If you have been the victim of a serious crime in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York and you fear that reporting what happened could put your immigration status at risk, federal law offers a pathway designed for exactly that situation. It is called the U nonimmigrant visa, and it has existed since 2000 to encourage crime victims who lack secure status to come forward, cooperate with police, and help bring offenders to justice. In return, qualifying victims can receive temporary legal status, a work permit, protection from removal, and, after three years in U status, a path to a green card. This post explains what the U visa is, who qualifies, how the process works in 2026, and what survivors across the Lehigh Valley and the wider tri-state region need to know before reaching out for help.
What Is the U Visa and Who Qualifies
Congress created the U visa as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. The category is capped at ten thousand principal approvals each fiscal year, and demand has long outpaced supply, which is why the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services backlog is now measured in years. Even with that wait, the U visa remains one of the most powerful forms of relief available to undocumented or out-of-status victims of crime, because it offers protection during the wait through deferred action and bona fide determination work authorization.
To qualify, a person must show four things. They were the victim of a qualifying criminal activity, which the statute defines to include domestic violence, sexual assault, felonious assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, witness tampering, stalking, and a long list of other serious offenses. They suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result. They possess information about the crime. And they have been, are being, or are likely to be helpful to law enforcement or another certifying agency. Cooperation is documented on Form I-918, Supplement B, which must be signed by the head of an agency responsible for investigating or prosecuting the crime, a supervisor that head has specifically designated, or a judge; in Pennsylvania that usually means the police department that took the report, the district attorney, a judge who handled the case, or, for a child victim, the county children and youth agency.
How the U Visa Process Works in 2026
The application is built around Form I-918, the principal petition, accompanied by a personal declaration explaining the crime, the harm suffered, and the cooperation provided. USCIS expects detailed evidence: police reports, hospital records, photographs, counseling notes, witness statements, and the signed Supplement B certification. Applicants must also file Form I-192 to waive any inadmissibility issues such as a prior unlawful entry or a past removal order, since most U applicants carry grounds of inadmissibility that would otherwise bar a benefit.
Because annual visa numbers run out almost as soon as each fiscal year opens, USCIS reviews every principal petition first for what is called a bona fide determination. If the petition appears legitimate and the applicant clears initial background checks, USCIS issues deferred action and a work permit valid for up to four years while the petition waits in line for a visa number. When the number becomes available, USCIS conducts a full adjudication. Once the U visa is granted, the holder begins accruing the three years of continuous presence required to apply for a green card under Section 245(m) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The principal may also petition for qualifying family members on Form I-918, Supplement A: a spouse and children and, when the victim is under 21, also parents and unmarried siblings under 18.
U-visa · Crime victim relief · Víctimas de crimen
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If you were the victim of a qualifying crime (domestic violence, assault, kidnapping, others) and helped law enforcement, you may qualify for a U-visa. The wait is long — but if USCIS finds the petition bona fide or places it on the waiting list, a work permit can come long before final approval, and U status can later lead to a green card. Free, confidential 30-minute consultation in English or Spanish.
Si fuiste víctima de un crimen calificado (violencia doméstica, asalto, secuestro, entre otros) y colaboraste con la policía, podrías calificar para una visa U. La espera es larga, pero si USCIS determina que la petición es de buena fe o la coloca en la lista de espera, el permiso de trabajo puede llegar mucho antes de la aprobación final — y el estatus U puede llevar más adelante a la residencia permanente. Consulta gratuita y confidencial de 30 minutos.
Confidential U-Visa Review →Or call (484) 763-4984
Local Considerations for Survivors in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York
The certifying agency requirement is where most U cases live or die, and the experience of obtaining a Supplement B varies widely across our region. In the Lehigh Valley, neither federal nor Pennsylvania law requires an agency to sign or sets a deadline to respond, and as of September 2026 we found no published certification policy, named certifying official, or request form for the Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton police departments or the Lehigh and Northampton County District Attorneys, so the first step is usually a call to ask who handles Supplement B requests, followed by a written request to that person. A Reading case runs through the Reading Police Department and the Berks County District Attorney, and in any county a request can go unanswered or be declined, so a written follow-up to the designated certifying official is often needed. Across the river, the New Jersey Attorney General has issued statewide guidance directing all law enforcement agencies to consider Supplement B requests in good faith, which has improved response times in Warren, Hunterdon, and Sussex Counties. In New York, the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorneys maintain dedicated immigration units, while suburban counties often need an attorney letter to explain the standard. We also see cross-border cases where the crime occurred in one jurisdiction but the survivor now lives in another, and the certification request has to be tailored carefully.
How an Attorney Can Help
A U visa is one of the most evidence-heavy and timing-sensitive applications in immigration law. We help survivors draft the declaration, gather corroborating records, send a focused certification request to the right agency, prepare the Form I-192 waiver package, and shepherd the file through the multi-year wait. Where U eligibility is unclear, we evaluate parallel options such as a T visa for trafficking survivors or a VAWA self-petition for victims of domestic violence, both of which fall within our broader family-based immigration practice.
What to Do Next
The U visa exists precisely because Congress wanted crime victims to feel safe reporting what happened to them, regardless of immigration status. If you or a family member has experienced violence, abuse, or another qualifying crime in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York, the right next step is a confidential conversation with a lawyer who handles these cases regularly. Our team at Lehigh Valley Immigration Law represents survivors throughout Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, the Poconos, and across the tri-state region. Schedule a free consultation and we will walk through what happened, what evidence may already exist, and whether a U visa, a T visa, a VAWA self-petition, or another form of removal defense is the best path forward.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this post does not create an attorney-client relationship.