7.8 T and U Nonimmigrant Status (2024)

The statuses of T and U nonimmigrants (victims of human traﬀicking and certain other crimes) are granted for up to four years and may be extended under certain circ*mstances. Family members of T and U nonimmigrants may also qualify for these statuses. T and U nonimmigrants are either authorized to work incident to their immigration status or are eligible to seek authorization for employment by USCIS, depending on their class of admission. USCIS issues work authorized T and U nonimmigrants Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), though not all classes of T and U nonimmigrants must have an EAD before they start working.

When completing Section 1 of Form I-9, employees with T or U nonimmigrant status should check “A noncitizen authorized to work” and enter their EAD “Card Expires” date or their Form I-94, Arrival/ Departure Record “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date in the Expiration Date field.

For Section 2, employees with T or U nonimmigrant status may choose to present their EAD, which is an acceptable List A document. Employees whose Form I-94 indicates a class of admission of T-1, U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, or U-5 may instead choose to present their Form I-94 as a List C #7 document and must also present a List B identity document. These employees are employment authorized incident to status. However, Forms I-94 containing an admission of T-2, T-3, T-4, T-5, or T-6 are not acceptable as a List C document. These employees are eligible to apply for work authorization and receive an EAD.

Extension of Status Based on Pending Form I-485

T and U nonimmigrants may apply for lawful permanent resident status by filing a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. Once the Form I-485 application is properly filed, USCIS will issue a Form I-797C, Notice of Action, for the adjustment of status application and extension of current T or U nonimmigrant status.

If the Form I-485 is timely filed, this notice, when presented in combination with a T-1, U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, or U-5 nonimmigrant employee’s Form I-94 admission record, is an acceptable List C #7 document to show employment authorization. For T-1 nonimmigrants, this document combination shows employment authorization for two years from the “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date on the Form I-94 admission record (unless the Form I-485 application is denied or withdrawn, whichever is earlier). For a U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, or U-5 nonimmigrant, this document combination shows employment authorization for one year from the “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date on the Form I-94 admission record (unless the Form I-485 application is denied or withdrawn, whichever is earlier). To determine if the I-485 was timely filed, the “Received Date” on the Form I-797C should be on or before the Form I-94 “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date. Note that the Form I-797C and Form I-94 document combination does not apply to T-2, T-3, T-4, T-5, and T-6 nonimmigrants. Instead, they may seek employment authorization through the Form I-765 application process.

In Section 1, employees who are T-1, U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, or U-5 nonimmigrants should:

Select “A noncitizen authorized to work until;” and
Enter the extended Form I-94 “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date as the expiration date.

The employee may choose to present an EAD as a List A document, or the combination of a List B and List C document, to demonstrate identity and employment eligibility. If the employee presents List B and C documents such as a driver’s license for List B and a Form I-797C for List C in combination with the Form I-94 admission record, as described above, you should do the following to complete Section 2:

Enter the employee’s List B document information;
Under List C, enter “Employment auth. document (DHS)” as the document title;
Enter the receipt number from the Form I-797C as the document number;
Enter the extended Form I-94 “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date in the Expiration Date field; and
Enter “Pending I-485” in the Additional Information field.

If a current employee’s Form I-9, Section 2 was completed with Form I-94 as a List C document, you may update Section 2. Enter “Pending I-485” and the extended Form I-94 “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date in the Additional Information field. You must reverify the employee’s employment authorization by the date you entered in the “Additional Information” field.

If the employee presents, in combination, a Form I-797C and Form I-94 to complete Supplement B, Reverification and Rehire, you should:

Enter “Employment auth. Document (DHS)” as the document title;
Provide the receipt number from the Form I-797C as the document number; and
Enter the extended Form I-94 “Admit Until” or “Valid Until” date in the Expiration Date field.
Enter “Pending I-485” in the Additional Information field.

Extension of Status Based on Law Enforcement or Exceptional Circ*mstances

T or U nonimmigrants may request an extension of status based on law enforcement need or exceptional circ*mstances by properly filing Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. The Form I-797C, Notice of Action, received after filing a Form I-539 is not an acceptable document for Form I-9 purposes.

However, such individuals may file a Form I-765 application to request EAD renewal when they file a Form I-539 application, as described above.