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U and T Visas

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) may be able to provide a visa certification or declaration for immigrant victims of certain crimes to support their U-visa or T-visa applications to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Survivors of certain qualifying crimes may be eligible for a U-visa, and survivors of human trafficking may be eligible for a T-visa. 

  • U-visas provide temporary legal status to survivors of certain crimes who have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse, and who have been, are being, or are likely to be helpful to law enforcement or government officials in investigating or prosecuting the criminal activity.
  • T-visas provide temporary legal status to survivors of severe forms of human trafficking who comply with reasonable requests for assistance from law enforcement authorities in the detection, investigation, or prosecution of trafficking crimes.

The IDOL is a certifying agency under the VOICES Act and will timely respond to U- and T-visa certification requests from victims of certain qualifying criminal activities that are detected, investigated, or prosecuted by the Illinois Department of Labor. 

USCIS (not the Illinois Department of Labor) is responsible for determining U- and T-visa eligibility and issuing U- and T-visas to qualified applicants. Obtaining a signed certification or declaration form from a certifying agency does not guarantee eligibility for a U- or T-visa.

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To help establish eligibility for a U- or T-visa, an individual may request that IDOL complete:

(1)    The I-918 Supplement B, U Nonimmigrant Status Certification, otherwise known as a U-visa certification; or

(2)    The I-914, Supplement B, Declaration for Trafficking Victim, also known as a T-visa declaration. 

IDOL will consider requests where the crime at issue is related to an open or closed IDOL case, relates to labor trafficking, or relates to a work relationship or the work environment. IDOL will not inquire into the immigration status of the requestor and will not provide advice about the visa process.

More information about USCIS’s requirements are available on USCIS’s website: Victims of Human Trafficking and Other Crimes | USCIS. This is an external website that is not maintained by the IDOL.  

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To request a U-visa certification or T-visa declaration from IDOL, please email: DOL.VisaCerts@illinois.gov

Please provide as much information with your request as possible, including:

  • Requester’s name and contact information (include physical mailing address for original completed certification form or written denial)
  • Victim’s name and date of birth
  • Date of incident
  • Case number
  • Supporting documentation
  • A cover letter (encouraged but not required)

Upon receiving your request, IDOL will reach out to you or your representative for additional information if needed. The requestor is responsible for submitting any completed application to the federal government.

*Please note that requests for the IDOL to complete U- or T-visa certification or declaration form for a qualifying criminal activity or labor trafficking should only be submitted for activity that the IDOL had a role in detecting, investigating, or prosecuting.

Contact

Illinois Department of Labor, Legal Division
Jesse White State of Illinois Building
115 S LaSalle Street, 37th Floor
Chicago, IL 60603

Email: DOL.VisaCerts@illinois.gov

Forms/Links

Note: The above web links are external sites and are not maintained by IDOL.