The T-visa (or T nonimmigrant status) was created in 2000 (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) for victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons. T-visa offers immigration relief PLUS access to benefits typically reserved for refugees.

Official USCIS Fee (effective 2024-04-01)

Verified source: Federal Register 2024-01427

Fee: FREE

FREE — Form I-914 has no filing fee. It is a fee exemption, not a fee waiver, so no fee-waiver request (Form I-912) is needed.

Verify current fee

⚠️ USCIS fees can change. Verify the current fee before filing at:

Critical: T-visa is for trafficking victims

Severe forms of trafficking include:

  • Sex trafficking — commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion (OR any commercial sex with a minor)
  • Labor trafficking — recruitment, harboring, transport, provision, or obtaining a person for labor or services through force, fraud, or coercion

NOT the same as smuggling. Trafficking = the trafficker exploits you AFTER you’re brought to a destination. Smuggling = trafficker just transports you.

Eligibility (4 requirements)

You must show:

  1. You are a victim of severe trafficking (sex or labor as defined above)
  2. You are physically present in the US, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, or port of entry as a result of trafficking
  3. You comply with reasonable requests from law enforcement (interviewing, testifying) — unless you were under 18 at the time of victimization or you are unable to cooperate with a request due to physical or psychological trauma (USCIS, Form I-914 page)
  4. You would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm if removed from US

The process

1. Get help BEFORE filing

  • Call National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888
  • Contact a Tahirih Justice Center or other trafficking-experienced legal services
  • They help with intake, evidence gathering, applications

2. File Form I-914

  • Form I-914 (Application for T Nonimmigrant Status)
  • Form I-914 Supplement A: for derivative family members
  • Form I-914 Supplement B: declaration from law enforcement (if you have one — strengthens case but not required)
  • Fee: FREE (fee-exempt — no fee-waiver request needed)

3. Wait for adjudication

  • Current processing: 12-30 months
  • 5,000 T-visas per year cap (rarely reached)
  • Pre-decision protections: while pending, generally protected from deportation; EAD eligible

4. T-visa approval

  • 4-year validity
  • Employment authorization included
  • Can travel internationally (with advance parole for returning)

5. After 3 years (or earlier if investigation/prosecution concluded)

  • Apply for green card via Form I-485
  • No fee: Form I-485 filed for adjustment under INA 245(l) by a person seeking or granted T nonimmigrant status is fee-exempt (8 CFR 106.3, per the 2024 USCIS fee rule)

Derivative beneficiaries

If you’re the principal T-visa applicant, your family can also qualify:

If you’re 21 or older:

  • Spouse
  • Unmarried children under 21

If you’re under 21:

  • Spouse
  • Unmarried children under 21
  • Parents
  • Unmarried siblings under 18

Special protection: Can include family members in or outside US, and family members in foreseeable danger from the trafficker.

Evidence

  • Personal statement of trafficking experience
  • Identity documents
  • Country conditions reports
  • Medical records of injuries/abuse
  • Reports to police or human trafficking hotline
  • Letters/statements from caseworkers, social workers
  • Evidence of trafficker’s control (locked rooms, withheld documents, threats)

Benefits for T-visa holders

T-visa holders are eligible for same benefits as refugees:

  • Medicaid and SNAP: no longer for T-visa holders under the federal rules — Public Law 119-21 sec. 10108 limits SNAP to citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban/Haitian entrants and COFA migrants, and sec. 71109 does the same for federally funded Medicaid beginning October 1, 2026 (Emergency Medicaid is unchanged)
  • Cash assistance
  • Housing assistance
  • Educational services
  • ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement) benefits

What to AVOID

  • Discussing case with trafficker or anyone connected
  • Trying to repay smuggling fees (entrapment)
  • Returning to country of origin while case pending
  • Communicating with trafficker on social media

Resources

  • USCIS T-visa: uscis.gov/i-914
  • National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 (24/7, multilingual)
  • Polaris Project: polarisproject.org — anti-trafficking org
  • Tahirih Justice Center: tahirih.org — immigrant women victims of violence/trafficking
  • CAST LA: castla.org — Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking

Last verified: 2026-09-24.

← See all paths to legal status

General procedural information based on official sources. Not personalized legal advice.