U Visa Qualifications
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Have you or your family member been the victim of a serious or violent crime? Did you report that crime to the police? If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, you may qualify for a U Visa. The U Visa was created by Congress specifically to help undocumented immigrants who are the victims of certain serious crimes. An individual qualifies for a U Visa if he or she was the victim of a qualified crime, assisted law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime, and suffered substantial harm as a result of the crime. Some are the crimes that would qualify for a U Visa include but are not limited to: domestic battery, armed robbery, murder, kidnapping, or stalking.
I have filed hundreds of U Visas in my career as an immigration attorney, and yet, the largest obstacle in these cases remains the same – obtaining a signed I-918B certification form from law enforcement. The certification form is signed by law enforcement to verify that our client was a victim of a qualifying crime and cooperated with law enforcement. In years past, our office would frequently have to jump through some hurdles in order to obtain this signed form. Without the signed form, our clients could not continue their process to apply for the U Visa.
Thankfully, the Illinois legislature recently enacted the VOICES Act, a law that streamlines the certification process for all law enforcement agencies in Illinois. Prior to this law, law enforcement agencies in Illinois had no uniform standard to follow when responding to certification requests for U Visas. Many U Visa requests would receive blanket denials for reasons that were not within the law, and undermined the very purpose of the U Visa. The VOICES Act has empowered survivors of violence and other crimes to continue reporting those crimes to law enforcement, and continue to find protection under the U Visa laws. As the name of the law suggests, victims of crimes finally have a “voice” in Illinois to obtain immigration status, who otherwise may not be eligible for any other forms of relief.
The attorneys at Kriezelman, Burton and Associates are prepared to zealously advocate for you and your family. We have direct experience with several police departments and prosecutors’ offices in the Chicagoland area and can help you obtain a U Visa. Please call us at 312-332-2550 if you are interested in learning more.
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I would like to sincerely thank Attorney Justin Burton and PL Kamila Lada for support with my adjustment of status case. I have been working with the firm for over a year now, and I have received nothing short of exceptional services and support throughout various cases for myself and family members. Highly recommend consulting and retaining this firm.
We have been in the dark with our case for over 2 decades, while working with other big firms who just kept me in the dark and sat on our case without making any effort to move it forward until I met the wonderful team at Kriezelman & Burton. AO and JP are truly God-sent angels who with their knowledge, collaboration, sense of direction and outside the box thinking, managed…
Highly recommend attorney Kevin Raica and attorney Agata Bigdanowicz. They were super helpful, responded on time, and won my case in record time. It took about a month and half in total for me to get my approval after filing!
Brittni Rivera and her team (Carina Lopez) are fantastic! They are responsive, efficient and beyond compassionate. Brittni Rivera and her team treated me with dignity and respect as they patiently answered all of my questions. They didn't move on without making sure I understood each step. Their work ethic was impressive. It felt like they were an extension of my personal team. I can't say enough to convey my gratitude…
I wanted to share my experience and say that attorney Britney Rivera is extremely competent in her work. I had heard from friends that she was a very strong lawyer, and she certainly proved to be one. She won our case in a very short time, and my family and I are incredibly grateful to her!🌹And a big thank you to her team as well!🌹🌹🌹
Huge thanks to Attorney Matthew for his incredible support on our immigration case! 🙏 He was professional, responsive, and his expertise led to a successful outcome. We truly appreciate his hard work and highly recommend his service.
I’m deeply grateful to God for leading us to this law firm; it is a true blessing to work with such professional and passionate individuals. Their dedication and commitment help make a difficult situation far less traumatic. In our case, we received 100% support from Attorney Andrea Ochoa and paralegal Rafael. May God bless them and allow them to continue this wonderful work. Thank you—a thousand thanks.
I give my total recommendation and trust in this great organization that has supported me and my family in very difficult times, especially the lawyer Andrea Ochoa and her paralegal Rafael who were little angels that God has sent us to be able to face all the obstacles that we have had along the way. Thank you very much with all my heart. ❤️
I have heard from several people that Brittni is a great attorney. When my friend was detained, I recommended Brittni to take his case. She did an amazing job putting together all the necessary information, especially given that we had only a couple of days to submit the habeas corpus application. She and her team worked very professionally and provided clear guidance throughout. She stayed in touch consistently and was…
Highly recommend Jennifer Peyton in federal litigations. She’s very polite and experienced.
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