Annual numerical caps on immigrant visas can cause multi-year waits for visa availability for SIJS applicants.
November 20, 2025
high
policy
Visa retrogression and per-country and category limits can delay when an SIJS beneficiary becomes eligible to receive a visa and adjust to lawful permanent resident status.
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) was created by an act of Congress in 1990 with bipartisan support.
January 01, 1990
high
temporal
SIJS is a federal immigration classification for certain abused, neglected, or abandoned children and youth.
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) does not itself confer lawful immigration status but allows qualifying young people to apply for a visa to become lawful permanent residents and to obtain a work permit once eligible.
January 01, 1990
high
definition
SIJS provides a pathway to apply for a visa and green card but does not automatically grant legal status or work authorization without subsequent approvals.
State courts make the factual findings for SIJS by determining that a child or youth has been abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent, which is the basis for the SIJS designation.
January 01, 1990
high
temporal
Procedural role of state courts in establishing eligibility for SIJS.