Thousands of immigrant youth are in the United States under the protected "Special Immigrant Juvenile" (SIJ) classification. These youths had to prove to a state court judge that they cannot be returned to their parents or their home country due to abandonment, neglect, or abuse. They cannot be deported, but they will not be authorized for employment unless they apply for a visa. The only form of visa available to the special-case juvenile immigrants is the EB-4 visa, the same category of visas that religious workers apply for. Visas in this category are capped, and the current backlog for EB-4 visas is over five years long. 

This summer, the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act (S. 1885/H.R. 4285) was introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The bill would relieve the backlog currently confronting special immigrant juveniles by exempting them from the annual caps for the employment-based, fourth preference (EB-4) visa. This would ensure that abused, neglected, or abandoned youth who are deemed eligible for relief by state courts no longer need to compete with adults relying on the same category of visas. These minors are ill-suited for the EB-4 visa category, as they are seeking humanitarian protection, not employment-based immigration. Passage of the bill would simultaneously free up visas for others in the EB-4 category, including immigrant religious workers depended upon by many Catholic dioceses and other religious organizations throughout the United States. Now is a crucial time for your advocacy to ensure movement on this important piece of legislation.

Please join us in urging Congress to pass the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act.