Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) backlog
December 23, 2021
According to recent USCIS data, thousands of vulnerable young people that have already been granted SIJS must wait up to five years before receiving their green card due to a backlog. SIJS was created in 1990 to protect children and young people, up to the age of 21, who have been “abused, abandoned, or neglected.” In order to qualify, applicants must first obtain a juvenile court order determining they have experienced abandonment or were abused or neglected by a parent and that returning to their home country is not in their best interest. Since the period between being granted SIJS and getting their green card can take up to five years, children are facing extreme risk of homelessness, exploitation, and deportation.
Specific content can be found here:
https://time.com/6128025/abused-immigrant-kids-sijs-backlog/