USCIS recognizes the importance of the T and U nonimmigrant visas and their roles in supporting both victims of trafficking and investigations of certain criminal activity.
These visa categories are designed to help strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking of persons and other crimes while, at the same time, offering protection to victims of such crimes. These visa categories were created initially under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386, October 28, 2000), and have been reauthorized several times, most recently in December 2008 when the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA 2008) was enacted.