NIJC Pro Bono Project: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is an important form of protection for immigrant youth who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent. NIJC has extensive resources and trainings on SIJS for families and advocates.
SIJS is a form of protection available to immigrant children who have suffered abuse, abandonment, or neglect by a parent. Participants will learn how to file these cases in different types of courts.
The first step in seeking SIJS is to obtain a “predicate order” from a qualifying state court. The resources below are intended to be used by pro bono advocates in connection with NIJC’s training and technical support programs.
This training was created by experts at NIJC and the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) to assist attorneys in preparing predicate orders for SIJS clients.
This training webinar discusses aspects of a new Illinois law extending the age of protection from 18 years old to 21 years old for immigrants eligible for SIJS.
This decision predates the 2019 and 2021 changes in Illinois law regarding SIJS but includes extensive analysis of the federal statute that may be useful.
As of 2018, e-filing is required in Illinois courts. More information can be found at http://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/service-providers.htm, and in the resources below:
Samples for SIJS Predicate Order Cases in Illinois
SIJS predicate orders can be requested in several types of proceedings in Illinois. The most common are allocation of parental responsibilities or “APR” (formerly known as custody), which is filed by a parent and can be part of a divorce proceeding or a stand-alone case; and guardianship, which is typically filed by a non-parent. Please review NIJC’s recorded trainings and SIJS Predicate Order Manual for more details on how to use the samples below.
