The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed by Congress in 1994. As a part of the Act, victims of battery or extreme cruelty may be eligible to become lawful permanent residents of the United States. An individual qualifies if the battery or extreme cruelty if it came at the hands of: (1) a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse; (2) a U.S. citizen child or stepchild; or (3) a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident parent, so long as they themselves are under 21 and unmarried. Any individual, not just women, who have suffered domestic violence qualify for immigration benefits under VAWA.
VAWA applicants can file their immigration application without their family member’s knowledge or consent. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is committed to protecting VAWA applicants and have designated safe addresses, where the applicant can list a safe location to receive immigration correspondence.
Learn more about VAWA Self-Petitions here.
A VAWA Self-Petition is often an emotional and intensive process. VAWA applicants must prove both the qualifying relationship and that abuse occurred in it. Delgado Rompf Bruen has assisted many VAWA applicants in navigating the legal system with care and compassion. This includes assisting survivors in drafting a personal statement describing the battery or extreme cruelty suffered at the hands of the qualifying relative.
VAWA self-petitioners can concurrently file an adjustment of status application with their VAWA petition. An adjustment of status application includes additional forms and required documents. Delgado Rompf Bruen is available to assist in preparing the entire application packet.
Delgado Rompf Bruen can happily serve as the designated safe address for our VAWA petitioning clients.
One of the most important documents that will be submitted in a VAWA petition is a personal statement or affidavit from the VAWA petitioner describing the battery or extreme cruelty suffered. Our attorneys understand that drafting the personal statement may be a difficult and emotional experience. Delgado Rompf Bruen is available to support survivors in the application process and can work with individuals to draft the personal statement in the way most comfortable to the petitioner.
In addition to the personal statement, VAWA petitioners will need to provide documents proving the qualifying relationship, which can include marriage certificates, birth certificate, school records, etc. Documents pertaining to the abuse, such as police reports, medical records, and therapy records will also help strengthen an application.
Our attorneys and staff know that the events which may qualify an applicant for VAWA are often traumatic and emotional. If you are ready and you think you may be eligible under VAWA, you can learn more about scheduling a consultation here. We are also available to assist VAWA applicants with their adjustment of status applications.
If you do not feel safe, or you need support, please visit the National Domestic Violence hotline here.
I went through my Green Card and Citizenship applications with Elizabeth Rompf and every step of the way was fantastic. Incredibly professional, prompt, clear, and very attentive to details. I cannot recommend them enough! They're my absolute top pick for any immigration recommendations!
DRB helped us with securing a work visa for one of our staff members, communicated well, and helped explain the process.
I am full of gratitude while writing this review for Delgado Rompf Bruen Law. Thank you so much Marta for handling my case so beautifully. It has been only your diligence and professionalism in the work which guided my case to success. I am very fortunate to have you as an attorney. With other attorneys I've experienced ones who only took my money and promised to help me or never called me back. You're helping a lot of people with your honesty and great quality of work. I can't thank you enough. Yay, I am an American Citizen!
Elizabeth and her legal team were extremely helpful in my husband's green card case. They had us so prepared that the interview was a piece of cake. We didn't have a single issue. They were quick to reply to any questions we had and were very honest with us about any possible issues we could have. I would highly recommend her and her team.
I began working with Martha after a decade of having my immigration process handled by attorneys that worked for my employers and everything changed immediately. Martha was invested in my personal story and circumstances and took all the time I needed to talk me through the options and process. She was consistently professional, knowledgable, and compassionate. She even leveraged her network to get specific information about my interview site in the Bay Area which was invaluable the day of my naturalization interview. She's the BEST.
I've struggle for over 10 years to get my Permanent Resident status and have been represented by 4 immigration lawyers over that period. The last one I hired and who was able to resolve my immigration case is Elizabeth Rompf Bruen. The contrast of how she handled my case and the other 3 lawyers was obvious from the beginning. She was always available when I wanted to talk to her and provided the updates in my case as soon as she had one. I also noticed a different level of knowledge and expertise in comparison to the other 3 lawyers....
Marta was the most professional, accurate and caring lawyer I’ve encountered in the 6 years I’ve been living in the US, her work ethics are unmatched and without doubt was the best decision for my process. I recommend her to anyone that needs help, you will feel listened and she is incredible when it comes to explaining this procedures in a simple and straight forward manner. She will be my first option again when the time comes in the future.
Elizabeth has been my immigration attorney on multiple cases. She handled my 3 different cases over past 7 years including the recent immigration case that got approval last month. Whenever I need attorney help, the only person I reach out to is Elizabeth. She is knowledgeable and very professional in handling any case. Elizabeth always kept me informed about the status of my case. She is very responsive to my emails and phone calls. I highly recommend Elizabeth.
Elizabeth helped me file, process and ultimately successfully complete my Naturalization "journey" to become an American citizen. There were bumps on the road as the process is time-consuming, confusing (to me) and frequently frustrating... But Elizabeth (and her staff) were always responsive, clear, knowledgeable and reliable. I am today an American citizen and I would recommend her services to anyone anytime. She is great!
We contacted Martha after reaching out 3 immigration lawyers and having terrible experiences. When it comes to immigration issues it is easy to play with peoples’ hopes, Martha was fresh air. Since the first call, Martha was straightforward and realistic, she thoroughly explained the rules that applied, most common/possible outcomes in my case, time frames and the requirements I had to meet. She didn’t oversimplify things nor came up with patchwork solution (considering my level of anxiety at that time), she came up with long term solutions that would take up some time but also were attainable. Together we set...
