Expands juvenile court jurisdiction to allow unmarried noncitizen 18-21 year olds who have been abused, abandoned or neglected to petition for physical custody placement and related findings of fact to support a federal special immigrant juvenile petition, enabling more state court involvement in SI
for purposes of subsection A2 of § 16.1-241, an unmarried noncitizen between the ages of 18 and 21 who has been abused, abandoned, or neglected and for whom physical custody is sought under subsection A2 of § 16.1-241.
✓ Quote verified word for word in the bill text
Filed (completed)
Committee (completed)
Passed one chamber (completed)
Passed both (completed)
Governor (completed)
Law
Stage: Law · step 6 of 6
Last action
2026-04-13: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0656)
Why the model tagged it this way: The bill expands the definition of "child" for juvenile court purposes to include unmarried noncitizens aged 18-21 who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected, allowing them to petition for physical custody placement under new subsection A2 and for SIJ findings under A1. This facilitates access to federal special immigrant juvenile status, which is a form of immigration relief, thereby expanding state court cooperation and involvement in the federal immigration process for these individuals. No provisions address firearms, transgender issues, or abortion.
Related bills
HB28Voter registration; regular periodic review of registration records.↑Expands immigration enforcement Passed one chamber