U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is currently processing U visa petitions with filing dates on or before April 30, 2017, for final approval under the annual cap. That cutoff took effect when the current fiscal year began on October 1, 2025. If your Form I-918 was received after April 30, 2017, your petition has not yet reached the front of the line for a principal U-1 visa, and the wait for most recent filers is measured in years, not months.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
Where To Confirm the Current Cutoff
The cutoff date refers to when USCIS received the petition, not when it makes a decision. USCIS posts the current filing-date cutoff on its I-918 page and updates it as the line moves. Check there directly rather than relying on secondhand estimates, because the date changes and third-party summaries lag.
The date has advanced slowly for one straightforward reason: the annual cap has been exhausted every year since 2010.
Why the Line Moves So Slowly
Congress capped principal U-1 visas at 10,000 per fiscal year. Spouses, children, parents, and siblings who receive derivative status do not count against that limit.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Victims of Criminal Activity: U Nonimmigrant Status
As of the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, USCIS reported approximately 415,881 pending U visa petitions, counting both principal and derivative cases.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status Statistics FY2025 Q3 Even if USCIS approved principal petitions at the maximum rate of 10,000 per year and no new petitions arrived, clearing that backlog would take decades. New filings keep coming, and each year’s cap fills quickly.
How To Check Your Place in Line
Your position is set by the date USCIS received your completed Form I-918. USCIS calls this your receipt date or filing date, and it works like a priority date. Every petition is adjudicated under the annual cap in receipt-date order, oldest first.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
You will find your receipt date on the Form I-797 notice USCIS sent after accepting your petition. Keep that document. It is the only reliable way to compare your position against the filing-date cutoff USCIS publishes. The line is strictly first-come, first-served, and no one can move ahead of petitions filed earlier.
What the Wait Looks Like by Filing Year
If your receipt date is on or before April 30, 2017, USCIS may be reviewing your petition for final approval right now. If your receipt date is after April 30, 2017, you are still waiting for your turn.
With more than 415,000 petitions pending and only 10,000 principal visas issued each year, applicants who filed in 2020 or later can reasonably expect many additional years before final approval. Petitions filed more recently face waits longer still. USCIS has not published a projected date for when petitions from those years will be reached, so plan around the current cutoff and check for movement on the I-918 page.
Provisional Benefits While You Wait
Congress addressed the length of the wait through the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which gave USCIS authority to grant provisional benefits to applicants with legitimate pending petitions. That review is called the Bona Fide Determination (BFD).4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 3 Part C Chapter 5 – Bona Fide Determination Process
During a BFD review, USCIS confirms that your petition is complete, that you included a signed law enforcement certification on Form I-918 Supplement B, and that you do not pose a risk to national security or public safety. USCIS also considers whether your case merits a favorable exercise of discretion. BFD reviews generally proceed in filing-date order, starting with the oldest pending petitions.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
If USCIS grants your BFD, you receive two benefits. USCIS grants you deferred action, a formal decision not to pursue deportation against you. You also receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) valid for four years. Qualifying family members can receive the same protections. After the BFD, your petition returns to receipt-date order to wait for final adjudication under the cap.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 3 Part C Chapter 5 – Bona Fide Determination Process
Renewing Your Work Permit
Because final approval takes far longer than four years, most applicants will need to renew their EAD at least once. If USCIS has not adjudicated your petition before your EAD expires, you may apply to renew it using Form I-765. If granted, the renewal provides another four-year EAD and a renewed grant of deferred action.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. National Engagement – U Visa and Bona Fide Determination Process – Frequently Asked Questions File the renewal well before your current EAD expires so there is no gap in work authorization. A fee waiver request can be submitted with the renewal application.
What Happens When Your Filing Date Is Reached
When your receipt date reaches the front of the line, USCIS conducts a full review. A prior favorable BFD does not guarantee final approval. At this stage, USCIS evaluates every eligibility requirement again, runs updated background and security checks, and may request additional evidence, such as a new medical exam or an updated law enforcement certification confirming that you are still cooperating.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
If everything checks out, USCIS approves your U-1 nonimmigrant status for four years and issues a Form I-94 confirming your status. That is when the clock starts for the three years of continuous physical presence you will need before applying for a green card.
Cooperation Still Matters After Approval
Your obligation to assist reasonably in the investigation or prosecution does not end when your petition is approved. If the certifying agency determines you have stopped cooperating, it can withdraw the certification, and USCIS can revoke your status.6eCFR. 8 CFR 214.14 – Alien Victims of Certain Qualifying Criminal Activity Revocation of a principal petition also terminates derivative status for family members. If you receive a notice of intent to revoke, you have 30 days to submit rebuttal evidence and may appeal an adverse decision to the Administrative Appeals Office. Stay in contact with the investigating agency and respond to their requests.
Do Not Leave the Country While You Wait
Leaving the United States while your U visa petition is pending is one of the most dangerous decisions you can make. Without advance parole or a valid nonimmigrant visa, you cannot lawfully return until USCIS approves your Form I-918, you complete consular processing abroad, and you are admitted with a U visa. Given the current backlog, that could mean waiting outside the country for years.
Even with an advance parole document requested through Form I-131, return is not guaranteed. Customs and Border Protection officers exercise discretion at the port of entry and can deny you entry or issue a Notice to Appear in immigration court. Applicants with criminal histories or prior removal orders face especially high risk. Departure can also trigger the three-year or ten-year unlawful presence bars, depending on how long you were unlawfully present before leaving.
There are practical risks too. While you are outside the country, you may miss USCIS correspondence, be unable to provide biometrics on time, or be unable to assist law enforcement when they need you. Any of those can derail your petition. Unless you have a compelling emergency and have consulted an immigration attorney, staying in the United States while your case is pending is the safest course.