https://www.souus.com/en/tags/i-360/Recent content in I-360 on Smart Savings & OffersHugoen-usThu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.souus.com/en/life-decoded/special-immigrant-juveniles/Fri, 27 Dec 2024 16:24:00 +0200https://www.souus.com/en/life-decoded/special-immigrant-juveniles/<p>This article is general information, not legal advice. SIJ is a humanitarian path with strict threshold requirements. The core decision is whether the child or youth has the required <strong>state juvenile court findings</strong> and can file <strong>Form I-360 before turning 21</strong>. Without those foundations, the rest of the immigration plan does not matter.</p> <h2 id="outcome-and-prerequisites">Outcome and prerequisites</h2> <p>USCIS says SIJ classification requires all of the following core facts:</p> <ul> <li>the petitioner is <strong>under 21</strong> when Form I-360 is filed;</li> <li>the petitioner is <strong>living in the United States</strong> when filing and when USCIS decides the SIJ petition;</li> <li>the petitioner is <strong>unmarried</strong> when filing and when USCIS decides the SIJ petition;</li> <li>a qualifying <strong>juvenile court order</strong> exists under state law; and</li> <li>USCIS can give <strong>consent</strong>, meaning the state-court process was sought for protection from abuse, abandonment, neglect, or a similar basis under state law, not primarily for an immigration benefit.</li> </ul> <h2 id="short-answer">Short answer</h2> <p>The SIJ path usually has two stages:</p>