United States Immigration Services
Online Guide to U.S. Visas, ESTA, Green Cards & More
United States Immigration Services is a major publisher of immigration guides and legal eBooks. Our do-it-yourself immigration guides are designed to assist immigrants in navigating the complicated United States immigration system. We strive to provide the best information about immigration to the United States.
U Visa for Immigrants who are Victims of Crimes
Download
The U Visa provides victims of certain crimes temporary legal status, work eligibility for the United States for up to 4 years.
- Start Application Immediately
- Easy to Understand Instructions
- Apply Online or by Mail
- Pricing and Fee Information Included
- Checklist of Required Documents
- Unlimited Online Support
General Information:
The U visa is nonimmigrant visa. Only 10,000 U visas can be issued each fiscal year. The petition may include spouses, children, siblings, brothers, and unmarried daughters under 18, as well as stepparents or adoptive parents. A U visa petition approved will grant the applicant eligibility to work in the United States. All approved petitions will include an Employment Authorization Document. This document can be presented to any employer in order to obtain a social security number to allow them to start working legally. All U visa applications must be filed at the Vermont Service Center.
U Visa Application: A U Visa application must be filed using FormI-918. There are several requirements that must be met before the application can be processed. The applicant must have been subject to significant physical or mental abuse as a result of criminal activity in at least one category: rape and torture, incest. domestic violence, sexual assault. abusive sexual contact. prostitution, female genital manipulation, and hostage situations. peonage.
All petitions must contain information about how the victim can help government officials learn more about the crime, including the investigation or prosecution of those responsible. The victim must be open to working with local law enforcement. The crime must have been committed in the United States, in a U.S. territory or against U.S. laws.
A section of Form I-918 must also be certified by a Federal State, Federal, or local law enforcement agency. This could include a prosecutor or a Federal or State judge who is in charge of the investigation in the case in which the petitioner is the victim. The U visa petition can’t be submitted without this certification. Certification is not sufficient to prove eligibility. All facts surrounding the petition will be considered. The person certifying must be either the head of the agency or someone designated to issue U nonimmigrant certificates. The certification can be withdrawn if the victim refuses to cooperate with law enforcement.