On August 28, 2024, USCIS released a new edition of forms I-914, I-914A, and I-914B, indicating their required use beginning that same day despite previous messaging that the 04/01/24 edition of the I-914 and related forms would be required as of August 28, 2024. To minimize the number of applications rejected due to having been mailed prior to the release of the new edition date, CAST and partners (AILA, ASISTA, and the Freedom Network) reached out to USCIS on August 29, 2024 to request that the agency accept both the 04/01/24 and 08/28/24 editions for a period of time. CAST and partners also requested that USCIS honor the initial received date of any filings with an 04/01/24 edition date that may have been rejected in the interim.

Though CAST and partners have yet to receive a formal response from USCIS, the agency updated its I-914 webpage on August 30, 2024, indicating that the 04/01/24 edition may be submitted through September 29, 2024. Through September 29, 2024, either the 04/01/24 or 08/28/24 edition of forms I-914, I-914A, and I-914B may be submitted. Beginning on September 30, 2024, only the 08/28/24 edition may be submitted.

If submitting an I-914 and I-914As during this period, CAST recommends utilizing the same form edition for all forms to avoid possible rejection.

If an 04/01/24 edition I-914 or I-914A is rejected due to edition date reasons between August 28, 2024 and September 29, 2024, please contact CAST for technical assistance.

CAST attended an August 15, 2024 stakeholder engagement on the T visa final rule where representatives from the USCIS Office of Policy & Strategy (OP&S), Service Center Operations Directorate (SCOPS), USCIS Contact Center, and Public Engagement Division presented on the final rule and answered pre-submitted and live questions. Except where otherwise indicated as CAST commentary, the notes below have been paraphrased from USCIS’s engagement comments and slides.[1]

The final rule goes into effect on August 28, 2024. For more information on the changes relating to T nonimmigrant status and T adjustment of status, review CAST’s advisory, Overview of the 2024 T Visa Final Rule, which will be updated as new information becomes available.

CAST attended a June 18, 2024 meeting with USCIS on VAWA, U, and T issues where representatives from the USCIS Office of Policy & Strategy (OP&S), Service Center Operations Directorate (SCOPS), and Public Engagement Division discussed issues relating to VAWA, U, and T visas. Key takeaways for T visa practitioners are below.[1]

On April 19, 2024,[1] CAST moderated a panel focused on T visas with representatives from the USCIS Office of Policy & Strategy (OP&S), Service Center Operations (SCOPS), and the Vermont Service Center (VSC) at the annual Freedom Network Conference. Key takeaways for practitioners are as follows:

On April 30, 2024, DHS published a final rule updating the 2016 interim T visa regulations and creating an entirely new subpart (8 CFR 214 Subpart C) to reorganize and house the final regulations pertaining to T nonimmigrant status.[1] The final rule goes into effect August 28, 2024.

CAST's advisory, Overview of the 2024 T Visa Final Rule, provides a summary of the changes impacting applicants for T nonimmigrant status and T adjustment of status. The advisory, intended for licensed attorneys and DOJ accredited representatives, links to existing agency guidance and to CAST resources that will be updated to reflect the final regulations and accompanying agency guidance. The advisory does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the changes, does not address all changes, and does not replace a thorough reading of the regulations and accompanying agency guidance.[2]

A list of CAST T visa-related advisories and resources can be found here. 

---

[1] 8 CFR 214 Subpart C, Noncitizen Victims of Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons now houses the regulations for T nonimmigrant status in §§ 200 to 216. T adjustment regulations were not renumbered and remain at 8 CFR § 245.23. Similarly, the T nonimmigrant waiver and T adjustment waiver provisions remain at 8 CFR §§ 212.16 and 212.18, respectively.

[2] To better understand the meaning behind the regulatory text, practitioners should review the preamble to the regulations (available in the Federal Register notice, 89 Fed. Reg. 34864) and the relevant USCIS Policy Manual sections (Vol. 3, Part B – Victims of Trafficking,  Vol. 9, Part O – Victims of Trafficking (Waivers), and Vol. 7, Part J – Trafficking Victim-Based Adjustment).