Request a U visa Certification

(USCIS Form I-918, Supplement B)

Under federal law, victims applying for U nonimmigrant status are required to submit a completed and signed U visa certification as part of their application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The form is one way of demonstrating to USCIS that:

1. A person was a victim of a qualifying criminal activity
2. The victim has information about the criminal activity
3. That the victim assisted law enforcement.

A completed certification is not a sponsorship or endorsement of a victim. A certification does not give immigration status or provide immigration protection. A completed certification also does not guarantee that USCIS will provide immigration status.

Preparing a U visa certification request:

• All requests must be in a typed or clearly printed letter. Requests can be in the preferred language.
• At a minimum, the letter must:
  1. Identify the victim (include full name, with middle names and other names, such as maiden names or nick-names; date of birth; gender; phone number; and address)
  2. Describe the qualifying crime(s) (when and where did the crime(s) happen?)
  3. Describe the victim's assistance to the NYPD’s investigation of the crime(s) (is the victim currently assisting the NYPD? Was the victim helpful in the past? Is the victim likely to be helpful in the future?)
  4. Include a mailing address where the NYPD may send written responses related to the request
• If applicable, specify if:
  1. The victim is in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE)
  2. The victim is in removal or deportation proceedings;
  3. One or more qualifying family members of the victim will become ineligible for derivative U nonimmigrant status within 3 months of the date of the letter

Send all requests to the NYPD's U visa Certification Office by mail to:

Domestic Violence Unit / U visa Certification Office
New York City Police Department
One Police Plaza, Room 503
New York, NY 10038
(646) 610-7615

(Note: The Domestic Violence Unit reviews certification requests for all qualifying crimes.)

Download the U certification guidelines.

For additional information on requesting certifications from the NYPD, download Rules of the City of New York for Requesting U certification.

Learn more about U nonimmigrant status (U visas).