The U visa is a specific kind of non-immigrant visa that is available to victims of specific crimes, usually, those who have suffered physical or mental abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement in dealing with the crime. Unfortunately, the wait time can really hurt.
While there are a range of factors involved in each applicant’s wait time, that unfortunately means that you may be forced to wait literal years if you are unlucky. This can be incredibly disheartening at first – but there are ways to get around it.
But what can you do about these waiting times, and is it actually legal to take steps to shorten your wait?
The EAD Work Permit
The EAD Work Permit is given out to people who apply for a U visa, essentially allowing them to work (and get a social security number) for up to three years while they wait for the U visa to be processed. On its own, this sounds great, except for the fact that it also has a waiting list.
If you are not aware of this EAD Work Permit already, read up on what it offers. These permits can be important for people who are not able to get their U visa ready soon or who really need to enter the US and can’t wait for the normal application visa to be completed.
However, there are ways to reduce this wait time, which effectively fills this gap while waiting for the U visa itself.
Wait Reducing Companies
A range of third-party companies exist that can reduce EAD and U visa processing times in an entirely legal way.
Most of them do this by submitting a case to the government, forcing them to respond to the request within 60 days – which dramatically reduces the amount of time you have to wait.
By submitting this demand for a response, they are essentially telling the government that they have to give some kind of reply within 60 days.
In almost all cases, this reply will be the processing times being dramatically cut short since the government has been prompted to give some kind of response as soon as possible.
Are These Companies Legitimate?
This entire process is fully legal and tends to average around a 40-day wait. While you will not necessarily be accepted if you do not actually meet the visa requirements properly, these companies are basically just telling the government to prioritize your application.
The legal details behind this are a lot more detailed than it sounds, but the end result is a fully above-board way of getting your U-visa legitimately. As long as you use a trustworthy company, you will be able to get your work permit and/or visa a lot faster than normal.
Of course, you only want to use companies that you actually trust. This means that it can be a good idea to spend some time looking over what they offer and learning what they can actually do for you. Take some time to explore your options if you need U visa waiting time help.
