U Visa Requirements Checklist: Forms, Evidence & Eligibility

A complete U visa requirements checklist has four parts: proof you meet the four eligibility criteria, the required USCIS forms, a signed law enforcement certification, and evidence documenting both the qualifying crime and the harm you suffered. Get each layer right before you file, because the annual cap of 10,000 visas creates a backlog measured in years, and a weak or incomplete package is the delay you can actually control.¹

The Four Eligibility Requirements

Federal regulations set out four requirements, and missing any one is fatal to the petition. Treat them as separate hurdles rather than a general standard.²

Substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of being a victim of a qualifying crime. USCIS weighs the nature and severity of the injuries, how long the harm lasted, and whether it caused permanent damage. No single factor is required, and a pattern of lesser acts taken together can meet the threshold.
Credible, reliable information about the criminal activity. You do not need to have witnessed every element of the crime, but you must know enough specific facts that law enforcement finds your information useful. If the victim was under 16 or is incapacitated, a parent, guardian, or next friend can supply the information on their behalf.
Helpfulness to a law enforcement agency, prosecutor, or judge investigating or prosecuting the crime. You have been helpful, are currently helpful, or are likely to be helpful, and once you begin cooperating you cannot unreasonably refuse further assistance. That obligation continues throughout the life of your case.
U.S. jurisdiction over the crime. The qualifying criminal activity must have violated federal, state, or local law, or occurred within the United States, its territories, or its possessions (including Indian country and military installations).

Which Crimes Qualify

The statute reaches a defined list of violent and exploitative offenses. Commonly encountered ones include domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, involuntary servitude, and felonious assault.² The list also covers blackmail, extortion, false imprisonment, witness tampering, obstruction of justice, perjury, manslaughter, and murder.

Crimes that are “substantially similar” to any listed offense also qualify, even if your local jurisdiction uses a different label. Attempts, conspiracies, and solicitations to commit any of these crimes count too. Identifying the specific qualifying crime early matters, because it shapes everything else in the petition, starting with the law enforcement certification.

Forms You Must File

Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status

This is the main application. It collects your personal information, immigration history, criminal history, and details about the qualifying crime.³ You must attach a personal statement describing what happened, how it affected you, and how you helped or are helping law enforcement. The narrative carries real weight; it is your chance to put flesh on the legal requirements in your own words.

Form I-918, Supplement B (Law Enforcement Certification)

Supplement B is usually the hardest piece to obtain because you depend on a government official to sign it. A certifying official from a qualifying agency confirms that you were a victim of a qualifying crime and that you have been, are, or are likely to be helpful in investigating or prosecuting it.⁴ Qualifying agencies include federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and judges.

The signature has a shelf life. USCIS must receive your complete petition within six months of the date the certifying official signed Supplement B. File later than that and the certification is considered expired. Gather the rest of your documents before you request the certification so you can mail everything quickly once it is in hand.

Form I-192 (Waiver of Inadmissibility)

If anything in your background makes you inadmissible, such as a prior removal order, unlawful presence, or certain criminal convictions, include Form I-192 to request a waiver.⁵ The form asks you to identify each ground of inadmissibility and explain why the waiver is justified. Most U visa applicants have at least one ground (unlawful presence is extremely common), so do not assume this form is optional.

Form I-918, Supplement A (For Family Members)

If you are including qualifying family members, list each one on a separate Supplement A and attach proof of the relationship, such as marriage certificates, birth certificates, or adoption records.

Evidence to Gather

USCIS applies a flexible “any credible evidence” standard, but stronger, better-organized evidence moves your case along.⁶ Build your evidence package around four categories:

Identity documents. A passport, birth certificate, or other government-issued photo identification.
Evidence of the crime. Police reports, restraining orders, court records, news coverage, or other documentation showing the criminal activity occurred.
Evidence of substantial abuse. Medical records, hospital discharge summaries, psychological or psychiatric evaluations, and affidavits from counselors, social workers, or shelter staff who observed your condition. Forensic psychological evaluations are especially useful for documenting mental harm that leaves no visible injuries.
Your personal statement. A detailed declaration describing what happened, the physical and emotional harm you suffered, and your cooperation with law enforcement.

If you cannot obtain a specific document, you can explain why and submit alternative evidence. Just do not leave the gap unaddressed.

Family Members You Can Include

Certain family members can receive derivative U status through your petition. Who qualifies depends on your age when you file:⁷

If you are 21 or older, you may include your spouse and your unmarried children under 21.
If you are under 21, you may include your spouse, unmarried children under 21, parents, and unmarried siblings under 18.

The 10,000 annual cap applies only to principal petitioners, so derivatives do not count against it.¹ Family members living outside the United States, however, are not eligible for deferred action or work authorization through the Bona Fide Determination process; they must wait for a visa number.

Filing Fees

USCIS does not charge a fee to file Form I-918, and the initial work-permit application filed with it is also fee-free.⁸ Related out-of-pocket costs still add up: certified translations of foreign-language documents, forensic psychological evaluations, and replacement identity documents from abroad all vary widely in price.

Where and How to Submit the Package

USCIS uses regional lockbox facilities to receive Form I-918 petitions. The correct address depends on where you live, and filing to the wrong lockbox can get your petition rejected and returned.⁸ Applicants outside the country are currently directed to the USCIS lockbox in Phoenix, Arizona.⁹ Filing locations change periodically, so check the “Where to File” section on the USCIS Form I-918 page before mailing.

Send Form I-918, Supplement A (if applicable), Supplement B, Form I-192 (if applicable), and all supporting evidence together in one package. After USCIS accepts the filing, you will receive a receipt notice with a case number you can use to track the petition online.

Do Not Leave the Country While Your Petition Is Pending

A pending I-918 does not grant you any right to re-enter the United States, and there is no advance parole mechanism for U visa applicants. If you depart, USCIS can transfer your file to a U.S. consulate abroad, and you would need to stay outside the country until a visa is issued. If your petition is denied while you are away, you have no automatic way back in.

Extended absences create practical problems too. USCIS sends requests for evidence and appointment notices by mail, and missing those deadlines because you were out of the country can lead USCIS to treat your case as abandoned. Ongoing cooperation with law enforcement, a core eligibility requirement, is also harder to maintain from overseas. If you already hold approved U nonimmigrant status and need to travel, you must obtain a U visa stamp at a U.S. consulate before you can re-enter.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1184 – Admission of Nonimmigrants
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.14 – Alien Victims of Certain Qualifying Criminal Activity
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-918 Supplement B, U Nonimmigrant Status Certification
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Nonimmigrant
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 3 Part B Chapter 3 – Documentation and Evidence for Principal Applicants
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 3 Part C Chapter 2 – Eligibility Requirements for U Nonimmigrant Status
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Lockbox and Service Center Filing Location Updates