U visa & VAWA
U Visa & VAWA Lawyer — a Former Immigration Judge for Crime Victims and Abuse Survivors
If you were the victim of a serious crime in the United States, or were abused by a spouse, parent or adult child who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, the law may let you stay and build a future here on your own. The U visa protects crime victims who help the authorities; a VAWA self-petition lets survivors of family abuse seek a green card without the abuser's knowledge or signature. Carlos Maury, a former U.S. Immigration Judge who heard cases at the Van Nuys Immigration Court, and before that served as government immigration counsel, handles U visa and VAWA cases in English and Spanish, before USCIS and in immigration court.
Carlos Maury is no longer on the bench and cannot influence any sitting judge or pending case.
Why a former immigration judge
U visa and VAWA cases are decided on paper by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), but many survivors are also in deportation proceedings, where an immigration judge decides whether the court case waits, ends or goes forward. A petition that is strong at USCIS can still be lost in court if the judge does not see it in the record.
Carlos Maury served as a U.S. Immigration Judge at the Van Nuys Immigration Court, appointed by Attorney General Eric Holder, hearing cases from June 2015. As a judge, he decided roughly six hundred asylum cases on their merits in recent years (TRAC judge report (opens in new tab)). From 2002 to 2015 he worked with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles, rising to deputy chief counsel, the side of the courtroom that decides whether to agree to pause or end a case.
That experience shapes how we prepare a survivor's case: we build the declaration and the evidence the way an officer or a judge reads them, address criminal or immigration history openly, and keep the court case and the USCIS case moving together. None of this can promise a particular outcome; every case turns on its own facts and the law.
What we handle
We handle both paths from the first declaration to the green card, and the court case that may run beside them. Our guide to the U visa and our guide to VAWA explain the law in detail. Our printable U visa and VAWA document checklist lists what the official form instructions ask for.
- U visa petitions. Form I-918 for the victim, with the personal statement and the evidence of abuse and helpfulness. See who qualifies for a U visa.
- Law enforcement certifications. Requests to the police, prosecutor or court for Form I-918, Supplement B, the certification every U petition needs.
- Family members. Supplement A for a spouse, children and, for a young victim, parents and siblings; Form I-929 for relatives at the green card stage.
- Waivers for U petitioners. Form I-192, the broad waiver for an unlawful entry, a prior removal or a criminal record.
- VAWA self-petitions. Form I-360 for abused spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens or permanent residents, filed confidentially.
- Green cards. Adjustment of status after three years in U status, or after an approved VAWA self-petition. See our green card lawyer page.
- VAWA cancellation of removal. The defense an immigration judge can grant to a survivor already in court.
- The court case. Continuances, joint motions, stays and motions to reopen while USCIS decides. See our deportation defense lawyer page.
The U visa: protection for crime victims
Under 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(U) (opens in new tab) (INA § 101(a)(15)(U)), the victim must show four things: substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of a qualifying crime; information about that crime; that they have been, are being or are likely to be helpful to the police, a prosecutor, a judge or another authority investigating or prosecuting it; and that the crime violated U.S. law or happened in the United States.
The qualifying crimes include domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, felonious assault, stalking, kidnapping, trafficking, extortion, blackmail, witness tampering, obstruction of justice and others, plus attempts, conspiracies and similar offenses. The elements of the offense matter more than the name the police report gives it (8 C.F.R. § 214.14 (opens in new tab)).
- The certification. Every petition needs Form I-918, Supplement B, signed by a certifying official within the six months before filing (8 U.S.C. § 1184(p) (opens in new tab)). Signing is the agency's decision, and a signed certification does not decide the case: USCIS reviews the whole record.
- The wait. Only 10,000 principal U visas are issued each year, so most petitioners wait years. USCIS may first make a bona fide determination and issue a work permit and deferred action (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 3, Part C, Ch. 5 (opens in new tab)), or place the petitioner on the waiting list.
- The waiver. The U visa has its own waiver, on Form I-192, that can forgive almost any ground of inadmissibility in the public or national interest (8 C.F.R. § 212.17 (opens in new tab)). Violent or dangerous crimes are waived only in extraordinary circumstances.
- Family. A spouse and children, and for a victim under 21 also parents and unmarried siblings under 18, can be included and do not count against the cap.
VAWA: a green card without the abuser
The Violence Against Women Act protects survivors of any gender. A spouse, child or parent who was battered or subjected to extreme cruelty by a U.S.-citizen or permanent-resident family member can file a self-petition on Form I-360 without the abuser's knowledge, signature or cooperation (8 U.S.C. § 1154(a)(1) (opens in new tab)). No police report or certification is required: USCIS must consider any credible evidence.
- Who can file. Spouses in a good-faith marriage (including some who divorced within the past two years for reasons connected to the abuse), children under 21 (or under 25 if the abuse caused the delay), and parents abused by a U.S.-citizen son or daughter age 21 or older (8 C.F.R. § 204.2 (opens in new tab)).
- What must be shown. The family relationship, the abuser's status, having lived with the abuser during the relationship, the abuse, and good moral character. Since December 2025, USCIS asks that extreme cruelty reflect a pattern of power and control (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 3, Part D, Ch. 5 (opens in new tab)).
- Confidentiality. USCIS does not notify the abuser, and federal law bars officials from disclosing the case or relying on information that comes only from the abuser (8 U.S.C. § 1367 (opens in new tab)).
- Entry without inspection. An approved self-petitioner can often adjust status in the United States even without a lawful entry, and the usual bars for unauthorized work or a lapse in status do not apply.
USCIS's current schedule (Form G-1055) lists no charge for the U petition and its supplements, the I-192 waiver for U petitioners, or the VAWA Form I-360.
If you are a survivor, where to start
Safety comes first. If you are in danger, call 911; the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233. Then:
- Keep what you have. Police report numbers, case numbers, protective orders, medical or counseling records, messages and photographs.
- Write down what happened. Dates, places and the people who saw it or whom you told. Your own detailed account is often the heart of the case.
- Find out who handled the crime. The police department, sheriff's office or prosecutor's office that took the report or brought the case is usually the one that can sign the U certification.
- Gather immigration papers. Any notice to appear, prior applications, removal orders and your passport or identity documents.
- Collect court and police records. Any arrest or conviction of your own matters for the waiver and good moral character, even an old one.
- Call a lawyer before filing. A certification expires six months after it is signed, and a court date or an old removal order changes what must be done first.
U visa and VAWA in immigration court
An immigration judge cannot grant a U visa or decide a VAWA self-petition; USCIS has sole jurisdiction over both, even for people in court. Filing does not stop the court case on its own. What happens to it depends on the tools below, and in 2026 several of them narrowed.
- Continuances. A judge may give time to a petition that looks approvable, especially one with a signed certification, under Matter of Sanchez Sosa (opens in new tab).
- Administrative closure. In Matter of Ibarra-Vega, 29 I&N Dec. 476 (BIA 2026) (opens in new tab), the Board refused closure over DHS's objection where a U visa is not available in the reasonably near future. A bona fide determination or a place on the waiting list now matters a great deal.
- Joint motions. ICE counsel may agree, as a matter of discretion, to end the case without prejudice while USCIS decides.
- VAWA cancellation of removal. The judge can grant a green card to a survivor with three years of presence, good moral character and extreme hardship (8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(2) (opens in new tab)).
- Old removal orders. A survivor can move to reopen within a year of the final order, outside the usual 90-day limit; filing stays removal only for some survivors (EOIR Policy Manual, chapter 4.7 (opens in new tab)). A U petitioner with a removal order may ask ICE for a stay. See our motions to reopen guide.
A U visa or VAWA petition is often one of several defenses, alongside asylum or cancellation of removal. Our removal defense guide explains how a court case is built.
From protection to a green card
U status lasts up to four years. After three years of continuous presence in U status, the holder can apply for permanent residence on Form I-485 if they have not unreasonably refused to help the authorities and their stay is justified on humanitarian grounds, for family unity or in the public interest (8 C.F.R. § 245.24 (opens in new tab)). Long trips abroad can break the three years.
For VAWA, an approved self-petitioner whose abuser is a U.S. citizen can file for the green card at once, often together with the I-360; when the abuser is a permanent resident, the survivor waits for the priority date in the Visa Bulletin. Neither path depends on the public charge test. See our adjustment of status guide.
Serving Los Angeles & Southern California
Our office is in Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley, close to the Van Nuys immigration court where Carlos Maury once heard cases. In the Los Angeles area, the certification for a U visa usually comes from the police department, sheriff's office or district attorney that handled the crime; each agency has its own request procedure. Survivors who are in deportation proceedings appear in the Southern California immigration courts, where we regularly handle cases:
- Los Angeles Immigration Court
- West LA Immigration Court
- Van Nuys Immigration Court
- Santa Ana Immigration Court
- Adelanto Immigration Court
- San Diego Immigration Court
- Otay Mesa Immigration Court
- Imperial Immigration Court
See all Los Angeles-area immigration courts. U visa and VAWA petitions themselves are filed by mail with USCIS, wherever you live.
Our page on the Southern California immigration courts covers all eight court locations, including the border courts in San Diego, Otay Mesa and Imperial.
Immigration law is federal, so we represent survivors across the country. We appear in immigration courts in all 50 states, in person or by video where the court allows. Find your court among all 77 immigration courts. Meetings at the Van Nuys office are by appointment only.
Carlos Maury is licensed in Florida. Practice limited to federal immigration law; we represent clients in all 50 states.
Mistakes that can hurt a U visa or VAWA case
- Filing with an expired certification. A Supplement B signed more than six months before USCIS receives the petition is not valid.
- A thin declaration. Your own detailed account carries much of the case, especially for VAWA; a short form statement rarely does.
- Hiding an arrest or a past removal. USCIS will see the record. The waiver and good moral character are argued with the facts, not around them.
- Ignoring the court case. A pending petition does not stop a hearing; missing one can bring a removal order in absentia.
- Refusing reasonable requests for help. For the U visa, helpfulness continues through the green card stage.
- Letting a notario handle it. A "notario" is not a lawyer and cannot represent anyone before USCIS or in immigration court.
About Carlos Maury
Carlos Maury served as a U.S. Immigration Judge at the Van Nuys Immigration Court, appointed by Attorney General Eric Holder, hearing cases from June 2015 (EOIR announcement (opens in new tab)). From 2002 to 2015 he worked with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles, rising to deputy chief counsel. Before that he was district counsel for the former Immigration and Naturalization Service in Miami from 2000 to 2002, and an assistant public defender in Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit from 1993 to 2000.
He earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 1992 and his B.A. from City College of the City University of New York in 1989. He is a member of The Florida Bar (No. 964239) and works with clients in English and Spanish. Read more about Carlos Maury.
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for a U visa?
A victim of a qualifying crime, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, felonious assault or stalking, who suffered substantial physical or mental abuse, has information about the crime and has been, is being or is likely to be helpful to the authorities investigating or prosecuting it. The crime must have violated U.S. law or occurred in the United States.
Do I need the police to sign something for a U visa?
Yes. Every U petition needs Form I-918, Supplement B, signed by a police officer, prosecutor, judge or other certifying official within the six months before filing. Signing is the agency's decision, and USCIS still reviews the whole record.
Can men apply for VAWA?
Yes. Despite its name, VAWA is written in gender-neutral terms. A man abused by a U.S.-citizen or permanent-resident spouse, or by a citizen or resident parent, meets the same requirements and files the same Form I-360.
Will my abuser find out that I applied for VAWA?
USCIS does not notify the abuser. Federal law bars officials from disclosing information about a VAWA case and from basing an adverse finding on information that comes only from the abuser or the abuser's family.
Do I need a police report for VAWA?
No. USCIS must consider any credible evidence. A police report or protective order helps, but a detailed declaration, medical or counseling records and statements from people who saw the abuse can also prove it.
How long does a U visa take?
Usually years. Only 10,000 principal U visas are issued each year and demand is far higher. While petitioners wait, USCIS may grant a work permit and deferred action after a bona fide determination, or place them on a waiting list.
Can I apply if I entered without inspection or have a removal order?
Often yes. The U visa waiver on Form I-192 can forgive an unlawful entry or a prior removal, and an approved VAWA self-petitioner can usually adjust status without a lawful entry. A person with a removal order must also deal with the order, by a stay request or a motion to reopen.
Does a U visa or VAWA petition stop my deportation case?
Not by itself. The immigration judge may continue the case or ICE may agree to end it while USCIS decides, and a judge can grant VAWA cancellation of removal. Since 2026, administrative closure over DHS's objection is much harder to obtain.
Do you handle U visa and VAWA cases for people in Los Angeles?
Yes. Our office is in Van Nuys, and we handle cases in the Los Angeles, Van Nuys, West LA, Santa Ana and Adelanto immigration courts and across Southern California, as well as in immigration courts in all 50 states.
Can Carlos Maury influence the judge or the officer deciding my case?
No. Carlos Maury is no longer on the bench and cannot influence any sitting judge or pending case. What he offers is preparation and experience, not access.
Talk with a former immigration judge about a U visa or VAWA
If you were the victim of a crime or of abuse at home, the facts that decide your options, such as who handled the crime, your history and any court date, should be looked at early. Call to discuss your case. Hablamos español.