- Rape, incest, sexual assault, or abusive sexual contact
- Torture
- Trafficking
- Domestic violence
- Prostitution or sexual exploitation
- Female genital mutilation
- Being held hostage, enslaved, or subject to involuntary servitude
- Kidnapping or abduction
- Manslaughter, murder, or felonious assault
- Witness tampering, obstruction of justice, or perjury
As part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act and the
Battered Immigrant Women’s Protection Act, Congress created the
U visa, or U nonimmigrant status. A
U visa
is a nonimmigrant visa that entitles certain individuals temporary legal
status and work privileges in the U.S. for up to four years. The purpose
of a U visa is to protect and provide at least temporary refuge to the
victims of certain crimes that occurred in the U.S., in a U.S. territory,
or in violation of U.S. law. In order to qualify for a U visa, the crime
victim must have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse as a result
of criminal activity that falls under one particular classification of
criminal offenses, which include the following:
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