I-918 Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status
The U visa petition for victims of serious crime who have been helpful to law enforcement. Congress caps U visas at 10,000 a year, so approved petitioners wait years on a waiting list, receiving deferred action and work authorisation in the meantime. A signed law enforcement certification is mandatory.
- Fee
- $0
- Fee waiver
- Not available
- Who files
- Crime victims, filing for themselves; family members use Supplement A.
- Where to file
- By mail to the USCIS Vermont Service Center.
- Processing time
- 18.5 months to the bona fide determination stage (FY 2026 national median through June 30, 2026); the statutory cap adds years before status is granted
Usually filed with
Part of these processes
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- The bona fide determination process, which grants deferred action and work authorisation while the petition waits, has cut the front-end median from 57.5 months in FY 2023 to 18.5 months. The 10,000 annual cap is unchanged and the backlog runs to hundreds of thousands.
Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-918. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.