How to File Form I-914, Supplement A: Family, Evidence, and Filing

To file Form I-914, Supplement A, the T-1 principal applicant completes a separate Supplement A for each qualifying family member and mails it, along with proof of the relationship, proof of the principal’s T-1 status, and passport-style photos, to the USCIS lockbox that serves the principal’s state. There is no filing fee. T-visa applicants and their derivatives are fee-exempt for every form through adjustment of status.¹ You can send the Supplement A together with your own Form I-914 or at any time afterward while you hold T-1 status.² Derivatives do not count against the annual cap of 5,000 principal T visas, so approvals for your relatives do not reduce slots for other applicants.³

Which Family Members You Can Include

Eligibility turns on how old you were when you filed your own Form I-914.⁴

If you were under 21 when you filed, you can petition for your spouse, children, parents, and unmarried siblings who were under 18 on the date you filed.
If you were 21 or older when you filed, you can petition only for your spouse and children.
Regardless of your age, you can petition for a parent, an unmarried sibling under 18, or an adult or minor child of one of your derivatives if that person faces a present danger of retaliation because of your escape from trafficking or cooperation with law enforcement.

The danger-based route is the only way an applicant 21 or older can bring in a parent or sibling. The current standard is present danger of retaliation tied directly to your escape or cooperation, not general hardship.⁵

What Goes In Each Packet

File one Supplement A per family member. Each packet needs three things: proof of the family relationship, proof of your T-1 status (or pending I-914), and photos.

Relationship Evidence

The specific records USCIS expects depend on the relationship:²

Spouse: civil marriage certificate, plus proof that any prior marriage of either spouse ended (divorce decree or death certificate).
Child, mother filing: the child’s birth certificate showing your name.
Child, father filing: the child’s birth certificate showing both parents plus a marriage certificate. If the child was born outside of marriage, submit evidence of the parent-child relationship.
Parent, mother: your birth certificate showing your mother’s name.
Parent, father: your birth certificate showing both parents, plus your parents’ marriage certificate proving the marriage occurred before your birth, and termination records for any prior marriages of either parent.
Sibling: your birth certificate and your sibling’s birth certificate, both showing at least one parent in common.
Stepparent or stepchild: the marriage certificate of the stepparent to the child’s natural parent, showing the marriage occurred before the child turned 18, plus termination records for any prior marriages.
Adoptive parent or adopted child: the adoption decree showing the adoption occurred before the child reached 16, along with evidence the child lived with the adoptive parent for at least two years before or after the adoption.

Any document not in English needs a full English translation with a signed certification from the translator stating that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent in both languages.⁶

Proof of the Principal’s T-1 Status

On the Supplement A itself, you indicate whether your Form I-914 is pending, filed together with the Supplement A, or already approved.⁷ Include a copy of the matching document: the Form I-797 receipt notice if your I-914 is pending, or the approval notice if T-1 status was already granted.⁶

Photos and Biographic Details

Include two identical passport-style photos of the family member, taken within the last six months. On the form, provide the relative’s full legal name, date of birth, country of birth, current address, and any Alien Registration Number previously assigned.⁶

Extra Evidence for Danger-Based Petitions

If you are petitioning for a parent, unmarried sibling under 18, or a derivative’s child under the present-danger provision, add:⁶

A written description of the danger the family member faces and how it is linked to your escape or cooperation.
Documentation of any previous grant of advance parole to that family member, if applicable.
Any other credible evidence describing the danger of retaliation.

Cases most often fail here on specificity. A general statement that a relative “could be in danger” will not do. USCIS looks for details: names or descriptions of people making threats, dates of past incidents, police reports, country-condition evidence showing the trafficker’s reach, and sworn statements from people with firsthand knowledge.

Completing and Mailing the Form

Download the current edition of Form I-914, Supplement A from uscis.gov/i-914.⁶ Complete a separate Supplement A for each relative. The form itself is short; the supporting documents do the work. Fill in every field. A blank where USCIS expects an answer can trigger a rejection.

Assemble each packet with the completed Supplement A on top, followed by relationship evidence, photos, and proof of the principal’s status. If you are filing for several relatives at once, use labeled dividers between the packets.

Mail to the USCIS lockbox that serves your state. The current addresses are:⁶

USPS to the Elgin Lockbox: USCIS, Attn: I-914, P.O. Box 4221, Carol Stream, IL 60197-4221.
FedEx, UPS, or DHL to the Elgin Lockbox: USCIS, Attn: I-914 (Box 4221), 2500 Westfield Drive, Elgin, IL 60124-7836.
USPS to the Phoenix Lockbox: USCIS, Attn: I-914, P.O. Box 20200, Phoenix, AZ 85036-0200.
FedEx, UPS, or DHL to the Phoenix Lockbox: USCIS, Attn: I-914 (Box 20200), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806.

Which lockbox applies depends on your state of residence. Check the state-by-state breakdown on the USCIS I-914 page before mailing, since USCIS occasionally reassigns states. If you are filing the Supplement A with your own Form I-914, put everything in the same envelope.

After You File

USCIS issues a Form I-797, Notice of Action, confirming receipt and assigning a case number. Keep it. It is your proof of filing and connects the derivative case to the principal’s file.

Family members inside the United States who are between 14 and 79 are generally scheduled for a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center for fingerprints, a photograph, and a signature. The appointment notice arrives by mail with a date, time, and location. If the family member cannot attend, contact USCIS before the date to reschedule; missing it without notice can stall the case.

An officer then reviews the record. Approved family members receive one of the following derivative classifications:

T-2: spouse.
T-3: child.
T-4: parent.
T-5: unmarried sibling under 18.
T-6: adult or minor child of a derivative, approved under the danger-based exception.

Each classification authorizes the family member to remain in the United States lawfully.

Work Authorization

Approved derivatives can work in the United States, but they need a separate Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to get an EAD. The I-765 filing fee is waived for T nonimmigrants.¹

Derivatives with approved status file the I-765 under eligibility category (c)(25) and attach a copy of the approval notice. If status was obtained through admission at a port of entry, attach the passport page showing the T visa instead. A derivative whose Supplement A is still pending may file for work authorization under category (c)(40).⁸

A family member still outside the United States is not eligible for an EAD until lawful entry. Do not file Form I-765 from abroad.⁸

Adjusting to Permanent Resident Later

Derivative T holders can eventually apply for a green card with Form I-485. To qualify, you must have been lawfully admitted in T-2, T-3, T-4, T-5, or T-6 status and still hold it when you file; the principal T-1’s own Form I-485 must be pending, filed at the same time as yours, or already approved; the principal must meet all green card requirements; and you must be admissible or have any inadmissibility grounds waived.⁹ You must also have been admitted in derivative status before the principal became a permanent resident. The I-485 filing fee is waived for T nonimmigrants.¹ You do not need to wait for the principal to file, but the principal’s I-485 must at least be pending when yours is decided, which is why many families coordinate the filings or send them together.

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Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. DHS Amends T Nonimmigrant Regulations
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