Immigration Lawyers
Live Young and Free in the United States
If you are less than 21 years old, our immigration attorneys may be able to guide you to legal status through the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification.
Understand what is
Understanding Special Immigrant Juvenile Status - SIJ
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ) is a unique immigration classification for youth in the United States who have been victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment by one or both parents.
SIJ allows children or youth to petition for legal status with the ultimate goal of obtaining a Green Card. An important aspect of SIJ is that the death of a parent or guardian, depending on your state of residency, can also be considered a form of legal abandonment.
If you are under 21 years of age who is currently living in the United States with only one or no parent, you may qualify for SIJ status.
Understanding the Pathway
From SIJ to Green Card
Qualification
First, we need to determine whether or not you are eligible for SIJ. To do this, please answer our questionnaire.
SIJ Petition
In this stage, we put together and submit the petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status to USCIS.
File Your SIJ Petition
Fulfill your dream of living lawfully in the United States, with new opportunities for work, study, and a prosperous future
Special Findings
in Probate Court
In order to be eligible for SIJ, we first need to go to court to prove that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Once special findings are granted, you may apply for SIJ.
Green Card Petition
Once the petition is approved, you are granted SIJ status, which allows you to lawfully work and study in the US, and even allows you to apply for a Green Card once your priority date is current.
File Your SIJ Petition
Fulfill your dream of living lawfully in the United States, with new opportunities for work, study, and a prosperous future
Real Stories
Apply for SIJ
Fulfill your dream of living legally in the United States, with new opportunities to work, study, and a prosperous future.
“My biggest concern while looking for a firm was always to try to make sure I had a clear picture of the whole process. With Massa Viana, I got updates every time there were any changes in the case. At first, I was just looking for a lawyer to answer a few questions about SIJ. But after hearing a friend’s recommendation about Antonio and receiving an unparalleled level of attention in our first consultation, we decided to choose Massa Viana as our law firm.”
“I was very happy with the outcome of my case, so much so that I referred two other friends of mine. You were the first group of lawyers that I have ever worked with and I don't intend to change that! Great job, very helpful, and excellent service!”
“One and a half years after beginning the process, I can say that the best decision I made was to retain Massa Viana. I value their commitment to delivering everything that was promised from the beginning. Massa Viana Law is a serious firm, committed to the client, always seeking faster results, and valuing the relationship between client and professional.”
“The team at Massa Viana was with me every step of the way and helped me have a better grasp of what I went through. The empathy of the people who work there is unmatched. They were very patient with me and made sure to explain anything I did not understand. They provided me with the support I needed, which was unlike other professionals I had worked with in the past. With other professionals, I had to do everything myself. Massa Viana is a firm that you can count on and trust.”
The SIJ Classification
Is geared toward:
Children and youth without immigration status, under 21 years of age, unmarried, who have been abused (psychologically or physically), abandoned, or neglected by one or both of their parents.
Submit your SIJ application and get on the path to living lawfully in the United States.
Clients Who Received Status Through SIJ
We have helped hundreds of children and youth obtain their legal status in the United States.
Read about our work, which have helped hundreds fulfill their dreams and live lawfully in the United States.
It is Personal to Us
Thousands of youth and children live in the United States without legal immigration status. Many live alone, caring for themselves without the assistance of a parent or guardian. They find themselves working from a very young age and not able to go to school. And their life is made more challenging because they lack access to good schools, scholarships, or better jobs because of their lack of immigration status.
This is where the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status can be life-changing. It can enable you to receive a Green Card and ultimately become an American citizen. It can allow you to attend college, secure a better job, travel abroad, and live a life free from the fear of deportation.
And that is where we come in: we are a firm founded by an attorney who personally experienced what it is like to live undocumented in his youth. He and his team have a personal stake in each case they take.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Undocumented children and youth, under 21 years of age, who are living in the United States without one or both of their parents may be able to apply as long as they can demonstrate a finding of either abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
Not every state allows you to file for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status until your 21st birthday. While in Massachusett, the law allows you to petition for SIJ until you are 21, in some states juvenile courts may only be able to issue special findings if you are under 18 years of age. So it is important that you know your state law.
Since the SIJ process involves several different government agencies with varying processing times, it is best to start early in order to avoid missing deadlines. That also puts you ahead in the Visa Bulletin queue.
No, it only has to be one parent.
Some examples of physical abuse are any harm to the physical body including beatings, sexual abuse, pinching, pushing, hair pulling, etc. In addition to physical battery, abuse can include emotional harm, such as witnessing domestic violence perpetrated by one parent against the other.
Abandonment is statutorily defined as “being left without any provisions for support, without any person responsible to maintain care, custody, and control.” Some examples are not paying child support, not spending time with the child, or lack of contact.
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families defines neglect as the “failure by a caretaker, either deliberately or through negligence or inability, to take those actions necessary to provide a child with minimally adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, emotional stability, and growth, or other essential care.” Note that if inability is solely due to inadequate economic resources, it may not be considered neglect.
The best interest analysis looks to the best interest of the child’s health, education, development, safety, emotional well-being, and overall welfare not to return to their home country or country of last residence.
No, you must be currently living in the United States. You cannot apply from outside the country to come to the United States on the SIJ classification.
Death of a parent.
When your Petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile has been approved, USCIS will generally grant you Deferred Action, which allows you to work lawfully while waiting for the time to apply for your green card.
Unfortunately, there is a waitlist and once your Special Immigrant Juvenile Status is approved, you have to wait for your priority date to become current before you file for your green card application. That wait can vary between 3 to 5 years, depending on your country of origin.
You must be unmarried. This means you either have never been married; or were previously married, but the marriage ended in annulment, divorce, or death.
Special Immigrant Juveniles are unable to petition to help their biological or adoptive parents, but they would be able to apply for a spouse once they become U.S. Citizens. Note that married youth are not eligible to apply for SIJ.