naturalization-citizenship

U VISA

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 authorized two new visas: the “U” visa for immigrant victims of serious crimes and the “T” visa for victims of severe human trafficking. These visas were created due to rising public safety concerns, with the idea that foreign victims of crimes in the U.S. should be allowed to remain so as to provide law enforcement officials with information helpful in apprehending and prosecuting criminal offenders.

If you are approved for a U visa, you will be granted legal status in the U.S. for up to four years (which may be extended if “exceptional circumstances” warrant it). Once you have held your U visa for three years, you may be eligible to apply for legal permanent residence (a “green card”).

However, it is not enough to simply state that you have been a victim of a serious crime in order to get a U visa. You will need to provide a “certificate of helpfulness” from a qualifying government agency and prove that you suffered mental or physical abuse by a U.S. perpetrator. Additionally, if you are “inadmissible” to the U.S. due to past immigration violations or for other reasons, you will need to apply for a waiver of these grounds.

U Visa Eligibility Criteria

  1. You must have been a victim of a qualifying criminal activity, and this crime must have occurred in the United States or violated U.S. law. Indirect and bystander victims are also eligible to apply in certain circumstances. For example, a murder victim obviously cannot benefit from a U visa, but another person who witnessed the murder or a close family member who was impacted by it may have information that is helpful to law enforcement.
  2. In the course of this criminal activity, you must have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse.
  3. You have useful information about this criminal activity (or if under age 16, your parent or guardian can provide this information for you).
  4. You (or your parent or guardian) have been or will be helpful to law enforcement in order to bring the perpetrator of this crime to justice.
  5. You are admissible to the United States or you are applying for a waiver using Form I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-Immigrant.

You can apply for a U visa from within the U.S. or abroad at a U.S. consulate.

What Crimes Qualify Its Victims for a U Visa

In a typical U visa case, you will have been the victim of a serious crime that took place in the United States. In some cases, however, the crime might have violated U.S. laws overseas (such as a human trafficking or kidnapping crime). Examples of qualifying crimes are:

  • Violent crimes: murder, domestic violence, manslaughter, vehicular homicide, robbery, stalking, felonious assault (what qualifies as felonious assault can differ, but usually involves the use of a deadly weapon, and can include statutory rape and other offenses).
  • Enslavement crimes: criminal restraint, kidnapping, abduction, being held hostage, forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, indentured or debt servitude, and false imprisonment.
  • Sexual crimes: rape, incest, sexual trafficking, sexual assault and abusive sexual contact, prostitution, sexual exploitation, and female genital mutilation.
  • Obstruction of justice crimes: perjury, witness tampering, withholding evidence.

The crime need not have been “completed” in order for it to qualify. An attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit one of the above-mentioned crimes is enough.

You Must Prove Substantial Physical or Mental Abuse

It is not enough to merely be victim of a qualifying crime. You must have suffered “substantial” physical injury or mental anguish as a result of this criminal activity and you must provide USCIS with medical records and affidavits to support your claim. In determining whether the injury you suffered was “substantial,” USCIS will consider how severe the injury was, for how long the abuse occurred, and how likely it is to cause you lasting or permanent harm.
You should provide a personal statement detailing the physical or mental harm you suffered, as well as medical records or statements from treating physicians and psychologists, photographs of physical injuries, and affidavits from social workers.

You Must Have Helpful Information to Provide to Law Enforcement

One of the reasons for the authorization of U visas is that many U.S. immigrants do not provide information to law enforcement due to cultural differences, language barriers, and fear of deportation. Due to this reluctance to report, many perpetrators of serious crime have viewed immigrants as an excellent target.

In order to further the public safety objectives of these visas, your petition must be certified by a police officer (or other law enforcement official) who will attest that you were a victim of a qualifying crime and you are likely to be helpful to an investigation or prosecution of the crime.

For this reason, you are more likely to get a law enforcement official to cooperate with your U visa application if you are forthcoming in providing information that could lead to the identification, arrest, and conviction of a serious criminal.

A Waiver Is Available If You Are Inadmissible

To be eligible for a U visa, you must not be inadmissible to the United States. This means that you would not be barred from U.S. entry due to factors such as multiple criminal convictions, immigration violations, certain medical conditions, or any of several other reasons.

In order to apply for a waiver of inadmissibility, you must submit USCIS Form I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Nonimmigrant. Unlike the I-601 inadmissibility waiver that is required for other nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions, this waiver does not require a showing of “extreme hardship.” Such waiver applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Your Qualifying Family Members May Receive Derivative U Visas

Certain family members may be eligible to become derivative U visa recipients if the principal petitioner’s application is approved. These include your:

  • unmarried children under age 21
  • spouse
  • parents (if principal petitioner is under age 21), and
  • unmarried siblings under 18 years old (if principal petitioner is under age 21).

Any derivative relatives that you include must also be admissible to the U.S. (or apply for a waiver) and have good moral character.

Timing Counts!

If you think you may be eligible for a U visa based on the above, you should start the application process as soon as possible. The earlier it is in the criminal investigation and prosecution, the more likely it is that you will be able to convince USCIS that you play a vital role in bringing the criminals involved to justice and should be therefore be allowed to stay in the United States.