United States I-918 Supplement B: U Nonimmigrant Status Certification — Guide

Check the official instructions to see which form or process applies to your type of update. Review the official I-918 Supplement B instructions for complete guidance specific to your immigration case and circumstances.

Submitting the form without the necessary certifying official's designation may result in delays or denial of your application. Review the official I-918 Supplement B instructions for complete guidance specific to your immigration case and circumstances.

Signature-timing rules for this certification have changed over time, and older third-party guides still repeat a deadline that current USCIS guidance may not impose. Before you assume a signed certification is stale, check the timing requirements in the current official Form I-918 and Supplement B instructions and the USCIS Policy Manual. Going back to a certifying agency for a fresh signature is a discretionary request the agency can refuse, so it is worth confirming that a re-certification is actually required before asking for one.

USCIS may consider certain family members as victims if the direct victim is deceased, incompetent, or incapacitated.

The petitioner is required to be a victim of a qualifying criminal activity and must supply proof of their assistance in the investigation or prosecution. This evidence should demonstrate that the petitioner has been, is currently, or is likely to be helpful in these legal proceedings.

You need a reliable mailing address for notices and card delivery. If you do not have a stable address, USCIS allows alternatives (e.g., a representative's address or safe mailing options) per official rules — review the instructions for your situation.

The request comes from the crime victim — or from a parent, guardian, or "next friend" acting for a victim who is a minor, incompetent, or incapacitated — and only a qualifying agency can grant it. Two things decide whether an agency can certify at all: whether the criminal activity falls into one of the qualifying categories listed in Part 3 of the form, and whether that particular agency detected, investigated, or prosecuted it. An agency with no involvement in your case cannot certify, however sympathetic it is. Confirm the current eligibility requirements in the official Form I-918 and Supplement B instructions.

The failure modes specific to this certification are about who signed and what backs it up: a photocopy where USCIS requires an original signature, a signature from someone other than the head of the certifying agency without evidence that they were designated to certify on the agency's behalf, no evidence of the victim's helpfulness in the investigation or prosecution, or details that conflict with the Form I-918 petition filed alongside it. Because Supplement B is adjudicated as part of that petition rather than on its own, an inconsistency between the two records is what usually triggers a Request for Evidence. Check the current edition and requirements in the official instructions before the agency signs.

Processing timing for I-918 Supplement B varies depending on the filing category, processing location, and current application volume. Standard processing can range from a few weeks to several months. Before submitting, check the official USCIS processing times tool for the most current estimates. After filing, monitor your case status and consider whether expedited options are available.

Form I-918 Supplement B is the U Nonimmigrant Status Certification. A qualifying law enforcement agency uses it to certify that you are a victim of qualifying criminal activity and that you have been, are being, or are likely to be helpful in the investigation or prosecution of that crime. It is filed as part of the U visa petition, not on its own. Review the official I-918 Supplement B instructions for current requirements.

Form I-918 is the petition an eligible crime victim files to request U nonimmigrant status (a U visa). Form I-918 Supplement B is the separate law enforcement certification a certifying agency completes to confirm the victim's helpfulness in the investigation or prosecution — the two are filed together. See the Form I-918 guide for the petition itself.

The certifying official at a qualifying agency fills out and signs Form I-918 Supplement B. This must be a Federal, state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency, prosecutor, judge, or other authority that detects, investigates, or prosecutes the qualifying criminal activity. The victim (or their representative) supplies the evidence of helpfulness, but the victim does not self-certify the form.

"Supplement B" is the certification page that accompanies a main USCIS form rather than a standalone application. For the U visa, Form I-918 Supplement B is the U Nonimmigrant Status Certification a law enforcement agency completes and signs. It is different from Form I-918 Supplement A, which covers qualifying family members of the principal petitioner. A Supplement B is never filed by itself — it is attached to the Form I-918 petition.

Part 3 of Form I-918 Supplement B lists the categories of qualifying criminal activity a certifying agency can check, and the certification covers the criminal activity that agency actually detected, investigated, or prosecuted. Because the qualifying categories are defined by statute and USCIS guidance rather than by a crime's local name, review the current list in the official I-918 Supplement B instructions and the U Nonimmigrant Status (Crime Victims) guide before you ask an agency to certify.

Certification is discretionary: a qualifying agency is not obligated to sign Form I-918 Supplement B, and a refusal is not something USCIS can review or appeal. Options usually include approaching another authority with jurisdiction over the same qualifying criminal activity — a prosecutor's office, a judge, or a federal investigative agency can be a certifying agency, not only local police — and renewing the request with clearer evidence of the crime and of your helpfulness. Because the U visa petition cannot be approved without a certification, many crime victims work with an immigration attorney or an accredited victim-services organization on the request.

USCIS operates a bona fide determination process for pending U visa petitions and has published policy guidance and public resources about it; DHS has also released public material on law enforcement certification for crime victims. Because these procedures change, check the USCIS Policy Manual and the official Form I-918 page for the current bona fide determination guidance rather than relying on third-party summaries. For context on the underlying immigration category, see the U Nonimmigrant Status (Crime Victims) guide.

If you are applying for a U visa (U nonimmigrant status) in the United States, Form I-918 Supplement B is the law enforcement certification you file alongside your Form I-918 petition. Start with the U Nonimmigrant Status (Crime Victims) guide for the full eligibility picture, then use the Form I-918 guide for the petition and the checklist above for this certification.