Bill > HB2216

This bill establishes a new legal framework in Pennsylvania for "Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Predicate Orders," which are court orders containing specific factual findings necessary for a young immigrant to apply for federal Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). SIJS is a federal immigration visa category created in 1990 to protect vulnerable youth who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected and cannot be reunified with their parents, or for whom returning to their home country would not be in their best interest. The bill clarifies that Pennsylvania juvenile courts do not determine eligibility for SIJS itself, but rather make these crucial predicate factual findings. It defines "juvenile" as an individual under 21 years of age and outlines the jurisdiction of juvenile courts to issue these orders, specifying that the findings can be made in conjunction with other orders related to a child's well-being, such as custody or guardianship. The bill sets the burden of proof for these findings at a preponderance of the evidence, allowing a juvenile's credible testimony alone to be sufficient. It also mandates confidentiality for immigration status information and clarifies that courts can issue these orders on their own initiative ("sua sponte") and that denying a meaningful opportunity to seek such an order or refusing to issue one when a factual basis exists constitutes an abuse of discretion. Finally, it allows for excused service or notice to a parent if the parent has abandoned the juvenile for at least six months.

Justice

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb2216