Once lured into the United States, they are often forced into debt bondage or other forms of servitude to "pay back" their traffickers who have no intention of helping them gain any form of residency. They exploit these victims for free labor or sexual services that they profit greatly from often with little to no pay.
To combat this issue, the United States Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA) in October of 2000. This piece of legislation created the T nonimmigrant status, also known as the T visa. T visas are specifically issued to individuals who are or have been the victim of human trafficking. However, there are requirements and stipulations to be eligible for this status. The individual must be a victim of trafficking, defined by law as previously stated. The victim must be inside the United States or any of its territories, including ports of entry, as a result of trafficking; and must be admissible (based on health, criminal records, etc.). The victim must also show that he or she will fall under severe hardship if deported from the United States that involves unusual or severe harm to themselves. Lastly, the victim must cooperate with any reasonable request from law enforcement agencies in investigations and prosecution of traffickers. This may include testifying as a witness in a court of law against their trafficker. To apply for a T visa, the victim must submit a personal statement explaining how they are a victim of human trafficking in as much detail as possible. They must also show evidence for all the aforementioned eligibility requirements. Lastly, they must submit passport photos and they must file form I-914, which is free of charge . Once applied for and approved, the individual is issued an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) which allows them to legally work in the United States. T nonimmigrant status is valid for 3 years, after which the individual may apply for permanent residence (green card), and eventually apply for naturalization (US citizenship).
