Immigrant Domestic Violence Survivors Face New Hurdles to Citizenship Amid Policy Changes In March 2026, Michigan attorney Ruby Robinson received a denial notice for legal status for her client—a woman who had endured physical abuse from her husband. The woman, who had married a U.S. citizen in the United States after a long relationship, submitted documents including a marriage certificate and letters from friends and her husband’s daughter to prove the marriage was in good faith. Despite these efforts, federal officials denied her application under revised policies that have made it harder for domestic violence survivors to qualify for legal status. The changes stem from updated guidelines under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a 1994 law originally sponsored by then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden and enacted during the Clinton administration. VAWA allows abused foreign national spouses of U.S. citizens or green card holders, as well as abused foreign national parents, to file self-petitions for lawful immigration status. The law has been renewed multiple times, including in 2022 during Biden’s presidency. However, the Trump administration introduced stricter requirements in December 2025, prompting increased scrutiny of domestic violence survivors’ applications. Under the new rules, applicants must provide more concrete evidence of cohabitation during a “good faith” marriage, including proof that the abuse occurred while they were married. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cited these changes as necessary to prevent fraud, noting that misuse of the system could cause delays in processing self-petition requests.#us_citizenship_and_immigration_services #joe_biden #ruby_robinson #violence_against_women_act #cristina_velez
