T Visa Human Trafficking

CHICAGO T VISA IMMIGRATION LAWYER

Human trafficking is a crime of stealing freedom from innocent people for a financial or personal gain. Victims of human trafficking are typically exploited for labor, services or commercial sex. While human trafficking can occur globally in many other countries, there are many trafficked victims in the U.S. and Chicago, Illinois who are brought in from foreign countries. If you are or know someone who are in such a situation and without a lawful immigration status, we want to assure that there’s HOPE in your situation.  Under the current immigration law, there are several immigration relief programs that are tailored to protect you in your situation, and one of them is T non immigrant status, also known as T visa. At Cipolla Law Group, we have great experience helping crime victims to obtain their legal status in the United States. Call 773-687-0549 or contact us online for a confidential consultation.

What is T Visa?

T Visa is a type of humanitarian immigration relief specifically designed to combat human trafficking and provide relief for victims of human trafficking and their families to remain in the United States and a possible path of citizenship. Congress created T visa status (commonly referred to as a T visa) in 2000 as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. Each year, 5,000 T visas are granted to victims of severe human trafficking, provided that they assist in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers.

Who can apply for T Visa?

As traffickers typically lure their victims by falsely promising better employment or better life in the United States, in reality most trafficked victims experience hardship and are without valid US visas or residency (green card).  If you are a victim of human trafficking and without a lawful immigration status, you may be eligible for T visa.  Certain qualifying family members of the victims such as parents, children or siblings of the trafficked victim may also apply for T visa as a derivative dependents of the application.

What are the requirements of T Visa?

In order to be eligible for a T visa you must be:

• a victim of sex trafficking or labor trafficking
• be physically present in the US, certain US territories or a port of entry because of it.
• willing to cooperate with law enforcement such as the FBI or police in the investigation of human trafficking.
• be exempted from getting involved in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking if you are under the age of 18 or have suffered physical or psychological trauma that will prevent you from complying with a reasonable request from the law enforcement.

What does Sex Trafficking mean for T visa?

Sex trafficking is when someone recruits, harbors, transports, provides, solicits, patronizes or obtains a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, where the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or the person being induced to perform such act is under 18 years of age.

What is Labor Trafficking for T visa?

Labor trafficking is when someone recruits, harbors, transports, provides or obtains a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.

T Visa Cooperation with law enforcement

• Have complied with any reasonable request for assistance in Federal, State or local investigation or prosecution of acts of trafficking or investigation of a crime where acts of trafficking are at least one central reason for commission of that crime; OR
• Victim is under 18 years of age; OR
• Victim is unable to cooperate with a request due to physical or psychological trauma.

Chicago T Visa Immigration Lawyer with Compassion and Skills