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Excellent news that expand the possibilities of obtaining U and T visas!

"U Visas" and "T Visas" allow victims of certain specific crimes to assist law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting crimes without fear of retaliation based on their immigration status.

For the first time, OSHA (Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health) will be able to issue these visa certifications, during its workplace safety investigations, when the agency identifies qualified criminal activity.

OSHA's new authority, effective March 30, 2023, will strengthen its ability to protect all workers, including those whose immigration status or other social and cultural disparities discourage them from sharing information with researchers or reporting workplace safety and health issues. The authority will also provide the agency with a critical tool to protect immigrant and migrant worker communities, regardless of their lack of immigration status or temporary employment authorization.

Allowing OSHA to issue certifications of these visas is empowering some of the most vulnerable workers in our economy to tell us if their jobs are jeopardizing their safety and health, and that of their co-workers.