The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating its policies related to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) following concerns about “rampant fraud” being committed by immigrants applying for the program, the agency said in a statement on Dec. 22.
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who wish to bring family members to the United States through the family-based immigration process must file petitions to sponsor their relatives. However, this creates a situation where the petitioner could abuse the immigrant family members by threatening to withhold the petition.
