{"id":4452,"date":"2023-05-19T20:55:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T20:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silverimmigration.com\/?p=4452"},"modified":"2024-11-26T16:28:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T16:28:44","slug":"battered-spouse-or-child-petition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silverimmigration.com\/en\/2023\/05\/19\/battered-spouse-or-child-petition\/","title":{"rendered":"Battered Spouse or Child Petition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Domestic violence is a traumatic experience that can leave deep emotional and physical scars that can take years to heal. For those who are immigrants, it can be even more challenging, as they may fear deportation. However, there is hope for victims of domestic violence who want to stay in the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Violence Against Women Act\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) empowers abused spouses and children of US citizens or legal permanent residents to petition for a green card without relying on their abusive partner or parent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under VAWA, domestic abuse includes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical violence, such as hitting, slapping, or kicking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional abuse, for example, name-calling, threats, or isolation from family and friends<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sexual abuse by forcing someone to engage in sexual acts against their will<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychological abuse, including intimidation, humiliation, or controlling behaviour<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stalking, such as following someone or making threats to harm them or their loved ones<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Financial abuse in the form of using assets to threaten, control, or restrict someone<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any abuse must have been inflicted by the petitioner&#8217;s US spouse or directed toward the petitioner&#8217;s child. In the case of a petitioner who is a child, the abuse must have been perpetrated by a US parent or stepparent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eligibility to Self-Petition Under VAWA<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be eligible to self-petition under VAWA, you must be the spouse, unmarried child (under the age of 21) or parent who has been subjected to abuse from a US citizen or permanent resident. It is important to note that the abuse must have taken place in the United States and the self-petition should also be filed while the victim is still in the United States. In exceptional cases, an individual may petition under VAWA if they were abused outside of the United States by a member of the US uniformed services or a government employee.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before filing a VAWA petition for a green card, be prepared to submit proof of a qualifying relationship and evidence of abuse. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supporting documents include, police reports, medical records, witness statements, and marriage or birth certificates. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must also demonstrate good moral character<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which typically requires a clean criminal record.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the self-petitioning individual, certain family members may also be eligible for derivative benefits under VAWA. Derivative beneficiaries are family members who are included in the self-petitioning individual&#8217;s application for permanent residency. These persons may be:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unmarried children of the abused spouse or parent, who are under 21 years old, and\/ or unmarried children over 21 years old who are physically or mentally unable to care for themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children of the abused child, if the child is at least 21 years old and has children of their own, and the child&#8217;s spouse, as long as the child is at least 18 years old.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cases are handled on an individual basis and derivative beneficiaries may be subject to additional eligibility requirements. Consulting an experienced immigration lawyer is essential when preparing your petition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">US Immigration Lawyer in Montreal<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Violence Against Women Act provides protection and a pathway to legal status for individuals who have suffered abuse at the hands of a US citizen or permanent resident. Silver Immigration is a Montreal-based law firm that specializes in helping clients navigate the complex and ever-changing US immigration system. Our US immigration lawyer has extensive experience helping clients navigate the VAWA self-petition process, and we would love to help with your case.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send us a message using our contact form or call us today at 1 (888) 799-4769 to schedule a free consultation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Domestic violence is a traumatic experience that can leave deep emotional and physical scars that can take years to heal. For those who are immigrants, it can be even more challenging, as they may fear deportation. However, there is hope for victims of domestic violence who want to stay in the United States.\u00a0 &nbsp; The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138432333,"featured_media":4454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1373,1916,1920],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-consulting","category-guidance","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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