Immigration Relief For Abused Non-Citizen Spouses (VAWA/VAMA)

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) permits male and female non-citizens who are married to abusive United States citizens or lawful permanent resident spouses to gain lawful status on their own without having to rely on abusive spouses to start and complete the process.

VAWA provides that the following individuals can self-petition for lawful immigrant status in the United States:

An abused spouse or child (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident
An abused parent of an adult United States citizen son or daughter

Most of these petitions allow for petitioning on behalf of children as derivatives.

Understanding The Requirements

VAWA is a complicated law but the basic requirements for self-petitioning spouses are:

The abuser is or was a USC or LPR.
The non-citizen is or was legally married to the abuser and the marriage was a good faith marriage.
The abuser abused the non-citizen during their marriage.
As a general rule, the non-citizen must be living in the U.S. when he or she seeks to file the petition.

Gender is not a factor in determining eligibility for VAWA. Men or women who meet the requirements for eligibility may file.

Learn How We Can Help

VAWA applications can be difficult legally and emotionally. Our office has successfully completed many of these petitions. We are equipped to deal with the special requirements of these cases and are sensitive to the concerns that parties considering this option may have.

We welcome the opportunity to explain more about how we can assist you with a VAWA application. Please call 860-783-1806 or use our online contact form to provide us more information and schedule a consultation.