April 09, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
New legislation in Philadelphia City Council would add requirements to speed up the application process for U and T visas, which protect victims of human trafficking and other crimes.
City Council continues to push legislation to protect immigrants in the city, this time easing the process for visa applicants who are victims of human trafficking and other crimes.
Councilmember Nina Ahmad (D-At-Large) introduced the bill on U and T visas on Thursday, days before the governing body's first hearing on the "ICE Out" package.
A U visa provides temporary legal status to people who are considered victims of qualified criminal activities, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse and have information about the crime that could help law enforcement or other government officials. A T visa does the same for people who were victims of human trafficking.
Both were established in 2000 through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and were meant to help people who might have been hesitant to work with government officials due to their immigration status.
To qualify for a U visa, applicants need a certification from a government agency that confirms they're a crime victim and willing to work with law enforcement. Those certifications aren't necessary for a T visa, but they help significantly with getting applications approved. The visas are part of a federal program, but local agencies approve the certifications.
However, Ahmad said there are currently no specific rules in place that say how quickly agencies need to respond to a request for a certification, so the bill would enact a 90-day deadline and require expedited requests be addressed within 14-21 days.
The legislation also says an expert in crimes against immigrants and certification forms should be consulted to streamline the application process, which would be detailed on a newly established website.
Under the measure, applicant's immigration status would not be able to be shared with anyone outside that government agency unless it is required by federal law or approved by an applicant. Agencies must also approve a certification if the applicant was a crime victim, has information about it and is willing to help with an investigation, and denials must be put in writing with a reason for the rejection. Applications can't be rejected due to the amount of time since the crime, previous civil immigration violations, a lack of a formal investigation or charges or because a case never led to a conviction.
"My bill's goal is to guarantee a clear timeline, receive clear rationale for certification decisions and to safeguard the process so that clients have what they need to advocate for themselves," Ahmad said in an email.
In Philadelphia, the visas are typically certified through the District Attorney's Office, the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Human Services. The DAO said it's reviewed more than 150 certifications since it established its Immigration Counsel in 2018.
In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 11,999 human trafficking cases involving 21,865 victims in the United States.
Ahmad's legislation now heads to committee, where it must be approved before it can return to the floor for a full vote.
This legislation follows the seven bill "ICE Out" package introduced by Councilmembers Rue Landau (D-At-Large) and Kendra Brooks (Working Families Party-At-Large) in January. If approved, the bills would ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from wearing masks, using unmarked vehicles and conducting raids on city-owned property. City agencies would be prohibited from sharing data about residents or collaborating with ICE and discriminating based on immigration or citizenship status.
The first hearing for the bill package is scheduled for Monday. The legislation has 15 co-sponsors, meaning that it would not require Mayor Cherelle Parker's signature to become law.
Multiple members also opposed the presence of ICE agents at the Philadelphia International Airport, although they reportedly left on Thursday.
