On October 27, 2017 the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, Civil Division issued a U-Visa Certification Protocol that governs how U Visa certifications will be processed and issued by judges in that court. The San Francisco Superior Court Civil Division handle a wide range of matters including family law cases (divorce, custody, protection orders), child welfare cases (abuse, neglect, termination of parental rights), child delinquency matters and a wide range of other civil court cases. While U visa certification requests will occur most often in protection order, child abuse, divorce and custody cases, certification is not limited to these proceedings.
The San Francisco Protocol and each of its attachments are available here:
- Tip Sheet for Courts Developing U Visa Certification Protocols
- San Francisco Superior Court Civil Division U Visa Certification Protocol
- Department of Homeland Security U and T Certification Resource Guide
- Penal Code List
- Department of Homeland Security Infographic Protections for Immigrant Victims
- U Visa Certification Form I-918 Supplement B
Additional helpful information on U visa certification by judges is available at:
- U Visa Certification Toolkit for Federal, State, and Local Judges, Commissioners, Magistrates, and Other Judicial Officers (November 7, 2017)
- Understanding the Judicial Role in U Visa Certification – Winter 2018
- Kendall Niles, Veronica Thronson, and Leslye Oroloff, Understanding the Judicial Role in U Visa Certification, 31 Am. J. Fam. L. 208 (2018)