The United States has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants to the country and indeed the success of the United States, and its current standing as the most powerful nation on the planet, is due in some small part to the multicultural influences of these same immigrants. Emigrating to a foreign country by choice is already a difficult thing to do because you have to leave friends and family behind you as you forge a new life in the United States.
However experiencing or witnessing a serious crime as an immigrant presents you with a number of barriers including language and feelings of isolation and desperation because you\’re not a resident or citizen of the country yet. Worse again is the fact that many immigrants come from countries where reporting a crime to the police is actually the worst thing you can do, with many of the local police forces being paid by criminal gangs.
Foresight in US Immigration Law has allowed for these types of situations and actually provides a number of different visas which allow permanent residence for immigrants who both report and assist in the investigation of serious crimes such as violence against women, prostitution, human trafficking or even terrorism.
The U Visa
This type of visa is usually temporary in nature and can be given to a person who has suffered as a result of criminal activities and agrees to help authorities with their prosecution of the criminals involved. The crimes which can assist an immigrant in qualifying for a U visa include rape, kidnapping, manslaughter and trafficking of any kind. If a very serious crime is successfully prosecuted then the temporary U visa can be upgraded to a permanent Green Card instead.
T Visa
Even though the stereotypical image of slavery is thankfully now a distant memory in the United States there is still a growing problem with the trafficking of human beings across national and international borders – it\’s nothing more than slavery with a new name. If an immigrant has been forcibly transported to the United States as part of a human trafficking operation they can then qualify for a T visa, allowing them at least temporary residence in the country. Fortunately due to the horrific nature of the crime involved most T visa holders eventually become eligible for permanent residence, getting their Green Card in the process.
S Visa
If any immigrant has reliable information or intelligence on terrorist activities, or other serious crimes of that nature being planned on US soil, they will qualify for an S visa. Usually the law enforcement agency which is working with the informant will submit an application for permanent residence for the immigrant in question. In addition to gaining permanent residence the State Department also offer some S visa holders cash rewards for their assistance in preventing further terror attacks on the US.
If, as an immigrant, you are in possession of a U, T or S visa you can then apply for the same status for specific family members. If you have any further questions on any of the above visas then please contact an experienced immigration attorney.