Youth and Family Immigration

LCYC partners with immigrant rights organizations and attorneys to support unaccompanied immigrant youth and young adults in connecting with resources and applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification. 

LCYC does not represent people for immigration related issues unless they are already connected with a separate immigration attorney. For immigration assistance, contact Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP). Additionally, the National Immigration Legal Services Directory offers a list of legal aid providers in Washington state that may be able to help.

The Immigrant Youth Team is at capacity and not accepting referrals at this time.

IMMIGRANT SAFETY PLAN

LCYC maintains an Immigrant Safety Plan for Youth and Children to empower immigrant parents in the event they are unable to care for their child, particularly if detained and/or deported. This guide was started in 2021, and continues to evolve as a collective community resource.

Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) Classification

Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) is a classification that provides undocumented young people a youth visa, work authorization, and path to United States citizenship.

To be eligible for SIJ classification, a young person must:

• be under age 21,

• be unmarried,

• have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by at least one parent, and

• it is in their best interests to not return to their home country.  

ACCESSING SIJ LEGAL SERVICES

Partnership with an immigration attorney is necessary to pursue SIJ classification with LCYC. The immigration attorney must confirm the young person’s eligibility for SIJ classification and provide representation in federal court.

Obtaining SIJ classification is a two step process, the first in state court, then the second in federal court. After an immigration attorney confirms that a young person is eligible for SIJ classification, an LCYC attorney can begin the state court process. The first step is for a state court to determine that a young person has been abused, abandoned, or neglected, and is “dependent” under state law. Dependency cases, or child welfare cases, are one of LCYC’s four main practice areas.

After a young person has been declared dependent in state court, an immigration attorney files a petition in federal court to request SIJ classification.