T Visa: Did you enter the United States under a debt that you haven’t yet been able to pay off?

T Visa benefits are several. It’s a noble visa for migratory procedures, in the sense that it can forgive previous deportations, unlawful entries and exits, and certain crimes; and it doesn’t require to have a US citizen or Legal Resident spouse nor an over-21 US citizen son/daughter to qualify.

For certain people who have supposedly impossible cases without a solution, the T Visa can offer a way to regularize migratory status even without exiting the US.

The T Visa is a humanitarian visa. It can forgive unlawful entries and exits, the permanent bar (despite this being the strongest hit coming from immigration law), bars due to false declarations of being a US citizen when not being such, and certain crimes that other migratory procedures will not. It can apply to people who don’t have a spouse or son/daughter through whom they can regularize their migratory status.

Situations where the T Visa might apply

It’s a common scenario that immigrants enter the US in debt. It could be that a family member or close friend, noticing a constant struggle, offers, considering the lack of opportunities, to pay a smuggler or visa fees for the immigrant so he/she can enter the US.

These offers aren’t always on the legal side. For instance, tourist or work visas. It can be that the offer is to pay a third party so he/she assists the immigrant to unlawfully enter, or cover the expenses of the immigrant so he/she can cross the border to the US unlawfully, making him/her fall into debt and having he/she to pay either by working or in parts directly using money.

The agreement and quantities may vary. It could be that, when entering the US through a deal like this, the debt is $5,000 USD but it becomes something that the immigrant won’t be able to escape from or fully pay off.

It might happen that when starting working at the company owned by the person who offered to “help”, the immigrant realizes he/she won’t be able to get rid of such debt, even after contemplating an estimated time for being able to fully pay off the amount lent to him/her for the immigration process. Is frequent that, having paid off the initial amount or passed the agreed work time, the lender roses the quantity or time arbitrarily.

It is also frequent that the immigrant doesn’t receive a direct payment, or that the payment is too low, almost nonexistent, making it less probable for him/her to save the necessary funds to exit this situation, resulting in him/her working months or even years for the person who offered the deal.

The T Visa can apply when there are certain types of mistreatment. These mistreatment types include fraud, threats before the Immigration Department it the police, insults, violence, and rape.

If entering the US under deception, fraud, or lies; there might be a way to regularize migratory status through the T Visa. It’s important to consult with an immigration attorney. The T Visa, for those meeting its requirements, can be incredible.

Can an Adjustment of Status be done through the T Visa?

Yes. A T Visa holder can apply for Permanent Residence. If the T Visa is approved, its holder must wait 4 years to apply for Permanent Residence. Part of how the T Visa works implies that the applicant reports the trafficking or illegal activity through which the T Visa is applied to. This Humanitarian Visa was originally thought for people who were victims of certain types of human trafficking.

When talking about human trafficking, it can be thought primarily of female underage smuggling for sexual exploitation purposes. While this is a scenario that applies, the T Visa covers other situations, such as domestic violence, working mistreatment, labor exploitation, mistreatment from smugglers, and debt by fraudulent deals.

There must be availability to report what happened. If there is no research nor interest in starting one, it might be carried out already. If the activity can be proven, there is the possibility of having to wait just one year after the T Visa approval to request Permanent Residence.