Asylum and Refugee Status
You may apply for asylum if you are at the U.S. border or have been in the U.S. for less than one year and have a legitimate fear of returning to your home country. You may also apply for asylum if you are in Removal Proceedings. To be eligible, you must have a “well-founded fear of persecution” and that fear must be on account of your…
S, T and U Visas
The S, T, and U visas are three classes of visas available to certain foreign nationals who are either victims of serious crimes or who have information to aid law enforcement. There are annual caps on all three visas, and so availability is limited. The S Visa is available to individuals who have important, reliable information about a criminal organization or enterprise. In order to…
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
For many immigrant victims of domestic violence, battery, and extreme cruelty, the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family members who would sponsor their applications threaten to withhold legal immigration sponsorship as a tool of abuse. Because of this, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) created a provision for battered immigrants to petition themselves. VAWA allows battered immigrants to self-petition for legal status in the…