FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There are many questions in the mind of an immigrant woman who is being battered. The following questions and answers have been adopted from a brochure developed by Ayuda, Inc. to provide some basic information about things you can do to make yourself safe.
I feel trapped, what can I do?
There are a variety of services available to assist abused women: shelters, hospitals, police, legal aid, and other community services. There is a National Domestic Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) to help you identify services near you that may match your needs. A trained counselor can take your call, listen to your problem, keep your story confidential and give you the information you need.
Should I leave my home if I am in danger?
I feel trapped, what can I do?
There are a variety of services available to assist abused women: shelters, hospitals, police, legal aid, and other community services. There is a National Domestic Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) to help you identify services near you that may match your needs. A trained counselor can take your call, listen to your problem, keep your story confidential and give you the information you need.
Should I leave my home if I am in danger?
Yes go to a friend’s house or a battered women’s shelter. Shelters are usually free. If you leave your home, make every effort to take your children with you. If possible, take important documents such as Driver’s License or identification card, Social Security card, Insurance cards, passports and visas for yourself and your children, birth certificates of your children, your marriage license, documents from any public assistance programme, leases, checkbooks, credit cards, paychecks stabs, proof of citizenship, copies of tax return etc.
Should I go to a doctor if I think I am injured?
Yes. If you think you may be injured, go to a doctor immediately. If you do not have health insurance, then go to a city or county hospital emergency room.
Should I call the police?
Yes. The police can escort you and your children out of the house if you want to leave and often can transport you to a safe place.
I may stay with a friend for a day, but I will eventually have to return home and then he will get me. What can I do? I have heard of protective orders. What do they do?
You can apply for a protective order through your county attorney’s office. A protective order can prohibit your husband from contacting, attacking, threatening, assaulting, or harassing you, your children, and other family members.
Can I get a protective order even if I am not a US citizen?
Yes. You do not need to be a citizen or legal permanent resident to get a protective order. Civil courts usually do not ask about immigration status for protective orders, child custody orders or divorce orders. Ask a domestic violence organization in your area about the policy in your area.
Should I contact an attorney if I have questions about my immigration status?
Yes. Before contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs & Immigration Services (USCIS) consult an immigration attorney. All discussions with a lawyer are confidential.
I was not married in the US. Can I get a divorce in the US?
Yes. You may get a divorce (dissolution) in the US even if you are not a US. Citizen or legal permanent resident and were not married in the US. You can get a divorce even if your husband does not agree.
Will a divorce or separation affect the immigration status of a permanent resident?
No, your legal status should not be affected if you have permanent resident or legal refugee status.
I am a conditional permanent resident; will divorce or separation affect my immigration status?
If you are a victim of a domestic violence, and you have conditional residency, you can ask for a waiver if your husband will not cooperate in removing your conditional status.
How will I support my children and myself if I leave my husband?
If you are admitted to a battered women’s shelter, you and your children can stay there temporarily (30 to 60 days) without having to pay for your food or room. The shelter staff may help you find a job or discuss your options. You may seek a legal separation or temporary divorce settlement so that you get some child support money each month from the father of your children.
My husband is threatening to take my children away if I leave him, what can I do?
Consult an attorney immediately and ask how you can get a custody order to prohibit your husband from removing the children from the country in which you live.
Will I be deported if I take any of the above actions?
If you are now a US citizen, you cannot be deported. If you are a lawful permanent resident, or possess a valid visa, you can be deported if you entered the US on fraudulent documents, violated conditions of your visa, or have been convicted of certain crimes.
Will my husband be deported if I get help?
If he is a naturalized citizen, he cannot be deported. Deportation depends on many complex factors: his immigration status, the nature of domestic violence or other crimes committed, the state you reside in, etc. When you call for help, service providers are not supposed to ask about immigration status. It is important to remember that you must keep your self and your children safe. You cannot be responsible for your husband’s crime.
Should I go to a doctor if I think I am injured?
Yes. If you think you may be injured, go to a doctor immediately. If you do not have health insurance, then go to a city or county hospital emergency room.
Should I call the police?
Yes. The police can escort you and your children out of the house if you want to leave and often can transport you to a safe place.
I may stay with a friend for a day, but I will eventually have to return home and then he will get me. What can I do? I have heard of protective orders. What do they do?
You can apply for a protective order through your county attorney’s office. A protective order can prohibit your husband from contacting, attacking, threatening, assaulting, or harassing you, your children, and other family members.
Can I get a protective order even if I am not a US citizen?
Yes. You do not need to be a citizen or legal permanent resident to get a protective order. Civil courts usually do not ask about immigration status for protective orders, child custody orders or divorce orders. Ask a domestic violence organization in your area about the policy in your area.
Should I contact an attorney if I have questions about my immigration status?
Yes. Before contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs & Immigration Services (USCIS) consult an immigration attorney. All discussions with a lawyer are confidential.
I was not married in the US. Can I get a divorce in the US?
Yes. You may get a divorce (dissolution) in the US even if you are not a US. Citizen or legal permanent resident and were not married in the US. You can get a divorce even if your husband does not agree.
Will a divorce or separation affect the immigration status of a permanent resident?
No, your legal status should not be affected if you have permanent resident or legal refugee status.
I am a conditional permanent resident; will divorce or separation affect my immigration status?
If you are a victim of a domestic violence, and you have conditional residency, you can ask for a waiver if your husband will not cooperate in removing your conditional status.
How will I support my children and myself if I leave my husband?
If you are admitted to a battered women’s shelter, you and your children can stay there temporarily (30 to 60 days) without having to pay for your food or room. The shelter staff may help you find a job or discuss your options. You may seek a legal separation or temporary divorce settlement so that you get some child support money each month from the father of your children.
My husband is threatening to take my children away if I leave him, what can I do?
Consult an attorney immediately and ask how you can get a custody order to prohibit your husband from removing the children from the country in which you live.
Will I be deported if I take any of the above actions?
If you are now a US citizen, you cannot be deported. If you are a lawful permanent resident, or possess a valid visa, you can be deported if you entered the US on fraudulent documents, violated conditions of your visa, or have been convicted of certain crimes.
Will my husband be deported if I get help?
If he is a naturalized citizen, he cannot be deported. Deportation depends on many complex factors: his immigration status, the nature of domestic violence or other crimes committed, the state you reside in, etc. When you call for help, service providers are not supposed to ask about immigration status. It is important to remember that you must keep your self and your children safe. You cannot be responsible for your husband’s crime.
Is your help/ counseling available in all US States?
Yes, by obtaining help from the nearest organization.
If we pay can you find out for us about the young man’s suit-ability?
No, we only guide you.
Can you arrange for a free lawyer?
No, but we can help by directing you to appropriate resources
Can you please arrange safe passage out of the US for our daughter?
Sorry, but we don not have the organizational resources available to make such arrangements.
Our daughter’s phone line has been disconnected for over 2 months. Can you ask the police to check on our daughter’s condition?
We can make the request to concerned Federal/ State department of social welfare.
Please send us the divorce laws for the State of Virgina.
Please approach your nearest library for relevant legal resources.
Our son-in-law’s family members have made our daughter’s life miserable. Can you get the US Consulate in Islamabad to refuse to give visa to the in laws, when they apply?
Sorry this is beyond our scope of service
Are your publications available in the US? If so, where?
Please send us your address to following e-mail and we will send you some resources. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ,
Are your publications also available in Urdu?
Yes
Our son-in-law registered a theft case against our daughter when he sent her to Pakistan. A warrant is now out for her arrest so she cannot return to fight the case.
We can counsel you regarding this issue, if you can come to our Islamabad office.
I cannot understand your website clearly, can you convert your site to Urdu.
Work is currently underway to convert our website to Urdu
Yes, by obtaining help from the nearest organization.
If we pay can you find out for us about the young man’s suit-ability?
No, we only guide you.
Can you arrange for a free lawyer?
No, but we can help by directing you to appropriate resources
Can you please arrange safe passage out of the US for our daughter?
Sorry, but we don not have the organizational resources available to make such arrangements.
Our daughter’s phone line has been disconnected for over 2 months. Can you ask the police to check on our daughter’s condition?
We can make the request to concerned Federal/ State department of social welfare.
Please send us the divorce laws for the State of Virgina.
Please approach your nearest library for relevant legal resources.
Our son-in-law’s family members have made our daughter’s life miserable. Can you get the US Consulate in Islamabad to refuse to give visa to the in laws, when they apply?
Sorry this is beyond our scope of service
Are your publications available in the US? If so, where?
Please send us your address to following e-mail and we will send you some resources. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ,
Are your publications also available in Urdu?
Yes
Our son-in-law registered a theft case against our daughter when he sent her to Pakistan. A warrant is now out for her arrest so she cannot return to fight the case.
We can counsel you regarding this issue, if you can come to our Islamabad office.
I cannot understand your website clearly, can you convert your site to Urdu.
Work is currently underway to convert our website to Urdu