Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Other Immigration Options for Children and Youth is an essential guide for those representing the increased number of unaccompanied minors who have migrated to the United States in recent years, as well as those representing immigrant youth who were brought to the United States at a young age and know no other home. Immigrant children and youth may be eligible for many types of immigration relief, including some available only to children.
This two-volume manual provides background and guidance on the protections, procedures, and immigration options for immigrant children and youth. It has a special focus on special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS), with an in-depth discussion of the legal requirements for SIJS eligibility and step-by-step guidance for representing SIJS-eligible young people in both affirmative and defensive applications.
Note that this manual was finalized prior to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) releasing comprehensive policy guidance on T nonimmigrant status. USCIS guidance on T nonimmigrant status is available at https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-3-part-b.
Highlights
- Provides information on other immigration options for children and youth, including:
- U Nonimmigrant Status
- T Nonimmigrant Status
- Violence Against Women Act protection
- Asylum (with a special discussion of unaccompanied minor asylum cases and evolving social group claims)
- Family-based immigration options
- Acquisition and derivation of citizenship
- Addresses specialized issues such as working with and representing child clients, immigration consequences of delinquency and drug trafficking or gang involvement, and the immigration detention system for children and youth
- Contains many useful samples for practitioners, including screening forms, sample SIJS and other applications, state court and immigration court motions, court orders and other resources for helping advocates and their clients understand and interact with juvenile courts, immigration courts, and immigration authorities
New in this Edition
- Updates on court processes and options for unaccompanied minors and the U.S. immigration detention system for children
- In-depth discussion of changes in policy and practice at U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services that impact special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS)
- In-depth discussion of defending children in removal proceedings while seeking SIJS, including changes in policy and practice related to the Covid-19 pandemic
- Updated chapters on asylum, T visas, U visas, VAWA, citizenship, and more for immigrant youth
- Two volumes consisting of practical legal content (Volume 1) and multiple practitioner samples (Volume 2)
