Victims of Human Trafficking & Other Crimes

USCIS helps protect victims of human trafficking and other crimes by providing immigration relief. Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers lure individuals with false promises of employment and a better life.

Individuals and their families may also fall victim to many other types of crime in the United States. These crimes include: rape, murder, manslaughter, domestic violence, sexual assault, and many others.

There are two types of immigration relief we provide to victims of human trafficking and other crimes:

T Nonimmigrant Status (T Visa)
T nonimmigrant status provides immigration protection to victims of trafficking. The T Visa allows victims to remain in the United States and assist law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of human trafficking cases.

U Nonimmigrant Status (U Visa)
U nonimmigrant status provides immigration protection to crime victims who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse as a result of the crime. The U visa allows victims to remain in the United States and assist law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity.

Resources
USCIS offers resources for victims of human trafficking and other crimes and the organizations that serve them. This information is designed to help answer any questions you or your family might have about obtaining T or U Nonimmigrant status. USCIS has also developed additional materials specifically for law enforcement agencies. Please see Resources for Victims of Human Trafficking & Other Crimes for more information.

Contact Us
USCIS is dedicated to informing law enforcement and community based organizations about the forms of relief offered to victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and other crimes. To receive training on this topic, please send an email to T-UVAWATraining@dhs.gov

For more information please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center 888-3737-888.

Learn more about human trafficking through the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign.



This page can be found at www.uscis.gov/humantrafficking

Temporary Protected Status Extended for Salvadorans

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of El Salvador for an additional 18 months, beginning March 10, 2012, and ending Sept. 9, 2013.

Current Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS status must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs through March 12, 2012. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to register as soon as possible within the 60-day re-registration period. Although the Federal Register notice erroneously states that re-registration applications must be filed January 9, 2012 through March 9, 2012, USCIS will accept applications filed January 9, 2012 through March 12, 2012. USCIS is working to correct the public information on the re-registration filing dates.

The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Eligible Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries who re-register on time will receive a new EAD with an expiration date of Sept. 9, 2013. USCIS recognizes that all re-registrants may not receive their new EADs until after their current EADs expire. Therefore, USCIS is extending the current TPS El Salvador EAD bearing a March 9, 2012, expiration date for an additional six months, through Sept. 9, 2012.

To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit an Application for Temporary Protected Status, Form I-821. TPS re-registrants must also submit an Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765, regardless of whether they are applying for an EAD. Re-registrants do not need to pay the Form I-821 application fee, but they must submit the biometric services fee, or a fee waiver request, if they are age 14 or older. TPS re-registrants applying for an EAD must submit the Form I-765 application fee, or a fee waiver request.

TPS applicants may request that USCIS waive any or all the fees by filing a Request for Fee Waiver, Form I-912, or by submitting a personal letter. Failure to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee waiver request will result in the rejection of the TPS application.

Applicants can download free TPS forms from the USCIS website at http://www.uscis.gov/forms. Applicants can also request free TPS forms by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.

Additional information on TPS for El Salvador, including guidance on the application process and eligibility, is available online at http://www.uscis.gov/tps. Further details on this extension of TPS for El Salvador, including the application requirements and procedures, will appear in a Federal Register notice scheduled for publication on January 11, 2012.

Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online, or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833).

For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.govor follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The The Beacon.

L-1 Visa is Suitable For

• Foreign national executives being transferred to the U.S. to manage an organization or a major function or division of an organization
• Foreign national managers being transferred to the U.S. to supervise work of other supervisory, professional or managerial employees, or who manages an essential function, department or subdivision
• Specialized Knowledge employees of companies outside U.S. that have related U.S. branches, subsidiaries, affiliates or joint venture partners
• Employees and partners of international accounting firms
• Multinational companies to transfer foreign national executives to manage an organization or a major function or division of an organization in the U.S.
• Multinational companies to transfer foreign national managers to supervise work of other supervisory, professional or managerial employees, or who manages an essential function, department or subdivision in the U.S.
• Multinational companies to transfer employees with specialized knowledge such as, its products, research methods and marketing techniques

L-1 Visa, Immigration Information

Basic Requirements:

· The U.S. Company must be affiliated to the Non USA. company through ownership.

· You must have worked in the Non USA. company as a manager or executive for at least one year within the past three years and have a similar position in the U.S. company.

· The U.S. Company must have already been established or purchased.

· The Non USA Company must continue to operate in your absence.

If the U.S. business is newly established, the L-1 visa will be issued for one year only, at the end of which a application for extension of stay must be made.

When applying for your initial L-1 visa for a new business, you do not need many employees. However, at renewal, one year later, you normally must show a substantially larger operation. Otherwise the renewal may not be granted.

Note: a dependent spouse (on an L-2 visa) can apply for work authorization upon arrival in the United States.

Immigration Resources for New Immigrants

The United States immigration has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all over the world. We value the contributions of immigrants, who continue to enrich this country and preserve its legacy as a land of freedom and opportunity. Though we are a nation of diverse cultures and backgrounds, we are bound by our shared history, the common civic values set forth in our founding documents, and the English language.

USCIS is committed to helping immigrants successfully integrate into American civic culture. Through the landmark publication Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants, USCIS offers a comprehensive guide containing practical immigration information to help immigrants settle into everyday life in the United States, as well as basic civics information that introduces new immigrants to the U.S. system of government. Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants is available online in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese. New permanent residents can request a free copy of the guide in English (Form M-618), Spanish (Form M-618-S), or Chinese (Form M-618-C) from the USCIS Phone Line,

By calling 1-800-870-3676.