On May 16, 2016, 307 organizations that work with or assist immigrant survivors of sexual and gender-based violence submitted a letter to Mr. Rodríguez, the director of USCIS, to try to resolve the processing delays for victims of crimes applying for U nonimmigrant visas. It is taking USCIS a year and a half to process the U nonimmigrant petitions. However, due to the visa backlog it takes at least two years for USCIS to process Form I-918 petitions for an initial adjudication to the waitlist, and these delays are most likely to deteriorate in the future.
The U nonimmigrant status also known as the "U Visa" is available for individuals who are victims of certain crimes that led them to suffer mental or physical abuse and are willing to help law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. This visa category was created by Congress after the passing of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act in October 2000. The legislation was aimed to reinforce the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking of aliens and other related crimes, while also protecting individuals who significantly suffered from mental or physical abuse due to an offense and are helpful to law enforcement officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. It has also for purpose to assist law enforcement agencies in serving better victims of crimes. Unfortunately, U nonimmigrant status applications have experienced increasing delays due to an enormous amount of applicants in the recent years. To put it into perspective, U visa applications grew from 6,835 in 2009 up to 24,768 in 2012, creating a U visa backlog. Nonetheless, despite the backlog, many qualified applicants have been able to gain work authorization and lawful status. See our U visa page for more information regarding this visa category.
The U nonimmigrant status also known as the "U Visa" is available for individuals who are victims of certain crimes that led them to suffer mental or physical abuse and are willing to help law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. This visa category was created by Congress after the passing of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act in October 2000. The legislation was aimed to reinforce the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking of aliens and other related crimes, while also protecting individuals who significantly suffered from mental or physical abuse due to an offense and are helpful to law enforcement officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. It has also for purpose to assist law enforcement agencies in serving better victims of crimes. Unfortunately, U nonimmigrant status applications have experienced increasing delays due to an enormous amount of applicants in the recent years. To put it into perspective, U visa applications grew from 6,835 in 2009 up to 24,768 in 2012, creating a U visa backlog. Nonetheless, despite the backlog, many qualified applicants have been able to gain work authorization and lawful status. See our U visa page for more information regarding this visa category.
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