Skip to main contentUnder 21 and unable to reunite with one or both parents because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment? You may qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ), a path to a green card. Jadeja-Cimone Law, PC is the SIJ lawyer Long Island families trust to guide them from Family Court to permanent residency.
SIJ has strict age limits, and many SIJ cases are moving forward under the latest Visa Bulletin. Don’t wait to find out if you qualify.
SIJ green cards fall under the EB-4 visa category, and a visa number must be available before you can file for your green card. Under the current Visa Bulletin, certain SIJ applicants with a priority date before January 1, 2025 may now be able to file for Adjustment of Status (Form I-485), if USCIS accepts the Dates for Filing chart that month. Your priority date is usually the date USCIS received your Form I-360. Cutoff dates can differ by country of birth and change every month.
Eligibility depends on your country of birth, your priority date, and current USCIS filing guidance. Our team can review your I-360 receipt notice and tell you whether you can file now. Read our latest SIJ Visa Bulletin update.
Being young and unsure of your immigration status is overwhelming, especially if a parent hurt you, neglected you, or left you behind. At Jadeja-Cimone Law, PC, our SIJ attorneys on Long Island help children, teenagers, and young adults build a secure future in the United States.
Our attorneys handle SIJ cases in New York Family Court and before USCIS, so your case is built correctly from the start, with patience, care, and complete confidentiality.
SIJ status is a special immigration classification created by Congress for unmarried young people under 21 who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both parents. A New York Family Court first makes special findings about your safety and well-being, and then USCIS decides your SIJ petition.
SIJ is part of the EB-4 category, but it does not require a job or an employer. It gives eligible young people a path to lawful permanent residence (a green card), and many common bars, such as entering the U.S. without inspection, do not apply. An experienced SIJ visa lawyer makes sure your court order and Form I-360 meet every USCIS requirement.
The SIJ process has three main steps. Our SIJ attorneys on Long Island guide you through each one.
In New York, this usually happens in Family Court through a guardianship or custody case. The judge must find that (1) you are dependent on the court or placed in someone’s custody, (2) you cannot reunite with one or both parents because of abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar reason under state law, and (3) returning to your home country is not in your best interest. We prepare the petition, evidence, and proposed findings for the court.
With the Family Court order, we file Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, with USCIS before you turn 21. The filing date usually becomes your priority date for the green card. By law, USCIS must decide SIJ petitions within 180 days.
When your priority date is current in the Visa Bulletin, you can file Form I-485 to become a lawful permanent resident. If a visa is already available, the I-360 and I-485 can be filed together. If you are in Immigration Court, we can ask the judge to pause or close your case so USCIS can decide your green card.
You may qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status if all of the following apply to you. If this sounds like your situation, talk to an SIJ attorney on Long Island today.
You are under 21, unmarried, and living in the United States.
A state juvenile or Family Court has found that you cannot reunite with one or both parents due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under state law.
The court has found that returning to your or your parents' home country is not in your best interest.
You are dependent on the court or placed in the custody of a state agency, guardian, or other person appointed by the court.
Tell us about your situation. Our SIJ attorneys will review your case confidentially and explain your options.
We partner with the Safe Passage Project, which provides free legal help to unaccompanied children in deportation proceedings.
Immigration law is all we do. Our team has won more than 8,000 cases for clients from over 90 countries.
Meet with our SIJ attorneys in Hempstead (Nassau County) or Central Islip (Suffolk County), with Spanish-speaking support.
Speak with our SIJ attorneys on Long Island about your case. Consultations are free and confidential.
SIJ status can open the door to long-term safety and stability in the United States.
Eligible SIJ recipients can apply for lawful permanent residence and, later, U.S. citizenship.
SIJ can be raised in removal proceedings, and judges may pause or close cases while SIJ and green card applications are pending.
SIJ applicants can apply for a work permit once their green card application (Form I-485) is filed. Earlier work permits depend on deferred action, which USCIS no longer considers automatically for SIJ petitions filed on or after May 10, 2026. These rules are still being challenged in court, so speak with an attorney about your situation.
As a lawful permanent resident, you can access federal programs and services available to green card holders, including federal student financial aid.
Your success story starts here!
