USCIS approved just 496 visas for trafficking survivors as 81,695 cases piled up
USCIS's own Form I-914 statistics show it approved 496 and denied 550 T-visa applications from trafficking victims in the first three quarters of fiscal 2026 (October 2025 to June 2026), while the pending caseload grew to 81,695. In fiscal 2024 it approved 3,786 victim applications; in fiscal 2025 it approved 1,398 even as applications rose to 37,177. Congress allows up to 5,000 T-1 visas a year, and advocates report USCIS moved T-visa work in 2025 from a specialized Vermont service center to centers nationwide without publishing a rationale. A T visa lets a survivor stay and work legally while cooperating with investigators.
while Congress set a statutory cap of 5,000 annual T-1 approvals, USCIS approved just 1,398 in FY2025
In 2025, the agency moved T visa processing from a dedicated service center in Vermont, with specialized staff making progress on the backlog, to service centers across the country. ... USCIS has not published a rationale for the transition
Fiscal Year 2026-Total: Victims of Trafficking received 28,157, approved 496, denied 550, pending 81,695
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