The T Visa Framework: A Guide for Immigration Lawyers Representing Trafficking Survivors

You are already representing trafficking survivors. You just aren't filing T visas for them yet. The T visa is one of the most powerful—and most underused—forms of immigration relief available. In the right case, it can halt deportation, provide work authorization, protect family members, and open a path to a green card. Its waiver provision can forgive violations that would be fatal to almost any other case type. But most lawyers don't know how to spot the cases where it applies, or how to have the kind of consultation that surfaces the facts. Attorney Helen Tarokic is a North Carolina Board Certified Immigration Law Specialist with nearly 20 years of immigration practice. She has trained attorneys and law enforcement on identifying trafficking, and she has spent years developing consultation screening methods designed to surface the cases that other approaches might miss. This book is her practical, concise guide for immigration lawyers who are ready to start identifying and representing more trafficking survivors. Updated for the landmark 2024 T visa regulations and 2026 guidance, The T Visa Framework covers: How to screen for trafficking indicators during standard consultations — including the questions to find cases Industry-specific fact patterns: construction, restaurants, landscaping, high tech jobs, gas stations, domestic violence, and smuggling-turned-trafficking scenarios Evidence-building strategies that don't depend on a police report How to use the I-192 waiver to overcome bars that seem insurmountable Deportation defense: using the T visa process to stop removal proceedings Sex trafficking, exploitation of visa holders, trafficking of minors, and spiritual coercion Creating a professional mindset that keeps you from talking yourself out of filing a strong case Maybe a client mentioned they never got paid on a job, and something told you to keep asking questions. If reading makes you pick up the phone and rescreen that client, this book has done its job.