What is a T visa for labor or sex human trafficking?
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Why is this important? Human trafficking is more common than the average person realizes. It is not something that only happens in other countries or in large U.S. cities. Human trafficking happens everywhere, in every U.S. state, in every city.
Here in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, we have successfully identified and defended immigrants who are victims of both labor and sex trafficking. We have received extensive training for how to screen individuals for signs of trafficking, and how to submit compelling and successful arguments for why someone should be granted a T visa. (T visas lead to 4 years of lawful status, and the potential of a green card and eventually U.S. Citizenship.)
If you know someone who is in a dangerous or sketchy work situation where it appears that an employer is taking advantage of its immigrant employees, or you know someone who has been a victim of sex trafficking, we can help. Confidentiality is guaranteed (we will NEVER report anyone to ICE, it is against our ethical duty to represent our clients) and we work with our clients with sensitivity and patience. We also have the connections to help someone receive assistance services through the Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (TVAP) if s/he has been a victim of human trafficking in the United States.
To win a T visa, we must show that someone has been forced or compelled to work or perform sex acts for payment under coercion, threat, or force and is still in the United States on account of trafficking. As stated above, we will never report a client’s status to ICE; we will, however, assist a trafficking victim in reporting his/her trafficking to law enforcement, as required by the statutes and regulations of a T visa. We do so in a safe and intentional way, and always with the consent, awareness, and readiness of our client.
No one should be a victim. No one should fear that they will lose their U.S. immigration opportunities because they have been threatened or victimized. Call our immigration attorney at 757-775-8526 to schedule a private consultation to determine eligibility.
