Immigrants who were victims of crime in the United States and whose visas are still pending will have greater access to work permits and fewer chances of being deported, according to a new provision to be announced on Monday and advanced by the Reuters news agency.
[US immigration judges decide who can stay. They warn of political pressure and wear and tear in the face of a long list of cases]
The Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will create a process that could allow tens of thousands of applicants for U visas, reserved for victims of certain crimes, who have suffered physical or mental abuse and provide assistance to law enforcement agencies, receive work permits if your claims are deemed to have been made in good faith and without the intent to defraud the immigration system.
The United States offers 10,000 U visas annually
to immigrants who are victims of certain crimes and who assist in police investigations or prosecutions.
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Visas provide access to a work permit and the ability to apply for permanent residence after three years, but high demand has caused delays of at least five years until they can receive work authorization, according to USCIS.
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To qualify for a visa, applicants must be victims of domestic violence, trafficking, or other serious crimes.
The number of U visa applicants who will qualify for work permits under the new policy remains unclear.
USCIS is currently considering nearly 269,000 U visa applicants
, according to agency data updated in December of last year.
However, not all of those applicants are in the United States, an agency spokesperson told Reuters.
A group of Brazilian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma, Arizona, seeking asylum in the United States after crossing from Mexico, Tuesday, June 8, 2021.AP Photo / Eugene Garcia
President Joe Biden has vowed to make the immigration system more humane and has reversed many of the policies of the former president, Republican Donald Trump.
Under Trump, the country's immigration authorities facilitated the deportation of U visa applicants, sparking opposition from immigration activists.
[Supreme Court issues ruling that may complicate asylum applications out of credible fear]
The Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said in a statement that the measure would help the victims and promote public safety.
"These are individuals who have helped law enforcement to keep us all safe, but who also need a measure of protection," he said.
With information from EFE and Reuters.