U Visas
What is a U Visa?
The U visa is specifically for individuals who have suffered physical or mental abuse because they’ve been victims of certain crimes and reported those crimes to law enforcement.
Who is eligible for a U Visa?
U Visa eligibility is difficult to assess because of the nuances and specificity of the crime that was committed and other details that may be pertinent to your case.
In order to determine your eligibility, your best course of action is to consult with an experienced immigration attorney.
Our office has extensive experience with U Visas and can help you determine whether you qualify – and can even support you in reporting the crimes against you if you are afraid of reporting due to your undocumented status.
Please request a consultation to make sure your case is heard and is in the best hands.
How do I know if I’m eligible for a U visa?
If you or your child have suffered mental and/or physical harm due to a crime or domestic violence against you, you are not alone.
The US government created laws to help you disclose crimes you were a victim of and to and cooperate with law enforcement without the fear of deportation.
This also means that one of the avenues for legal status available to you may be the U Visa.
U visa Eligibility Requirements
You may be eligible for a U visa if you or your child:
were a victim of a qualifying crime
have suffered mental or physical harm due to the crime/abuse that you survived
Have information about the crime that you survived
Were, are, or are likely to be helpful to law enforcement in order to investigate and prosecute the crime
The crime must have happened in the United States or violated US laws.
U visa petitioners may also petition for their spouses and children. When the U Visa petitioner is a child under the age of 21, they may be eligible to petition for parents and siblings.
As a U Visa holder, you will have legal status in the United States. This means that you can work with a work permit. A U Visa can also open doors for you to seek residency and even start your journey to naturalization and citizenship.
Hiring a U visa Attorney
Based on these eligibility requirements, what then is a “qualifying” crime?
Will the information you have be helpful in the investigation and prosecution of the crime?
Because the eligibility requirements are not entirely black and white, if you or your family members have been a victim of a crime, reported or unreported, we encourage you to consult an immigration attorney with experience in U visa cases.
Here at Waxler Immigration Law, we have a particular passion for representing survivors of crime and domestic violence.
Immigration attorney Sherilyn Holcombe Waxler takes a compassionate and caring approach to your case, listening to the most intricate, delicate, and minute details of your case to determine your eligibility and find you the best path to legal status.
We would love to hear from you and help you on your path to a U visa. Contact us today using the contact form, or call us at 503-281-0990.
Here is what one of our brave clients had to say about Sherilyn’s approach:
“Thinking back to my Initial Consultation, the first highlight was the empathy you showed for me as a human being, the clarity, and transparency when speaking to me, how knowledgeable you were and are in immigration law, and that you had an Assistant who spoke my native language. One of the most important things you did to help my case was listening to my story, believing in me, having empathy and not giving up on me, like those three other immigration attorneys did. You studied my case and carefully reviewed every detail of my life to help you find ways to make my case stronger which opened the door to my case being read and eventually leading me to be granted a U-Visa.”