immigration LAW
All services of the Women’s Law Center of Maryland are free, confidential and – pending capacity constraints – available to all persons regardless of gender/assigned sex at birth, race, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, as well as disability or veteran status. Accommodations, including translation services, are available upon request.
MULTI-ETHNIC DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT (MEDOVI)
The Multi-Ethnic Domestic Violence Project provides representation to survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking to qualify for legal status in the United States and related benefits (including work authorization).
Services include:
Help completing and filing VAWA self-petitions
U-visa and T-visa application guidance
Petitions to remove conditions on permanent resident status
Citizenship petitions
Limited affirmative asylum cases based on domestic violence
Accompaniment to court hearings and referrals to other community programs as needed
Support in filing for additional family members.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: IMMIGRATION
Violence Against Women Act: Eligibility Requirements for a VAWA Self-Petition
You are eligible for a VAWA self-petition if you demonstrate the following eligibility requirements:
You have a qualifying relationship as the:
Spouse, intended spouse, or former spouse of an abusive U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident if:
You are married to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident abuser;
Your marriage to the abuser was legally terminated by death (U.S. citizen spouses only) or a divorce (for reasons related to the abuse) within the 2 years prior to filing your petition;
Your spouse lost or renounced citizenship or permanent resident status within the 2 years prior to filing your petition due to an incident of domestic violence; or
You believed that you were legally married to your abusive U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse but the marriage was not legitimate solely because of the bigamy of your abusive spouse.
Child of an abusive U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident parent; or
Parent of an abusive U.S. citizen son or daughter who is 21 years old or older.
You were subjected to battery or extreme cruelty by your U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident relative during the qualifying relationship. (If you are applying as a spouse, you may also be eligible if your U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse subjected your child to battery or extreme cruelty);
You are residing or have resided with your abusive U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident relative.
Victims of Criminal Activity: U Nonimmigrant Eligibility
You may be eligible for a U nonimmigrant visa if:
You are the victim of qualifying criminal activity. This includes the attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit abduction, abusive sexual contact, blackmail, domestic violence, extortion, false imprisonment, female genital mutilation, felonious assault, fraud in foreign labor contracting, hostage-taking, incest, involuntary servitude, kidnapping, manslaughter, obstruction of justice, peonage, perjury, prostitution, rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, slavery, stalking, torture, trafficking, witness tampering, unlawful criminal restraint, and other related crimes.
You have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of criminal activity.
You have information about the criminal activity and you were helpful, or are likely to be helpful, to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.
The crime occurred in the United States or violated U.S. laws.
Victims of Human Trafficking: T Nonimmigrant Status
T nonimmigrant status is a temporary immigration benefit. It enables certain victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons to remain in the United States for an initial period of up to 4 years if they complied with any reasonable request for assistance from law enforcement in the detection, investigation, or prosecution of human trafficking or qualify for an exemption or exception. T nonimmigrant status is also available to certain eligible family members of trafficking victims. T nonimmigrants are eligible for employment authorization and certain federal and state benefits and services. T nonimmigrants who qualify may also be able to adjust their status and become lawful permanent residents (get a Green Card).
Under federal law, a “severe form of trafficking in persons” is:
Sex trafficking: When someone recruits, harbors, transports, provides, solicits, patronizes, or obtains a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, where the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or the person being induced to perform such act is under 18 years of age; or
Labor trafficking: When someone recruits, harbors, transports, provides, or obtains a person for labor or services using force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C)
FGM/C refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It may be called “female circumcision” in some parts of the world. The practice has no health benefits and can lead to a range of serious physical and mental health problems. If someone performed FGM/C on you, that person violated U.S. law. You are not at fault, and you may be a victim of a crime or persecution.
If you are a victim of either FGM/C or forced marriage (or fear you may be forced to marry), you may be eligible for immigration relief in the United States, such as:
Asylum;
Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification;
Self-petition under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA);
A waiver of the joint filing requirement based on battery or extreme cruelty for family-based conditional permanent residents;
T nonimmigrant status (also known as the T visa) for victims of human trafficking; or
U nonimmigrant status (also known as the U visa) for victims of certain qualifying crimes.