Form i918: The Complete Guide

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The United States citizenship and immigration services(USCIS) is a regulatory agency that oversees all foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States for any reason. They review the category in which the applicants applied and grant immigration status.

In other words, they approve all immigrant petitions in the United States in any category, including  I918.

If you are an immigrant and a victim of a serious crime, you can apply for a U visa by completing and filing Form I918. To help you better understand u-visas and Form I918, petition for U nonimmigrant status, we will discuss what Form I918 is, who can complete it, and how to fill it. We will also learn which sources you can get the information you need about Form I918.

Form i918What is Form I918?

Suppose a serious or violent crime is committed in the United States or outside(under certain occurrences) and a noncitizen assisted with the investigation or prosecution. In that case, they may be eligible for lawful immigration status.

However, the victim must have suffered significant physical or emotional abuse due to the offense.

To apply for a petition for nonimmigrant status, the victim must file Form I918. The nonimmigrant status is a category of visa that allows you to become a temporary immigrant. However, the victim must obtain Form I918 supplement B from a prosecutor, judge, or law enforcement agency indicating that the noncitizen was a victim of a qualifying crime in the United States or outside(under certain circumstances).

I918 Form must also state that the victim intends to assist or assist in the investigation or prosecution of the crime. Nonetheless, the victim’s eligibility for immigrant status does not rely on whether the law agency apprehended the criminal.

Who Can Complete Form I918?

As the victim of the crime, you are the one who should file a Form I918 petition for U nonimmigrant status. You should also file Supplement A petition for qualifying family members of u-1 recipients when including your family members for temporary immigration benefits.

However, you must prove all of the following in each of the categories;

Principal Petitioner

As a principal petitioner, you must prove without a doubt that;

  1. You are a victim of one or several crimes as explained in the immigration and nationality act. You must provide evidence by providing court documents, order of protection, trial transcripts, news articles, and police reports. You must also be a victim of one or several qualifying crimes as outlined in the immigration and nationality act.
  • Rape
  • Obstruction of justice
  • Being held hostage
  • Slave trade
  • Manslaughter
  • Murder
  • Witness tampering
  • Sexual assault
  • Domestic violence
  • Torture
  • Incest
  • Blackmail
  • Fraud in foreign labor contracting
  • Murder
  • Extortion
  • Exploitation
  • Unlawful criminal restraint
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Trafficking
  • False imprisonment
  • Prostitution
  • Desire to commit any of the above criminal activities.
  1. As a result of being a victim of qualifying crimes, you have endured significant physical or mental abuse. The evidence must exhibit the seriousness of the abuse. It must also show the seriousness of the harm you suffered, the nature of the injury, and the duration of the infliction and suffering.
  2. You hold valuable information about the criminal activity that left you a victim and are willing to assist law enforcement with the investigation. To establish the suitability requirement and incorporate any other evidence you may want USCIS to scrutinize, you must complete Supplement B Form, sign and date it accordingly.
  3. .
  4. You are certified to have helped or are likely to help investigate and prosecute the criminal act by a federal, state, or local government official. However, consult the services of an immigration attorney to ensure you do not file information that might land you into trouble.
  5. The criminal acts in which you were a victim went contrary to the United States law or took place within the United States (Indian country and military installations) or possessions and territories of the u.s.

Family Member

As a principal applicant filing for a family member for temporary immigration benefits, you must demonstrate the following;

  1. Qualifying family members you are filing a U visa are under 21 years, your spouse, unmarried siblings below 18 years, and unmarried children below 21 years.
  2. Qualifying family members you are filing a U visa if you are over 18 years are unmarried children under 21 years, or your spouse.

How Do I Fill Out Form I918?

As the principal petitioner, you are to fill and file Form I918. Additionally, you must complete and file form 918, Supplement B, law enforcement certification that a certified officer has signed. You must submit Form 918, Supplement B, and the original Form I918 must as a petition package failure to which USCIS may turn your Form I918 down.

However, you are not required to file Supplement B Form if you request to receive U interim relief.

You must also submit Form I918, Supplement A for qualifying family member

Form I918 has eight classifications that you must fill out before submitting. They are as follows;

Part 1: Personal Information

Part 1 of Form I918 contains your details. They include;

  1. Family name. Give your last/legal name. Include them but put a hyphen to separate them if you have two.
  2. Your first name. The use of nicknames is not applicable when completing Form I918.
  3. Your other names. Provide other applicable names such as married name, nickname, or maiden name.
  4. Home address. Give your physical address(where you reside) and include your street name and number. Do not include a post office number.
  5. Safe mailing address. Give a mailing address of a friend, attorney, or organization helping you with the petition if you feel it’s much safer and can receive the mail much faster.
  6. Home phone number. Give your telephone number starting with the area code. Give the city or county code if living outside the United States.
  7. Safe daytime phone number. If you feel uncomfortable and insecure receiving calls through your home phone number, give a safe daytime phone number. The number could be of a friend, attorney, or organization helping with the petition.
  8. Email address. It is not a must to fill the space if you do not have an email address or do not feel secure. Write “none” and proceed.
  9. A-number. Give your USCIS number if you have previously filed a petition or application and issued a USCIS online account number. If you do not have one, leave the space blank.
  10. U.S. social security number. Give your SS number or leave the space blank if you do not have one.
  11. Marital status and gender. Tick the corresponding space for each class.
  12. Date of birth – Show your date of birth in this format; dd/mm/yy. For example; on 12/04/1976
  13. Country of birth – Give the name of the country you were born.
  14. Country of citizenship – Provide the country’s name in which you are a citizen.
  15. Passport number – If applicable, provide the passport number used during the entry into the United States.
  16. Place of issuance– Where was your passport issued?  Provide the office location and address. Also, indicate your passport’s issuance date.
  17. Place of the last entry. Provide the name of the area you lastly used to enter the United States, whether legally or illegally.
  18. Date of last entry– provide the previous entry date into the United States.
  19. Form I-94 number. Give the number on the arrival/departure document(form i-94) if you are physically present in the United States.
  20. Current immigration status – Despite how you entered the United States, you must provide your current status, such as student, visitor, or entry without inspection.

Part 2: Additional Information

Part two contains questions that allow you to provide additional personal information.

  1. Part 1-7A. If you answer yes to any of the questions in items number1-7a, you should expound your answer on a separate paper.
  2. Part 7B to 7F. If you answered “yes” to question 7a, select the type of proceeds and date of the undertaking if you are no longer in the proceedings. If currently in proceedings, indicate”current” in the date field.
  3. 8A-10D. For every entry in the four or five years leading to the filing of this petition, provide the date, place, and your access into the United States status. If it’s been more than five years since your last entry, enter “n/a.
  4. 11A-12F. Provide the United States consulate or safe foreign mailing address if you are outside the U.S and want regular updates on the status of your petition for U nonimmigrant status.

Part 3: Processing Information

Part 3 c is a lengthy part and contains processing information. You must answer each question. Suppose you answer “yes” to any of the questions. In that case, your petition for U nonimmigrant status may be denied, and you may be asked to file Form I-192 and apply for advance permission to enter the United States as a nonimmigrant.

  1. Question 1-15 addresses your criminal history, such as probation, past arrests, and convictions.
  2. Question 16-19 enquires about your deportation orders.
  3. Question 20-29 enquire about any issue that could be soil your clean record.

Part 4: Information About Your Children Or Spouse

Even if the petition for U nonimmigrant status is not about bringing your family members into the u.s, you must provide truthful information regarding your children and spouse.

Part 5: Filing on Behalf of Family Members

You must answer all the questions and indicate the number of family members you are currently petitioning for. You must also complete Supplement A on account of qualifying family members.

Part 6:Attestation, Release, And Signature

You, as the petitioner, are supposed to sign and date the form failure to which the petition for U nonimmigrant status is marked incomplete returned. It is not acceptable to replace the signature with a typewritten name or stamp.

Part 7: Signature of the Person Preparing the Form, if Other Than the Petitioner

Suppose someone else assisted you, the principal petitioner, in filling out Form I-918 because you did not understand the content of the form. In that case, you must select the appropriate box to indicate you used a preparer. The preparer must also give their details, date, and sign. Note: the preparer must be a certified interpreter.

Filing Supplement A, Petition for Qualifying Family Member of U-1 Recipient

If you are filing a Form I918 petition for U nonimmigrant status for a qualifying family member,  you should file a Supplement A Form. Note: Form I918 and Supplement A must be completed, signed, and dated for each family member by the principal petitioner before being submitted. However, you can file Supplement A concurrently or after filing Form I918.

Supplement A contains six parts as outlined below;

  1. Part 1: The relationship between you (the principal) and your family member. Mark the corresponding box.
  2. Part 2: Information about you. Provide your sir name, first name, date of birth, a number, and your i-918 status
  3. Part 3: Your qualifying family member’s personal information. Provide your family member’s sir name, last name, country of birth, date of birth, and country of citizenship. You should also include the intended physical address in the United States, safe mailing address, a number, U.S social security number, form i-94, home telephone number, gender, and marital status.
  4. Part 4. Any other vital information about your qualifying family members. Provide requested information numbers 1-7 and a response for each question from numbers 8-to 26.
  5. Part 5 – Attestation, release, and signature. A petitioner’s form is only passed as complete if they correctly As a petitioner, sign and date the form. If the family member you are filing is present, they must also date and sign the form. Only then Form I918, supplement A, will pass as complete.
  6. Part 6 – The person’s signature preparing the form, if other than the petitioner. The preparer must date and sign the form if you, the petitioner, requested their help when completing the form.

How Much Does Form I918 Cost?

There is no filing fee for Form I918, nor are you required to pay a service fee when providing biometrics information. The USCIS officer in charge of your case will call or email to notify you when it’s appropriate to deliver biometrics services after submitting Form I918 and Supplement A (where applicable).

To get the form, visit the USCIS website and download it. You can print and fill out the form or download it and start typing. You can also call USCIS toll-free number at 1 800 870 3676 and request the form or visit the nearest USCIS offices.

Once you have completed filling out the form, mail it to USCIS – Vermont service center 75 lower Welden street st. Albans, vt 05479-0001.

Once received, USCIS will check if the I-918 petition for U nonimmigrant status and supplement a are signed and proceed to initial processing. Remember, petition U nonimmigrant status and supplement a must be signed in blue or black ink.

Suppose you have not filled the petition according to the instructions. In that case, USCIS may turn down your petition. USCIS may also request more information to support Form I918 or Supplement A, including original copies. B

According to the nature of your petition for U nonimmigrant status, USCIS may request you or your qualifying family member to appear in their offices for an interview. During the interview, the USCIS officers may take your photograph, fingerprints, or that of your qualifying family members for identity verification.

When your petition U nonimmigrant status is in the waiting list placement, you may receive 4-year employment authorization through bona fide determination. To determine if you qualify for bona fide determination, consult an immigration attorney with vast knowledge of immigration laws.

Where to Go For More Information on Form I-918?

You can access all the information you need regarding your eligibility to receive temporary immigration benefits and the progress of your U visa petition through the U.S. citizenship and immigration services website.