Recent Changes in U Visa Processing: How Long You Can Expect to Wait for Legal Status

If you are waiting for a U nonimmigrant visa, you are probably anxious to learn whether your immigration case has been approved or denied.

Unfortunately, recent changes in the way the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processes U visas have made it difficult to know how long it may take.

This article will provide an overview of the recent changes in U visa processing, how long you may have to wait, and what you can do while you wait.

What Is a U Visa?

U nonimmigrant status, or U visa, is an option for getting legal status, approval to work, and other benefits for those who have witnessed certain crimes and helped the police with solving the case.

This usually involves providing key testimony in a case involving a serious crime.

To qualify for a U visa, you must be a victim or witness of a qualifying crime, the crime must have occurred in the U.S. or violated U.S. laws, you must have endured physical or psychological injuries, and you must have aided the police with the case.

U visa recipients receive deferred action and can remain in the United States without fear of removal. They can also petition for a green card, and immediate family members may also qualify to get a derivative U visa.

Recent Changes in U Visa Processing

In June 2021, USCIS changed the way they handle U visas. Previously, they used a waitlist to process petitions, which resulted in a wait time of over five years for many applicants. However, USCIS now uses a process called Bona Fide Determination (BFD) to handle U visas.

The BFD process is expected to be more efficient and allow USCIS to process more petitions, which could lead to a shorter wait time for applicants.

As of February 2022, USCIS has not provided a current processing time for Form I-918, the application for a U visa. This is because there have not been enough U visas processed through the BFD process to determine an accurate estimate of the processing time.

How Long You Can Expect to Wait?

Before the implementation of the BFD process, the average time from filing Form I-918 to determination was over five years. While the BFD process is expected to be more efficient, it is unclear how long it will take to process U visa petitions under this new system.

In our experience working with client’s who have filed for U Visa’s, we see some application taking as long as 70 months to be approved.

What You Can Do While You Wait

There is nothing you need to do during the wait time for your U visa processing. The USCIS will notify you of any actions you need to take. You can continue to check your status online and keep an eye on your email and mail for updates.

That said, you are most likely reading this because you are tired of waiting and are ready to take action.

EAD Work Authorization Approved

If you’ve been waiting for your U Visa for an extended period after filing your application, the good news is you have options.

Pro Se Pro is a white glove service brainstormed by a leading immigration expert to help you resolve your U Visa application delay as fast as possible.

We specialize in application delays that simply do not require an expensive attorney to represent you.

Attorneys have their place for sure, but our experience is that 90% of application delay suits resolve without any defense.

This means the government concedes and sends you the documents you’ve been waiting on for so long.

How Does It Work?

You give us some information about your U Visa petition so that our team can properly design your complaint.

We build a case on your behalf, send in the proper documentation for your case, and provide updates as soon as we receive information on your suit.

The government legally has 60 days to respond to your case. In some cases, we’ve seen the government concede and mail the documents our clients need in as little as 2 weeks.

We can’t make any promises, but we are definitely seeing it happen.

What Are You Waiting For?

This process was designed by a leading immigration attorney with a track record of settling these cases in larger groups.

He wanted to create a way to help more people by developing a service that doesn’t break the bank.

You don’t need to wait. You don’t need a lawyer.

All you need is a streamlined process that we’ve already created for you.

Risk Free For Limited Time

Purchase the playbook for a limited time money-back guarantee.  The playbook includes videos and a quick course to walk you through the information you need to collect and send to us.

This is your opportunity to get a response to your delay essentially risk free. We are only doing this because we know how effective our strategy is for our clients.

If you use our process and not receive a response from the government in 60 days, we will refund your money.

We do not refund the $402 processing fee or any postage fees that are paid to process your complaint.  You will receive the amount you paid for the playbook after our Stripe fees and the government process costs are deducted.

You should have 95% of the information you need to our team.  Most of it is on the U Visa application you’ve already submitted.

If you are ready to take action and put a fire under the government for your delay, click the button below to buy your playbook today. Be sure to enter the coupon code MONEYBACK. 👇 👇

Frequently Asked Questions

❓Will my application be negatively impacted by suing the government using Pro Se Pro?

No. It’s your legal right to serve the US. Government to get them take action on your application. Your application is simply not their priority until we make it one.

There is no negative impact to attempting to get the government to act. It would be no different if you joined a group case to get your application approved. The only main difference is you’d be paying an attorney thousands of dollars.

❓Does Pro Se Pro legally represent my case?

No, and it’s actually in your best interest that we don’t. Clerks and the US Government have to follow certain rules when they respond to attorneys. Since you are technically representing yourself, the clerks have to treat you much differently than they would an attorney following up on a case.

After we file your complaint, we give you the contact information to follow up with your local government office if you choose to do so.

❓Can I use one playbook for me and my household?

Yes. If other family members are also waiting on an application with the government, our team will gladly create documents for your household at no extra cost to you.

If you join a class action case, most attorneys will charge you per individual. If you’re doing the math, that’s a couple thousand dollars a few times over (and they’re simply adding your family member’s name to the document)

Want to learn more about the playbook?

If you need more information about the playbook process, you can always check out our playbooks page by clicking here.