What is Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)?

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is a form of humanitarian protection for young people who have survived abuse, abandonment, or neglect. A state court must first determine that a child cannot safely return to their home country.

Once SIJS is approved, the young person becomes eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence (a green card).
But because of strict visa limits, many SIJS youth must wait years, often well into adulthood, before a green card becomes available.

During this long wait, young people remain in legal and economic limbo, even though the U.S. has already recognized their need for protection.

 

What Is the SIJS Backlog?

The SIJS backlog is the period, often stretching five to ten years or more, between SIJS approval and the moment a young person can actually apply for a green card.

More than 100,000 young people are currently stuck in this backlog.

Why does the backlog exist?

The backlog is caused by federal visa caps: hard limits on how many green cards can be issued each year.

More than 300,000 SIJS petitions have been filed since 2013.
But caps only allow 10,000 visas to be issued each year.

What does this mean for young people?

Until a green card becomes available, SIJS youth often:

  • Cannot work legally

  • Cannot get a Social Security number

  • Cannot obtain government-issued ID

  • Struggle to secure stable housing

  • Are locked out of banking and financial systems

  • Face heightened risk of exploitation, trafficking, or homelessness

  • Live in fear of being returned to the danger they fled

The backlog leaves young people in years of uncertainty, even after a U.S. court has recognized their need for safety.

 

What Is Deferred Action for SIJS Youth?

Deferred action is not a legal immigration status. It is a temporary protection from deportation that also allows a young person to apply for a work permit.

It says:

“You cannot get your green card yet, but we will not deport you, and you may work while you wait.”

Beginning in 2022, SIJS youth were able to receive deferred action, giving them the chance to work legally, support themselves, obtain ID, and build stability during the long wait for a visa.

For many who were living alone, homeless, or supporting younger siblings, this protection was life-changing.

 

What Changed on June 6, 2025?

On June 6, 2025, SIJS deferred action was suddenly discontinued without public warning.

As of that date:

  • New SIJS approvals no longer come with deferred action

  • Pending work permit applications based on deferred action will be denied

  • Renewals of existing work permits under deferred action are not allowed

What is the Result?

Hundreds of immigrant youth are now:

  • Blocked from working legally

  • Unable to get government-issued IDs, which can impair their access to stable housing

  • Locked out of financial systems

  • Pushed into greater risk of trafficking, labor exploitation, and homelessness

At risk of being deported back to home countries where their lives and well-being are at risk

 

ACR v. Noem

In A.C.R. v. Noem, a federal court ruled that the June 6, 2025 rollback raised serious legal issues and ordered that deferred-action determinations for SIJS youth must resume while the case proceeds.

This decision is an important step forward:

  • It restores the process for making deferred-action determinations

  • It reopens a pathway to work authorization

  • It recognizes the harm caused to youth who relied on this protection

  • It provides interim relief in a moment of crisis

However, the decision has important limits:

  • It does not eliminate the SIJS visa backlog

  • It does not guarantee immediate protection for every SIJS youth

  • Youth who lost work authorization between June and now are still in a vulnerable position

In short:
The court’s order brings hope, but the challenges created by the June change have not yet been fully resolved.

 

The Ongoing Impact on Youth

Even with this new order, thousands of SIJS youth continue to struggle with:

  • Inability to work legally

  • Lack of government-issued IDs, making it harder to access housing and employment

  • Barriers to banking, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation

  • Heightened risk of trafficking, labor abuse, and homelessness

  • Fear of deportation to unsafe conditions

More than 120,000 youth nationwide remain stuck in the visa backlog, many of whom have already been found by U.S. courts to be survivors of abuse, abandonment, or neglect.

 

Why This Matters to Safe Passage Project

Safe Passage Project represents SIJS youth every day. These are young people working to rebuild their lives after trauma, while navigating one of the most complex immigration systems in the country.

The recent court order is progress, but it does not address the long-standing visa backlog or the significant delays that continue to keep SIJS youth in uncertainty. Many young people will still face prolonged waiting periods and ongoing challenges as they work toward a more secure future.


We welcome this order as progress, but it underscores the need to ensure that children who have already been found to be abused, abandoned, or neglected can move toward permanent safety without years of barriers standing in their way.

 

How You Can Help

1. Share accurate information

Misinformation spreads quickly. Sharing the truth protects vulnerable youth from harmful narratives.

2. Volunteer as a Pro bono attorney or Interpreter 

Pro-bono attorneys and other volunteers are critical to Safe Passage Project’s work.

3. Donate to sustain this work

Your gift ensures young people have someone standing with them as they navigate years of uncertainty in the immigration system.