Handling Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Petitions

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Handling Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Petitions

Program Originally Presented Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is a congressionally-created immigration status that protects youth who have been abused, neglected, and/or abandoned by providing them a pathway to lawful permanent resident status in the United States. To be eligible to seek SIJS, a state court must first determine that the youth has experienced abuse, abandonment and/or neglect by one or both of their parents and that it would not be in the youth's best interest to be returned to their country of origin. Once a state court makes this determination and awards an adult custody, the youth is eligible to seek Special Immigrant Juvenile classification with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services and, if approved, be placed on a path to eventually adjust their immigration status to become a lawful permanent resident (this is also known as applying for a green card.)

This practical CLE presentation offers guidance on representing immigrant families who are seeking custody orders in order to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). Attorneys who regularly practice before the Philadelphia Domestic Relations Court and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will explain these interrelated legal processes.

This CLE training will focus on:

• The statutory authority that creates and governs SIJS
• The mechanics of applying for a custody order in Domestic Relations Court in Philadelphia that will also enable a youth to apply for SIJS
• Recent litigation in Pennsylvania that impacts custody proceedings where youth are seeking SIJS special findings
• How HIAS Pennsylvania can mentor and support experienced family law attorneys who are willing to provide pro bono representation to families and youth seeking custody orders in connection with an application for SIJS.

Panelists:

Hon. Tiffany Palmer
Court of Common Pleas, Family Division

Stephanie Gonzalez Ferrandez, Esq.
Gonzalez Ferrandez Law

Stephanie Lubert, Esq.
Immigrant Youth Advocacy Program Managing Attorney
HIAS Pennsylvania

Karen Maxim, Esq.
Maxim Law

 
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