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VAWA application forms in Oak Brook require the knowledge of an experienced attorney. Often, the sheer amount of nuanced requirements for applicants make applying for this visa exceptionally challenging. If forms are not completed in a timely or organized manner, people could find themselves with a denial notice. Do not take that chance. Reach out to an experienced visa attorney who could help you seek the peace of mind you need.

What Forms Require Completion for VAWA Applications

Once the person has elected to move forward with representation, the attorney would fashion a detailed cover letter so the government official has an introduction to the case. It would also show the individual qualifies for the VAWA application by completing a Form I-360, which is a petition for a special immigrant. On the application, the self-petitioner could give a safe address rather than the location where they reside, and that could be the attorney’s office or the office of a friend or relative.

Attorneys would take a detailed declaration from the applicant, providing an opportunity to show the government that they have a sympathetic client and establish credibility that the person is eligible for VAWA. They would include evidence of the qualifying relationship to the abuser who is the US citizen or resident, so they should include the status, proof of the US citizen or his or her legal permanent resident status. That is preferred but is not required because the government would try to ascertain that if it is not documented on the paper.

Other forms would include evidence of the VAWA applicant’s physical presence in the United States or even evidence that the abuse occurred in the U.S. or that the abuser is an employee of the US government or a member of the military services. Evidence of good moral character for anyone who is over the age of 14 needs to be provided, so attorneys have to provide a copy of a police clearance letter for anywhere they resided for six months or more. Aside from that, if the person is married, they would need evidence of the good-faith marriage.

Good faith means the applicant married the abuser for the principal purpose of trying to share a life together and they held themselves out to be married, and that it was not solely to obtain an immigration benefit. Most importantly, they would need evidence of the battery or the cruel treatment and the evidence of the relationship between the self-petitioner and any other children. So, one of the things with VAWA is that individuals could have derivative children on there also, which means that they could attach the name of the child to their case if the child is not a US citizen or a legal permanent resident.

Background Checks for VAWA Applicants

When someone is applying for the VAWA program, background check would be necessary, and an individual would have to prove they are of good moral character and there are grounds of inadmissibility under Section 212 of the Immigration Nationality Act.

Generally, individuals would get their fingerprints taken by a qualified provider and their lawyer would send that to the FBI to give a good indication of what the government would see as far as the background check. Once the case is submitted, the government would also, within a month to three months, send biometrics notice for the individual to get their fingerprints taken formally at the government center.

Additional Requests for a VAWA Application

The government may request evidence of the battery or the cruel treatment the applicant received, and it may request proof of a parent-child relationship, especially if an individual is filing for a derivative. The government would require that they prove the marital relationship if they are basing this off of an abusing US citizen spouse or resident and would ask for residency information among other things. Generally, it would ask for those items in writing. If someone receives additional requests, a knowledgeable Oak Brook representative could help with this sometimes-frustrating stage of applying for VAWA.

What Happens Next?

At that point, the case is submitted to the Vermont Service Center, a dedicated office with the USCIS. It is in charge of deciding and processing VAWA applications. Once it is filled out, the application should be marked in large, red letters that it is a VAWA application, basically a notice to the mailroom not to open it.

In Vermont, those forms are submitted to #75 Lower Welden Street, Saint Albans, VT 05479, but always check first to make sure the address has not changed.

Let an Attorney Help with a VAWA Application

To seek resident status through VAWA, the evidence is required. VAWA application forms have many pitfalls and requirements that many people may feel overwhelmed by. Because of this, it is important to have an attorney help. Experienced legal counsel could assist you in gathering the required bits of information and submitting it to the necessary agencies for approval. Reach out to an attorney today.

 

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