There are a few immigrant categories that are not classifiable based on either family relationships or employment sponsorship.

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS):
This status allows certain children in the United States to self-petition for special immigrant status and then to apply for a green card. These are unmarried children under 21 who have been declared to be dependents on the foster care system. This does not mean that the child needs to be living in foster care; he or she can be living with a family member or guardian. To qualify, the unmarried child must:

• Be under the age of 21 when Form I-360 Petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status is filed
• Have been declared a dependent on a juvenile court in the U.S. and continues to be eligible for long term foster care
• Have been the subject of a court determination that reunification with one or both parents is not practical due to abuse, neglect, abandonment or similar bases under state law
• Have been the subject of a court decision that it would not be in the child's best interest to be returned to his or her country

Many grounds of inadmissibility are waived for children who have an approved SIJS petition. One of these grounds is having made an illegal entry into the United States.
Children who eventually obtain citizenship after getting a green card through SIJS are not eligible to petition for their parents.
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Diversity Visa Lottery:
Each year, 50,000 immigrant visas are made available through a random lottery to people who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. Winners are also allowed to bring their spouses and any unmarried children under the age of 21 to the U.S.

Who is Eligible: You or your spouse must be a native of a country that is eligible to participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery. You must have a high school diploma or you must have two years of work experience within the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform.

Being selected as a winner in the diversity visa lottery does not automatically guarantee that you will be issued a visa, even if you are qualified. The number of entries selected is greater than the number of immigrant visas available, because not everyone selected will be qualified for the visa or will choose to complete the processing.

Please be aware that there are many e-mail scams aimed at trying to convince people that they have been selected for the lottery and asking for money. Please note that the Department of State notifies winners of the diversity lottery only by regular mail, not via e-mail.
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For more information or to schedule a consultation with Puri Law contact us.