Pathways to Safety: Immigration Options for Abuse Victims
A VAWA attorney Los Angeles will be able to let you know if you qualify for the battered spouse petition.
Many spouses (especially wives of U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents)
allow themselves to be continually beaten by their husbands for fear if they say anything they will be deported.
Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles, makes clear that you do not have to continue with the abusive relationship.
Rather, explains the battered spouse petition, there is an option.
You can file a petition under VAWA (Violence against Women’s Act) known as the battered spouse petition.
It is this petition, Brian D. Lerner,VAWA attorney Los Angeles explains that if approved will allow you to obtain your lawful permanent residency.
The VAWA battered spouse petition, has several different items that must be submitted.
For your reference, Explains, Brian D. Lerner,
VAWA attorney Los Angeles,
VAWA itself stands for ‘Violence Against Women’s Act’,
but in actuality, men can and do successfully file the VAWA petition as well.
The VAWA attorney Los Angeles will explain that first there must be a legitimate marriage and that the marriage must be bona fide.
Brian D. Lerner,
Additionally,
The VAWA attorney Los Angeles will explain that the actual marriage must be under the law,
Not a common law marriage.
Thus, you will need to obtain the services of the psychologist and go in significant detail about everything that has happened.
The battered spouse attorney will let you know that it will be painful to go over all the details and incidents that have occurred in the past. However, Brian Lerner,VAWA attorney Los Angeles, explains that it is critical to the success of the petition itself.
Another part of the battered spouse petition is the declaration.
The VAWA attorney Los Angeles will give you a detailed interview and will prepare a declaration on your situation which you will have to sign. It will go into great deal, explains Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles.
It will explain all the times you were physically beat, all the times you had to go to the hospital.
The battered spouse attorney will further prepare put in times and places and dates to make the declaration credible and believable. Without detail, and without specifics, the battered spouse attorney cannot make a coherent and believable argument.
Therefore, Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles, makes clear you must relive what has happened and you must be honest with your battered spouse attorney and your psychologist.
Without honesty and without reliving the past, it is unlikely to get approved.
Of course, explains, Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles, it will cost some money to hire the psychologist, but it is well worth it in the end if you get your Green Card and get get paid much more for a real job that you are not working under the table.
Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles explains that you do not only need to show physical abuse, but it is possible to show only severe emotional abuse as well. In this case, there does not need to be physical abuse and the battered spouse attorney may be able to prove only severe emotional abuse in order to get this petition approved.
Many times, if prepared correctly, the VAWA attorney Los Angeles may be able to show you will prevail on this petition even if you are the husband.
Sometimes, if it is the husband who is filing this petition, he could certainly show financial threats and deportation threats and a variety of other threats that could lead to showing severe emotional abuse.
Watch Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles discuss the VAWA battered spouse petition
The VAWA attorney Los Angeles will be able to explain that this petition is the first petition to try to obtain residency.
In fact, if the battered spouse petition is approved, then you can apply for residency.
You will be able to apply for adjustment of status regardless if you are here in the U.S. legally or illegally.
Additionally, if you are inadmissible, explains Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles, you can file waivers of inadmissibility.
Sometimes, if you can show that the inadmissibility is related to the abuse, you will be able to have a better chance of getting the waiver approved as will be explained by the VAWA attorney Los Angeles.
Brian Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles explains that at the adjustment interview that the officer has no right to go back into the facts of the abuse.
It is only to determine eligibility to adjust status.
This is all the more reason, explains Brian D. Lerner,VAWA attorney Los Angeles that you should have an attorney present at the interview.
This will allow the VAWA attorney Los Angeles to interject the proper argument should the officer start going off to left field with the questions and trying to get you to recant or reprove all the elements of the battered spouse petition.
It is unfortunate that there is physical and mental abuse committed on immigrants espouses Brian D. Lerner, VAWA attorney Los Angeles.
However, on the other hand, it is fortunate that those people who are victims are able to apply for the battered spouse petition.
Just make sure that if you’re going to apply for the battered spouse petition under VAWA, that you hire a qualified and experienced VAWA attorney Los Angeles.