VISA and Immigrant Resources

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The Seattle City Attorney's Office is committed to protecting and serving all victims of crime, regardless of citizenship status, documentation or language ability. It is the City of Seattle's policy to not require any person seeking services to disclose their immigration status.

About VISAs for Immigrant Victims of Crime  

If you are a victim of a crime, you may be eligible to apply for certain immigration visas called U or T visas.  U visas protect victims of certain crimes who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation of those crimes. T-visas provide immigration benefits to victims of trafficking. U and T visas both may provide:                        

• Temporary immigration status
• Access to a work permit
• Opportunity to apply for permanent residence (known as a green card) for visa holders and their family members   
• Access to cash assistance, Medicaid, a Social Security number, a driver license, and various other public benefits

Learn more about U Visas
Learn more about T Visas

To Apply
To apply for a U- or T-Visa, you must obtain a signed law enforcement certification form from a law enforcement agency where the crime occurred. This certification form says that you have cooperated with the law enforcement investigation. This law enforcement certification form can then be submitted with an application for a U or T Visa to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for processing. For U-Visas this law enforcement certification form is USCIS form I-918 Supplement B, and for T-Visas this form is USCIS form I-914 Supplement B.

The Seattle Police Department and the Seattle City Attorney's Office are law enforcement agencies that can certify (sign) these forms for you. The law enforcement agency must agree that you have participated in the investigation of a crime. If you are the victim of a crime that occurred within the city of Seattle and need the completed law enforcement certification form signed, please contact the Seattle City Attorney's Office at cityattorneyvisacertifications@seattle.gov

Language and Legal Support
If you need assistance in another language, the City Attorney's Office has advocates who speak Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese. Interpreters for other languages are also available.
For assistance with U-Visa or T-Visa application process you can contact the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. See their website for details: https://www.nwirp.org/get-help/.

Immigration resources
Peace in the Home Helpline 1 (888) 847-7205
Connects callers to an advocate that speaks their language. This is an automated system, so wait until you hear your spoken language and select that language. Languages: Amharic, Chinese, Japanese, Khmer, Lao, Russian, Romanian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Tigrigna, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.   

To find out if someone is in immigration custody:
https://locator.ice.gov/odls/homePage.do  

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Know Your Rights:
https://www.nwirp.org/resources/kyr/

Financial Help for Immigrants:
This is a link to the kinds of financial help available in WA and other states for immigrants: http://map.niwap.org/

Seattle Supports our Immigrant Communities
In February of 2017, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed Resolution 31730 affirming Seattle as a city that is welcoming to immigrants and refugees. In October of the same year, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed Resolution 31775 "affirming the City's support for immigrant and refugee witnesses, survivors, and victims of crime." In 2018, Washington state legislature passed SHB 1022 which requires unified training and response on the part of law enforcement agencies to victim requests for law enforcement certification forms for U and T Visas.