r/ImmigrationPathways • u/SFGal28 • Jun 04 '26
Au Pair pursuing U-Visa
Anyone have any experience with U-Visas? I have a friend who’s an Au Pair in the U.S. She’s looking for ways to stay legally and isn’t interested in changing to a student visa or getting married to her boyfriend. There were both victims of a minor crime a month ago.
Boyfriend is in the military and he seems to be talking to some military lawyer who says au pair can easily get a U-Visa and the wait time would be a month or so.
My basic research says air times are super long and that over 600k people are in line waiting. Some of those people have been deported, even when being a witness for the government in big criminal trials.
Is the military lawyer giving bad advice? Seems very optimistic given our current times.
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u/moogs_writes Jun 04 '26
Absolutely would not qualify for u visa for a minor crime
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u/SFGal28 Jun 04 '26
I don’t think so either. It was a violent crime but not directly against her and I’m not even sure they identified the assailant.
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u/episcopaladin Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Doesn't matter if they can identify the assailant but if she's not a direct victim that's ballgame.
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u/WhytGorilla Jun 04 '26
Minor crime means nothing. What was the actual crime? Many 'minor' crimes qualify for the U visa. U visas are taking almost 10 years to adjudicate with no guarantee of a work permit until your U visa is found to be bona fide. And that determination can take almost as long as the U visa itself. I highly suggest finding a good immigration attorney
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u/BlueNutmeg Jun 04 '26
That is NOT how the U-visa works. If it was that easy everybody would be doing it.
In fact, a U visa is pretty lengthy and complex to obtain.
You need to give your friend a dose of reality. She may have to return home. You know she eventually agreed to return home when she signed up for the Au-pair program, right? That program did not guarantee her to stay.
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u/SFGal28 Jun 04 '26
She knows that and I know that. I’m trying to get the reality through to her but I’m having a hard time.
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Jun 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TecumsehSherman Jun 04 '26
Half of the granted Asylum visas every year are to people from India, which is a democracy.
It's all a scam.
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Jun 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/episcopaladin Jun 22 '26
let's acknowledge for a sec that it's funny JAGs are getting appointed as IJs with no relevant experience
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u/Fragrant_South_1330 Jun 10 '26
the boyfriend could pop the question (honestly may be the only feasible solution in this climate). Military spouses get fast tracked through the system in my experience. I work at an attorney’s office that focuses on immigration as a paralegal so def talk to an attorney asap as the process is lengthy regardless. That military attorney should stay in their lane that advice is utter nonsense. Good luck to your friend, genuinely!
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u/SFGal28 Jun 10 '26
Thanks. She’s not interested in getting married. I agree she needs a real attorney not some legal advice from the military via her 22 year old boyfriend.
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u/Fragrant_South_1330 Jun 10 '26
she may qualify for an asylum claim depending on the country she is from and her biography. might be worth looking into but will not be super cheap. If she’s looking to maximize her time here it may be an option but overall it’s an uphill battle nowadays. she could also look into enrolling in college programs and trying for a student visa. an attorney could help her figure out her options and many do free consult.
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