Safety & Scams

Section 10 · Protect Yourself

VAWA has special privacy protections because safety comes first. Protect your information in the group, in messages, and with anyone you pay.

Safety help · Hotline

Need help right now?

National Domestic Violence Hotline — call 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or chat at thehotline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7, in English, Spanish, and 200+ languages through interpretation. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Privacy rules for every member

Never post receipt numbers, A-Numbers, barcodes, or full notices with personal data
Cover personal information in any photo before sharing — and ask if you’re not sure
Don’t share your home address if it isn’t safe — talk to an attorney/legal aid about a safe mailing address
Be careful with DMs: group admins will never ask for your receipt number or payment by DM

How VAWA privacy works — in general

USCIS states VAWA self-petitioners can petition without the abuser’s knowledge or consent, and federal law restricts disclosure of VAWA case information. That’s why keeping your own information private in public posts matters so much.

Source: USCIS VAWA page — read the current official version there.

Scam red flags — stop and check if you see any of these

“Guaranteed approval” or “I have a special connection at USCIS”
A “notario,” consultant, or preparer claiming to be a lawyer or to give legal advice
Pressure to pay fast, in cash, gift cards, crypto, or wire — or to keep the deal secret
Refusing to give you copies of what was filed, receipts, or a written agreement
Offering a ready-made letter, declaration, or story for you to copy and sign
Asking you to sign blank forms, or forms you don’t understand

If it feels off, pause. Verify them in Section 06, ask in the group without sharing private numbers, and report suspected immigration scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to USCIS through its fraud reporting page.

About template letters — why you won’t find them here

No copy-and-paste legal documents in this library

You will not find template expedite letters, sample declarations, or example RFE responses here — on purpose. USCIS decides requests like expedites case-by-case on specific, documented circumstances, so a generic letter that doesn’t match your real situation can hurt you and can look like coaching. What you will find here is education: what USCIS says its criteria are, a blank worksheet to organize your own facts and documents, and a prompt to take it to an attorney or legal aid before you file anything.

Asking for your case to go faster is called an expedite request. USCIS decides expedites case-by-case — nobody can promise an expedite will be granted, and this library provides no expedite template. USCIS criteria include severe financial loss, emergencies or urgent humanitarian situations, and clear USCIS error. Official information: USCIS: How to Make an Expedite Request.