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Legal Information: Federal

Immigration

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Laws current as of November 22, 2024

If I am married, can I still qualify as an “abused child”?

In order to qualify for a self-petition as the abused child of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you must be unmarried at the time of filing the self-petition and remain unmarried until it has been approved. If you are the child of an abusive U.S. citizen, you can get married after your self-petition is granted. However, getting married will increase the wait time for your green card when you apply to adjust your status.1 If you are the child of an abusive LPR and want to adjust status, you cannot marry until after your green card is approved, unless the abuser becomes a U.S. citizen (naturalizes).2

1 See US Department of State visa bulletin   
2 See INA 203(a)