Monster.com: Visas for Juveniles in Special Situations


	Accommodation Healthcare Transportation Culture/Language Education System Job Q&As


	ABCs of Immigration Citizenship


	Employment Scene Workplace Culture Finding a Job Resumes & More The Interview


	Currency Converter City Tours Moving Planner Cost of Living Calculator

Visas for Juveniles in Special Situations

When it comes to immigration policy, special circumstances sometimes demand special solutions. That's certainly the case when a child or young adult from another country is determined, typically by a US court, to have no means of support. With that in mind, Congress created a special immigrant category for juveniles in 1990.

Who Is Eligible for a Green Card as a Special Immigrant Juvenile?

To be eligible in this category for a green card, the right to live permanently in the US, the following must apply:

The individual be under 21 and unmarried.

The person must have been declared a ward of a US court. That court must have placed the child in the custody of a state agency or ruled that the child is eligible for long-term foster care.

It must have been determined, through administrative or judicial proceedings, that it would not be in the child's best interests to be returned to his or her home country.

What Is the Application Process?

Applications for special immigrant juveniles are made with Form I-360. The child or a person acting on behalf of the child may file the application with the local INS office that has jurisdiction over the child.

What About Deportation?

Special immigrant juveniles are exempted from many grounds of deportation. These include working without authorization, prostitution and inadmissibility at the time of entry to the US (except when it is based on criminal convictions, drug violations, national security grounds and participation in Nazi activities).

What About the Child's Parents?

A child who receives permanent residency through the special juvenile immigrant category cannot petition for residency for the child's natural or adoptive parents.

Material from the immigration law firm of Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine was used in this report. This information is provided as a public service and not intended as legal advice or the establishment of an attorney-client relationship.