Abused Spouse
When a foreign national marries a U.S. citizen or becomes the fiancée
of a U.S. citizen, the U.S. citizen typically applies for the foreign
national’s greencard. Sometimes the U.S. citizen abuses the foreign national
physically and/or psychologically and refuses to apply for the greencard.
A foreign national, who is still married to the U.S. citizen, can apply
on his or her own for a greencard through a special process for abused
spouses.
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Domestic Violence
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| Example Number One: |
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Lien became engaged to a U.S.
citizen. She thought the relationship would be perfect. However,
when she came to the U.S., her U.S. citizen husband refused
to let her work, refused to let her study, yelled at her,
made fun of her, and sometimes beat her. Lien went to a lawyer
who practices immigration law, and her lawyer told her that
U.S. immigration law has a special rule for people like her
who are abused. Her lawyer developed a proper case, and Lien
now has a greencard. She has also divorced her abusive husband.
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| Example Number Two: |
| Marc married a U.S. citizen woman. He spoke no
English, and the U.S. citizen woman refused to help him with
anything. She complained that he could not provide for her,
she threatened to call the immigration service to have him deported,
and she refused to apply for his greencard. Marc was psychologically
traumatized. He went to a lawyer who helped him apply for a
greencard as an abused spouse. He now has a greencard. |
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