Uscis Announces Its Intent To Certify U Visa Applications
In favor of the victims of certain crimes, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has proclaimed its determination to certify U visa applications. The U visa applications for immigrant victims were previously certified only by traditional law enforcement offices.
The main purpose of the U visa is to make the immigrant victims come forward in cooperating with the law enforcement forces. Foreign nationals who hold a U visa can continue to stay in the United States for a period of up to four years, and can also bring their family members into the U.S. Additionally, a U visa holder is provided with automatic work authorization with chances of acquiring the green card for their permanent residence.
Along with the U visa application, an USCIS Form I-918 is required to be filed by the immigrant victim. A law enforcement agency has to approve the foreign national that he/she has been a victim of a serious crime and has been and is expected to be cooperative during the investigation or prosecution of those suspected responsible for committing the crime, in order to qualify for the U visa. Also the foreign national should have experienced physical or mental abuse in any of the criminal categories, such as witness tampering, blackmail, kidnapping, slave trade, rape, sexual assault, prostitution, female genital mutilation, and other crimes associated with them.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form I-918 Supplement B has to be filed by a law enforcement agency attaching all the necessary documents about the victim before applying for U visas. The U.S DOL has been authorized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as one of the law enforcement agencies to certify U visa applications.
The DOL gives U visa protection to those foreign nationals who have been traded illegally to work in the United States or abused by the employers. When the employer is found threatening an employee of the ramification after he/she cooperates with a government investigation, the employee will qualify for U visa certification, since it would be considered witness tampering.
