U-Visa
Top U-Visa Attorney In Arizona
If you or a loved one are seeking help with a U Visa case, our law firm would be more than happy to offer a free and informative consultation. Please call us at 602-888-CODY. We are here to meet with you, get to know you, understand your case, and walk you through the entire process. Below we have provided information that would be very useful to read prior to your meeting in order for you to be prepared for the questions we will ask.
Requirements for U-Visa
1. Abduction
2. Abusive Sexual Contact
3. Blackmail
4. Domestic Violence
5. Extortion
6. False Imprisonment
7. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
8. Felonious Assault (Aggravated Assault)
9. Fraud in Foreign Labor Contracting
10. Hostage
11. Incest
12. Involuntary Servitude
13. Kidnapping
14. Manslaughter
15. Murder
16. Obstruction of Justice (Including violation of an order of protection)
17. Peonage
18. Perjury
19. Prostitution
20. Rape
21. Sexual Assault
22. Sexual Exploitation
23. Slave Trade
24. Stalking
25. Torture
26. Trafficking (may also be eligible for a T-Visa)
27. Witness Tampering
28. Unlawful Criminal Restraint
29. Other Related Crimes (includes any similar activity where the elements of the crime are essentially the same, and also includes attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit any of the above crimes)
What Now
What are the next steps?
Once it is in fact established that an individual is a victim of a qualifying crime, the applicant must establish that he or she was helpful in the criminal investigation. In order to prove this, the applicant must provide a police report regarding the qualifying crime. In addition to this, the applicant must also obtain a signature from a law enforcement officer on Form I-918 Supplement B. Law enforcement’s signature on this form certifies that the victim helped in the investigation of the crime. We provide services to assist you in obtaining the signature from law enforcement on the I-918 Supplement B.
The applicant also must prove that he or she suffered substantial physical or psychological harm as a result of being a victim of the qualifying crime. In order to prove that there was such harm, the applicant must provide copies of medical records for any medical treatment received in connection with the crime, photographs of injuries, and/or an evaluation from a psychologist.
Along with the U-Visa application, individuals will also need to file an I-192 waiver. This waiver will forgive illegal or unlawful presence in the United States, multiple illegal entries to the United States, and certain criminal convictions. The filing fee for the waiver is $930. There is no filing fee for the U-Visa Application.
We have helped many people who were victims of a crime and wished to adjust their status with immigration. A U-Visa is known as the process in which victims of violent crimes are eligible to adjust their status. The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 allows victims of violence to change their immigration status within the United States when complying with certain requirements. The TVPA, and later TVPRA, also permits the U-Visa holder to become a lawful permanent resident after three years of continuous physical presence and when they have not unreasonably refused to provide assistance to law enforcement since receiving the U-Visa.
Depending on at what age the U-Visa application is filed; certain qualifying family members are eligible to be a derivative in the U-Visa. The persons who qualify for derivative U-Visas are:
– Spouse if the applicant is 21 years of age or older
– Children under the age of 21
– Parents if the applicant child is under 21 years old
– Unmarried siblings under 18 years of age if the applicant sibling is under 21 years of age
There is also a limit on how many U-Visas can be granted per year and that number is 10,000. With that being said, there is no limit or cap for family members deriving status from the principal applicant, such as spouses, children, or other eligible family members.
If the cap is reached before all U nonimmigrant petitions have been adjudicated, USCIS will create a waiting list for any eligible principal or derivative petitioners that are awaiting a final decision and a U visa. Petitioners placed on the waiting list will be granted deferred action or parole and are eligible to apply for work authorization while waiting for additional U visas to become available.
Once additional visas become available, those petitioners on the waiting list will receive their visa in the order in which their petition was received. Petitioners on the waiting list do not have to take any additional steps to request the U visa. USCIS will notify the petitioner of the approval and the accompanying U visa.
What to expect
Please keep in mind that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is only authorized by Congress to grant 10,000 U-Visas per year. These cases thus can often take several years to be approved, as USCIS can reach the statutory cap very quickly and cannot approve more than 10,000 U-Visas per year. But you could be eligible for a work permit while you are waiting for the U-Visa to be processed.
Once you’ve had your U-Visa for three years you can be eligible to a lawful permanent resident through the adjustment of status process.
Questions we will ask
- How did you enter the United States?
- How long have you resided in the United States?
- Have you ever left the United States and if so, when and for how long?
- Have you ever been deported?
- Have you ever been caught crossing the border?
- Have you ever been arrested for any crime?
- Have you ever been convicted of committing any crime?
- Are you a victim of a crime that occurred in the United States?
- Did you help law enforcement with investigating the crime (answering the police officer’s questions)?