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Question: What is the Special Immigrant Juvenile
Petition (SIJ)?
Answer: A special provision of the Immigration
and Nationality Act allows certain qualifying minors to petition
for immigrant status as a Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ). This
provision is reserved for those aliens under 21 years of age who
have been declared dependent on a juvenile court or placed under
the custody of a government agency, who are eligible for long-term
foster care and in whose best interest it is not to return to their
home country.
Question: How do I file SIJ on behalf of my
youth client?
Answer: If your client is in DCF custody, your
client may be eligible for SIJ status. For such youth, DCF will
contract with a local immigration attorney to assist the Department
and the youth with achieving this status. In order to complete the
SIJ application, the Juvenile Court will have to issue specific
orders that the youth is dependent on the court, eligible for long
term foster care and that it is in the youth's best interest to
remain in this country.
Please
see SIJ memo for details on the eligibility requirements and
relevant law and procedures.
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