Violence Against Women Act

VAWA, or the Violence Against Women Act, is an act that was passed by Congress in 1994 to create special routes to immigration status for certain battered noncitizens. These provisions were updated in 2000 in the Battered Immigrant Women's Protection Act, and again in 2005.

The VAWA laws allow women to petition for adjustment of status and exempts them from certain conditions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under the revised VAWA, applicants no longer have to show that they would face extreme hardship, and they are also allowed to apply for permanent residence from outside the US, if they can demonstrate that they were the victims of domestic violence in the US.

Because the law is complicated, it is advised that you first contact an immigration attorney to prepare your petition.

Minnesota based Immigration Attorney Malee Ketelsen has successfully represented women from all parts of the world seeking protection through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Contact Malee about your situation to discuss the possibility of protection through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).