect, or abandonment under State law.

(5) Evidentiary requirements for DHS consent. For USCIS to consent, the juvenile court order(s) and any supplemental evidence submitted by the petitioner must include the following:

(i) The factual basis for the requisite determinations in paragraph (c) of this section; and

(ii) The relief from parental abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under State law granted or recognized by the juvenile court. Such relief may include:

(A) The court-ordered custodial placement; or

(B) The court-ordered dependency on the court for the provision of child welfare services and/or other court-ordered or court-recognized protective or remedial relief, including recognition of the petitioner’s placement in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement.

(6) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) consent. The petitioner must provide documentation of specific consent from HHS with the petition when:

(i) The petitioner is, or was previously, in the custody of HHS; and

(ii) While in the custody of HHS, the petitioner obtained a juvenile court order that altered the petitioner’s HHS custody or placement status.

(e) No contact. During the petition or interview process, USCIS will take no action that requires a petitioner to contact the person(s) who allegedly battered, abused, neglected, or abandoned the petitioner (or the family member of such person(s)).

(f) Interview. USCIS may interview a petitioner for special immigrant juvenile classification in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b). If an interview is conducted, the petitioner may be accompanied by a trusted adult at the interview. USCIS may limit the number of persons present at the interview, except that the petitioner’s attorney or accredited representative of record may be present.

(g) Time for adjudication.

(1) In general, USCIS will make a decision on a petition for classification as a special immigrant juvenile within 180 days of receipt of a properly filed petition. The 180 days does not begin until USCIS has received all of the required evidence in paragraph (d), and the time period will be reset or suspended as described in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(10)(i).

(2) When a petition for special immigrant juvenile classification and an application for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident are pending at the same time, a request for evidence relating to the separate application for adjustment of status will not stop or suspend the 180-day period for USCIS to decide on the petition for SIJ classification.

(h) Decision. USCIS will notify the petitioner of the decision made on the petition, and, if the petition is denied, of the reasons for the denial, pursuant to 8 CFR 103.2(b) and 103.3. If the petition is denied, USCIS will provide notice of the petitioner’s right to appeal the decision, pursuant to 8 CFR 103.3.

(i) No parental immigration rights based on special immigrant juvenile classification. The natural or prior adoptive parent(s) of a petitioner granted special immigrant juvenile classification will not be accorded any right, privilege, or status under the Act by virtue of their parentage. This prohibition applies to all of the petitioner’s natural and prior adoptive parent(s).

(j) Revocation —

(1) Automatic revocation. USCIS will issue a notice to the beneficiary of an approved petition for special immigrant juvenile classification of an automatic revocation under this paragraph as provided in 8 CFR 205.1. The approval of a petition for classification as a special immigrant juvenile made under this section is revoked as of the date of approval if any one of the following circumstances occurs before the decision on the beneficiary’s application for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident becomes final:

(i) Reunification of the beneficiary with one or both parents by virtue of a juvenile court order, where a juvenile court previously deemed reunification with that parent, or both parents, not viable due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under State law; or

(ii) Administrative or judicial proceedings determine that it is in the beneficiary’s best interest to be returned to the country of nationality or last habitual residence of the beneficiary or of their parent(s).

(2) Revocation on notice. USCIS may revoke an approved petition for classification as a special immigrant juvenile for good and sufficient cause as provided in 8 CFR 205.2.

USCIS POLICY MANUAL VOLUME 7, PART F, CHAPTER 7

See the USCIS Policy Manual for extremely detailed information about the SIJS process and citations with links to all of legal authorities. The updated USCIS Policy Manual is one of the best, if not the best, resources available to anyone looking for information on this topic.

https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-7-part-f-chapter-7