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Immigration

Can a person apply for a VAWA self-petition from abroad?**

In this link to our website, we have information on VAWA self-petitions, including all of the requirements that someone has to meet in order to apply for a self-petition: https://www.womenslaw.org/laws/federal/immigration/vawa-abuse-victims

Although we don’t have this specific information on our website about whether or not a person can apply from abroad, I did find information on the US government website (https://my.uscis.gov/helpcenter/article/2527) that indicates that a person can file from abroad, as long as s/he meets the other qualifications that are mentioned above in the link to our WomensLaw.org website and: the abuser is an employee of the U.S. government or is a member of the uniformed services; or the victim was subjected to battery or extreme cruelty in the United States.

In general, victims subjected to battery or extreme cruelty in the United States who are currently residing abroad and who are filing from abroad will need to submit documentation of abuse that occurred in the United States. Getting a lawyer’s help to figure out what you may need to show as proof is generally best.

We strongly recommend that anyone who is considering applying for an immigration-related matter only does so with the help of a lawyer who is knowledgeable in immigration matters related to domestic violence. Here are links for lawyers in [STATE] and some that are national organizations that you
may want to contact to find one that specializes in VAWA: https://www.womenslaw.org/find-help/ca/finding-lawyer (NOTE TO STUDENT - CHANGE THE “CA” IN PRIOR LINK TO WHATEVER STATE YOU ARE LINKING TO) and https://www.womenslaw.org/find-help/federal/international

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