Pro Bono Clients Obtain Permanent Residence After Successful Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Review

Paul, Weiss obtained permanent residence for two pro bono clients, based on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). The SIJS statute protects vulnerable youth who have been abandoned, abused or neglected by one or both parents and for whom a state court has declared it would not be in their best interests to be returned to their country of origin.

Our clients, half-sisters from El Salvador, came to the United States in 2015 when they were 10 and 15 years old. They traveled to the United States after El Salvador had become increasingly dangerous and they had no safe parent or guardian to take care of them. In 2017, Paul, Weiss filed a guardianship petition in Nassau County Family Court and won a motion for special findings, enabling our clients to apply for SIJS, then permanent residency. The Paul, Weiss team also filed for employment authorization cards, allowing the clients to have identification and work while their green card applications were pending.

The Paul, Weiss team over the course of the five-year representation included corporate counsel Corinne Musa; litigation counsel Hallie Goldblatt and associate Carter Greenbaum. The team was supervised by litigation partners Lynn Bayard and Elizabeth Sacksteder. Pro bono attorney Pradine Saint-Fort provided invaluable support.