Breaking Down the Visa Bulletin: What SIJS Advocates Need to Know

Special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) is a humanitarian status that provides protections and a pathway to lawful permanent residence to immigrant children up to the age of 21 years who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by their parent(s), and where a state juvenile court has determined that it is not in their best interest to be returned to their country of origin. See INA § 101(a)(27)(J). A child who receives SIJS can apply for lawful permanent residence once a visa is immediately available and they meet the other eligibility requirements. See INA § 245(h). As further explained below, until Congress fixes the SIJS visa backlog, SIJS youth must wait years before a visa is available for them to seek lawful permanent residence. This resource is intended to help SIJS advocates better understand the system used by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to allocate visas. Advocates are critical in helping SIJS youth through this lengthy process, starting with helping SIJS youth understand how the visa system works.