On January 24, 2002, the non-immigrant T-Visa was created by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). The T-Visa was created to protect women, children, and men who are the victims of human trafficking. The applicant's immediate family may also be considered beneficiaries of the T-Visa. The US Government estimates that 45,000 to 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States annually, and are trapped in modern-day slavery-like situations such as forced prostitution. The T-Visa will allow victims to remain in the US to help authorities in the investigation of human trafficking cases. The following must be met for an individual to qualify for a T-Visa: 1. The applicant must want to be present in the US. 2. The applicant must have been trafficked into the US by force, deceit, or threat. 3. The applicant must have been trafficked into the US to become a slave or another non-voluntary service situation. 4. The applicant must be willing to cooperate with the US Government in order to prosecute the individual/group that is doing the trafficking. 5. The applicant must prove that if s/he is returned to his/her own country, s/he would endure enormous pain. While the goal of attaining a T-Visa is to protect the victims of human trafficking, the holding a T-Visa also has other benefits. The T-Visa permit the individual to work. And while the approval is valid for 3 years, it may be extended to permanent resident status. PLEASE NOTE: This web page only for basic reference purposes, it by no means contains legal opinions. In addition, because it has been manually typed, the material accuracy has possibly been affected. This law office is not responsible for the writing on this page.