What is a T Visa and U Visa?

Seth and JJ explain what a T Visa and U Visa are, and how they can help victims of human trafficking get temporary nonimmigrant status. They also explain how Trump administration policies have affected these visa, including how they are slowing down processing times. Nevertheless, applications numbers have risen, but so have denials since 2016 along with a growing backlog of pending applications.

Sources:

Information for Law Enforcement Agencies and Judges, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-human-trafficking-other-crimes

T Visa Applicants Must Have Been “Trafficked” Into the U.S., NOLO
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/differences-between-t-u-visas.html

Victims of Human Trafficking: T Nonimmigrant Status, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-human-trafficking-other-crimes/victims-human-trafficking-t-nonimmigrant-status

Victims of Criminal Activity: U Nonimmigrant Status, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/victims-human-trafficking-other-crimes/victims-criminal-activity-u-nonimmigrant-status/victims-criminal-activity-u-nonimmigrant-status

Human Trafficking Victims Blocked from Visas by Trump Wage Boss, Bloomberg
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/human-trafficking-victims-blocked-from-visas-by-trump-wage-boss

• Trump Wage Chief Adds Visa Hurdles for Trafficking Victims (2), Bloomberg Law
• How Trump Is ‘Destroying Protections’ for Victims of Human Trafficking, World Politics Review
• It Is Now Even Harder for Trafficking Survivors to Get Visas, The Appeal
• Trump immigration policies may interfere with human trafficking prosecution, The Colleges of Law Blog
  Fewer Undocumented Immigrant Crime Victims Are Stepping Forward, WNYC
• Number of Form I-914, Application for T Nonimmigrant StatusBy Fiscal Year, Quarter, and Case StatusFiscal Years 2008-2019 (Fiscal Year 2019, Quarter 2), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Number of Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status By Fiscal Year, Quarter, and Case Status Fiscal Years 2009-2019 (Fiscal Year 2019, Quarter 2), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services