This webinar addresses best practices for issuing SIJS findings for immigrant children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by at least one of the child’s parents, and it focuses specifically on emerging issues and recommendations for what courts should include in well-written SIJS findings.

Also see our full library of SJI supported materials for courts at https://niwaplibrary.wcl.american.edu/training-manual-for-courts-table-of-contents/

Technical Assistance Flyer: NIWAP’s Technical Assistance Flyer describes the technical assistance and training offered to support advocates, attorneys, judges, police, prosecutors, and other professionals in their work with immigrant women, children, and crime victims. To receive updates, sign up for NIWAP’s outreach list.

Training Materials

• PowerPoint Presentation for Training

SIJS Materials

• The Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Bench Book: A National Guide to Best Practice for Judges and Courts (April 2018) 

Selected Chapters:

• • Chapter I – Introduction to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
  • Chapter II – Details About Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Findings
  • Chapter III – Abuse, Abandonment, or Neglect – The Role of State Law Definitions in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings
  • Chapter IV – Application of the Best Interest of the Child Standard in SIJS
  • Chapter V-1 – Adoption Quick Reference
  • Chapter V-2 – Civil Protection Orders Quick Reference Guide
  • Chapter V-3 – Custody Quick Reference Guide
  • Chapter V-4 – SIJS in Declaratory Judgment Cases Quick Reference
  • Chapter V-5 – Delinquency Quick Reference
  • Chapter V-6 – Dependency Quick Reference
  • Chapter V-7 – Guardianship Quick Reference
  • Chapter V-8 – Paternity Quick Reference Guide
  • Chapter VI – Inadmissibility in SIJS
  • Chapter VII – Service of Process in SIJS
  • Appendix D1 – USCIS SIJS Policy Manual Full – Vol 6
  • Appendix D2 – USCIS SIJS Policy Manual Full – Vol 70
  • Appendix E – Understanding the Significance of a Minor’s Trauma History in Family Court Rulings
  • Appendix F – DHS Interactive Infographic on Protections for Immigrant Victims
  • Appendix G – DHS Immigrants Options for Victims of Crime (English)
  • Appendix H – DHS SIJS Brochure
  • Appendix Z – Glossary of Terms for Work with Immigrant Survivors

• U visa certification toolkit for judges
• Bench cards for family court

Economic Relief State Benefits

•  Interactive Public Benefits Map
• List of of state public benefits and charts 

 Know Your Rights Information

• DHS Interactive Infographic on Protections for Immigrant Victims
• Immigration Options for Victims of Crime -DHS Brochure
• Multilingual Materials for Victims and Advocates
• Pathways to Immigration Relief for Students
• Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States and Facts about Immigrating on a Marriage-Based Visa

Forms of Immigration Relief

• Bench Card: Overview of Types of Immigration Status
• Department of Homeland Security Organizational Chart – Crime Victim Cases (April 16, 2019)
• Bench Card – Identifying Victims Who May Qualify for Immigration Relief
• Family Court Bench Card on Immigration Rights of Battered Spouses, Children and Immigrant Crime Victims
• Bench Card: DHS Enforcement Priorities Information for State Court Judges
• Courthouse Immigration Enforcement: Steps State Courts Are Taking (2018)
• Comparison Chart of U visa, T Visa, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Self-Petition, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Child Abuse & Protective Battered Immigrant Parents

• The Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Bench Book: A National Guide to Best Practice for Judges and Courts (April 2018)
• New Practice Advisory on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Applications Published: Additional Information for Judges and Attorneys
• Factors That Can Demonstrate That It is Not in a Child’s Best Interests to be Returned to Their Home Country (October 2018)
• Immigration Protection Screening Checklist: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
• Abused, Abandoned, or Neglected: Legal Options for Recent Immigrant Women and Girls (August 2016)
• Types of Proceedings in Which State Courts Can Make Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings
• Immigration Relief for Abused Children
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Information for Juvenile Courts
• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Information for Child Welfare Workers

 U and T Visa Certification

• U Visa Certification Tool Kit for Federal, State, and Local Judges, Commissioners, and Magistrates
• U Visa Quick Reference for Judges (September 4, 2018)
• U-Visa Flow Chart
• DHS U and T Visa Law Enforcement Resource Guide
• U-Visa: “Helpfulness” Checklist
• USCIS U Visa Certification Factsheet Q&A
• DHS Policy Answers to Law Enforcement Reasons for Not Certifying
• U Visa News Articles
• Overcoming Fear and Building Trust With Immigrant Communities and Crime Victims (Police Chief Magazine April 2018)
• Understanding the Judicial Role in U-Visa Certification, American Journal of Family Law
• New U and T Visa Application and Certification Forms (January and February 2017)

 VAWA Confidentiality

• Family Court Bench Card on VAWA Confidentiality
• Three Prongs of VAWA Confidentiality
• Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions Inside Courthouses (January 10, 2018)
• Courthouse Immigration Enforcement: Steps State Courts Are Taking (2018)
• VAWA Confidentiality Protections for Immigrant Crime Victims (Webpage) (February 23, 2017)
• VAWA Confidentiality Statutes, Legislative History and Implementing Policy (2.23.17)
• Utilizing VAWA Confidentiality Protections in Family Court Proceedings^**
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement January 2018 Courthouse Enforcement Policy and VAWA Confidentiality Protections for Immigrant Crime Victims

Language Access

• DOJ Letter to State Chief Justices and State Court Administrators on Access for Limited English Proficient Persons to State Court Proceeding
• Judicial Bench Card for Court Interpretation
• Serving Limited English Proficient Immigrant Victims^**

Family Law Cases: Special Issues for Immigrant Crime Victims and Children

• Family Court Bench Card on Issues that Arise in Custody Cases Involving Immigrant Parents, Children, and Crime Victims
• Jurisdiction: Ensuring Access to Protection Orders for Immigrant Victims of Family Violence
• How to Get a Detained Person to Court for Family Court Cases Involving Children
• Obtaining Custody of Children for Battered Immigrants^**
• Chapter 06.1: Countering Abuser’s Attempts to Raise Victim’s Immigration Status in Custody Cases
• NIWAP October 2018 Custody Newsletter (October 19, 2018)
• Vulnerable but not Broken: Psychosocial Challenges and Resilience Pathways in Unaccompanied Children from Central America

Economic Relief

• Bench card on Common Issues that Arise from Parties’ Immigration Status; Economic Remedies
• Providing Economic Relief for Immigrant Victims: Child Support and Spousal Support^**
• Immigration Concerns for Family Law Practitioners – Discussing Affidavits of Support

Child Abuse, Neglect and Termination of Parental Rights

• Protecting Parental Rights When the Immigrant Parent is Detained or Deported^**
• Case of Maria L.^**

^**If you have difficulty accessing this publication please contact for assistance NIWAP at (202) 274-4457 or info@niwap.org

This publication was developed under grant number SJI-20-E-005 from the State Justice Institute. The points of view expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the State Justice Institute.