Immigrant Youth

This resource - created in partnership with the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, CILA, and NIPNLG - addresses common questions and myths about the visa bulletin, how to talk to clients about the SIJS backlog, and how both advocates and directly impacted young people can get involved in the Coalition’s work to end the backlog and its harms.

If you are hoping to attain lawful permanent resident status (getting a green card) or apply for an immigrant visa as a “child” and your 21st birthday is coming up, read this Community Alert to learn about how changes to USCIS’ interpretation of a law called the Child Status Protection Act might impact you.

ILRC led a sign-on effort to provide comment to USCIS on the proposed changes to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. The comment, submitted November 7, 2023, received over 120 signatures and requested that the agency revise the form for efficiency and to remove barriers to eligible applicants.

On November 7, 2023, the ILRC submitted this comment on USCIS’s proposed changes to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. The comment provides detailed suggestions for alterations to the proposed form as well as suggested language the agency should include. ILRC urged the agency to revise the form to reduce barriers to permanent residence for applicants and adjudicators and to focus on ensuring that the form is accessible for pro se applicants.

On May 11, 2023, the Biden administration issued a new regulation creating a bar to asylum for people arriving at the southern U.S. border with certain narrow exceptions. Although there is an ongoing court challenge, the bar, known as the “lawful pathways” rule, remains in effect. This Community Alert explores the exceptions to the bar with a focus on some of the exceptions that apply to children and youth traveling with their families.

This advisory provides basic information on how to obtain the SIJS predicate order in juvenile court. It describes the benefits, requirements, and deadlines associated with SIJS, and discusses the role of the juvenile defense or children’s attorney in the process. It includes a sample SIJS predicate order from juvenile justice proceedings.