Types of Abuses That Qualify Immigrants for VAWA Protection
The U.S immigration law provides special protection to immigrants subjected to domestic abuse, and a possible path to U.S citizenship under the VAWA Act. The statutes of the act permit both men and women (spouses, parents or children) to file a petition and seek justice against their abusers.
However, in order to be successful in their application, applicants must be able to prove that the abuse occurred. This means that they must have complete understanding of what qualifies as “abuse” under the VAWA Act when filing their petition.
In this post, we’ll review some common types of abuses that qualify immigrants for VAWA protection.
What qualifies as abuse under the VAWA Act
Abuse, under the VAWA Act, entails many types of abusive activities. These include:
Verbal abuse
Screaming, insulting, yelling, scolding, or otherwise mistreating the victim verbally, are all recognized forms of abuse.
Physical violence
Physical or battery violence includes slapping, punching, kicking or hitting the victim with (or without) an object.
Degradation and intimidation
Any deliberate act of degradation or intimidation also qualifies as abuse. The usual recognized ways of carrying such an act include mocking the victim in public, displaying weapons to the victim and threatening to get the victim deported.
Economic abuse
Economic abuse refers to all those activities that refuse the victim access to money. A typical example will be to stop a spouse from working against their will. Other examples may include harassing the victim while they were at their workplace or defaming them in front of their employers to get them fired.
Sexual abuse
Any unwanted sexual conduct, such as forced sexual activity or forced prostitution, classifies as abuse under the VAWA Act.
Forced social isolation
Denying the victim from using phone, meeting friends or family or stopping them from leaving the house is also considered abusive.
Have you been subjected to domestic abuse at the hands of your relative(s)? Do you want to apply for VAWA protection?
MilenKovic Law Group can help you!
We’re one of the leading law firms in Westchester County, NY, specializing in area of immigration law. Our experienced immigration law specialists have helped hundreds of clients in their immigration and personal injury cases , in particular with their VAWA applications.
Get in touch with us today to discuss your case.