Green Card for VAWA Self-Petitioner – Violence Against Women Act

Immigrants who are married to a US citizen or Legal Permanent Resident with a Green card, and who have suffered abuse from their spouse, are eligible to seek a green card on their own, without having to continue to live with and remain married to their abusive spouse.

This petition requires that you are or were in fact legally married to your spouse and you will need to provide a marriage certificate.  

It also requires that you were in fact a victim of abuse, whether physical abuse, verbal abuse or emotional abuse.  You do not need to provide a police report, but if you have one it is good evidence.  However, if you do not have a police report for fear or reporting your abuser to the authorities and giving them more cause to continue abusing you, you can use evidence of a psycho-social report as to the abuse you suffered, photos of the abuse you suffered, texts or emails evidencing the verbal abuse, and letters from family and friends who are aware of the abuse you have suffered.

This is the only petition in immigration that permits someone to petition themself.

This protection exists so that a foreign nation does not feel obligated to continue to live with and be abused by their spouse who is violent and continues harming them.

Within a year of your petition, if approved, you can obtain status as a legal permanent resident.