VAWA Personal Declaration Letter Guide – Sample Letters

DECLARATION OF PRIYA SHARMA IN SUPPORT OF FORM I-360 VAWA SELF-PETITION

I, Priya Sharma, hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the following is true and correct:

My name is Priya Sharma. I was born on July 22, 1988, in New Delhi, India. I am filing this VAWA self-petition because I have suffered extreme emotional cruelty, psychological abuse, and economic control at the hands of my husband, Vikram Sharma, who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

I want to be clear: my husband never hit me. But the abuse I experienced was just as devastating. He systematically isolated me from everyone I knew, controlled every aspect of my life, destroyed my self-worth through constant criticism and humiliation, and used my immigration status to trap me in the marriage.

My marriage to Vikram was arranged by our families in India. We met twice before our wedding—once at my parents’ home with both families present, and once at a restaurant in Delhi. Both meetings were brief and supervised. Vikram seemed polite and successful. He had been living in the United States for eight years and worked as a software engineer. My parents were impressed by his career and his green card status.

We married on December 12, 2017, in New Delhi, India, in a traditional Hindu ceremony with over 300 guests. I was hopeful about starting a new life in America with my husband.

I arrived in the United States on April 5, 2018, after my immigrant visa was approved. Vikram picked me up from Newark Airport, and we drove to his apartment at 156 Oak Lane, Edison, New Jersey 08817. This is where I would live for the next four years.

The controlling behavior began almost immediately. Within my first week in America, Vikram established rules I was expected to follow:

1. I was not allowed to leave the apartment without his permission.
2. I could not speak to neighbors or make friends.
3. I was forbidden from learning to drive.
4. All phone calls to my family in India had to be made on speakerphone so he could listen.
5. I was not allowed to work, even though I have a bachelor’s degree in commerce.

Vikram told me these rules were “for my own protection” because America was “dangerous” and I “didn’t understand how things worked here.” At first, I believed him. But as months passed, I realized he simply wanted to control me.

He took my passport and kept it locked in a safe. He said it was “for safekeeping,” but whenever I asked for it, he refused. He told me, “You don’t need it. You’re not going anywhere.”

Every day, Vikram found reasons to criticize me. Nothing I did was ever good enough:

“You’re so stupid—you can’t even load the dishwasher correctly.”
“My mother was right. You’re useless. I should have married someone better.”
“Look at you—you’ve gained weight. You’re disgusting. No wonder I don’t want to touch you.”
“Your English is terrible. You embarrass me.”
“You’re lucky I married you. No one else would want a girl from your family.”

He said things like this every single day. After months of hearing that I was stupid, worthless, and ugly, I began to believe it. I stopped looking in mirrors. I stopped caring about my appearance. I cried constantly when he was at work.

When his family called from India, he would put them on speakerphone and complain about me in front of them. His mother would join in, criticizing my cooking, my housekeeping, and even my inability to get pregnant. These calls happened at least twice a week and always left me feeling humiliated and ashamed.

Vikram controlled all finances completely. He gave me no access to money. I had no bank account, no credit card, and no cash. If I needed anything—shampoo, sanitary products, medicine—I had to ask him, and he would decide if it was “necessary.”

Once, I had a severe toothache and asked to see a dentist. He said dentists were “too expensive” and told me to “deal with it.” I suffered with the pain for two months until the tooth became infected, and only then did he take me to a dentist because he was afraid the infection might spread.

He bought groceries himself because he did not trust me with money. He counted every item in the refrigerator and would become angry if I used “too much” of anything. Once, he yelled at me for 30 minutes because I had used two eggs instead of one for my breakfast.

I was completely financially dependent on him. I could not buy a bus ticket, make a phone call (he controlled the phone), or purchase anything without his approval. This was deliberate—he wanted me to have no means of escape.

Vikram constantly used my immigration status to control me. He filed the I-130 petition for me reluctantly and reminded me regularly that he could “withdraw it anytime.”

His most frequent threats included:

“If you ever try to leave, I’ll cancel your immigration case and you’ll be deported.”
“I’m the only reason you’re allowed to be in this country. Remember that.”
“If you tell anyone about our problems, I’ll report you to immigration and say you only married me for a green card.”
“Go ahead, call the police. Who will they believe—a permanent resident or an immigrant who barely speaks English?”

I believed these threats. I was terrified that if I tried to get help, I would be deported back to India where I would be shamed for a failed marriage. In my community, divorce brings tremendous stigma to a woman and her family. I felt trapped.

The years of abuse destroyed my mental health. I developed severe depression and anxiety. I had panic attacks, sometimes two or three times a week. I lost interest in everything. I stopped eating properly and lost 25 pounds. I had thoughts of suicide—I felt that death was the only escape.

I was not allowed to see a therapist or doctor. Vikram said therapy was “for crazy people” and that I should “just pray” if I felt sad. I suffered alone, with no support and no one to talk to.

In February 2022, I called the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) using a phone at the public library—the only place Vikram allowed me to go alone, once a week, for one hour. The advocate I spoke with told me that what I was experiencing was abuse, even without physical violence. She connected me with a local organization that helps immigrant abuse survivors.

On March 3, 2022, while Vikram was at work, an advocate from the organization came with a locksmith and helped me get my passport from the safe. I left with only a small bag of clothes. The organization placed me in a confidential shelter where I stayed for three months. I now live in transitional housing and am receiving counseling for the trauma I experienced.

From April 2018 to March 2022, I lived with Vikram at 156 Oak Lane, Edison, New Jersey 08817. I am attaching a copy of our lease showing both our names (Exhibit A), utility bills in both names (Exhibit B), and joint tax returns for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 (Exhibits C-F).

Vikram Sharma is a lawful permanent resident of the United States. He obtained his green card in 2010 through employment sponsorship. I have seen his green card (Permanent Resident Card) many times during our marriage. The card showed it was valid for 10 years and listed his A-Number. He renewed it in 2020. I am asking that USCIS verify his status through its records.

I have never been arrested or charged with any crime in India or the United States. I am attaching a police clearance certificate from India (Exhibit G) and a background check from New Jersey (Exhibit H).

Since leaving my husband, I have worked hard to rebuild my life. I completed an ESL program and am now enrolled in a bookkeeping certificate course at the community college. I volunteer weekly at a food bank, sorting and distributing groceries to families in need. I attend counseling regularly to address the trauma from my marriage. I am attaching letters from my ESL teacher (Exhibit I), my counselor (Exhibit J), and the food bank coordinator (Exhibit K).

For four years, I lived in isolation and fear. My husband controlled every aspect of my life—who I could speak to, where I could go, what I could eat, whether I could see a doctor. He systematically destroyed my self-esteem through constant criticism and humiliation. He used my immigration status as a weapon to keep me trapped.

I did not experience physical violence, but the emotional and psychological abuse I suffered was extreme cruelty under VAWA. I lost years of my life, my mental health, and nearly my will to live.

I am asking for protection under VAWA so I can remain in the United States, continue my healing, and build the independent life I was never allowed to have during my marriage.

DECLARATION OF CARLOS RODRIGUEZ IN SUPPORT OF FORM I-360 VAWA SELF-PETITION

I, Carlos Rodriguez, declare under penalty of perjury that the following is true and correct:

My name is Carlos Rodriguez. I was born on May 3, 2001, in Guadalajara, Mexico. I am 22 years old. I am filing this VAWA self-petition because I was abused by my father, Roberto Rodriguez, who is a United States citizen, throughout my childhood and into my adult years.

My father, Roberto Rodriguez, is a US citizen who was born in Texas. He met my mother, Elena Sanchez, while working in Mexico in the late 1990s. They married in Mexico in 1999. I was born in 2001, and my younger sister, Ana, was born in 2003.

My parents’ relationship was troubled from the beginning. My father was often angry and would yell at my mother. I remember hiding in my room as a small child while they fought. In 2005, my father moved back to the United States for work. He would visit us in Mexico two or three times a year.

In 2010, when I was 9 years old, my father filed immigration petitions for me, my sister, and my mother. We received our immigrant visas in 2012 and moved to Houston, Texas, to live with him. I was excited to finally live with my father full-time. I did not know what was coming.

From the time we arrived in the United States, my father was physically abusive to me. He believed in strict discipline and used violence to control me.

Incident: August 2012 (Age 11)

About a month after we arrived, I received a C grade on a math test. When my father saw the grade, he removed his belt and hit me across the back and legs 15 to 20 times. I had welts and bruises that made it painful to sit for a week. He told me, “In this house, failure is not acceptable.” This was the first of many beatings for poor grades.

Pattern of Physical Abuse (2012-2019)

Throughout middle school and high school, my father beat me regularly. He used his belt, his hands, and sometimes a wooden paddle he kept in his closet. I was beaten for: bad grades, talking back, forgetting to do chores, coming home late from school, and sometimes for no reason I could understand—just because he was in a bad mood.

I learned to stay invisible. I stayed in my room as much as possible. I walked quietly. I did everything I could to avoid setting him off. But it was never enough.

Incident: March 2016 (Age 14)

My father discovered I had a girlfriend at school—a girl named Jennifer who was in my class. He was furious that I was “distracted” from my studies. He punched me in the face, giving me a black eye. Then he grabbed my phone and smashed it against the floor. He said, “You will have nothing until you prove you deserve it.” I told my teacher I fell off my bicycle to explain my black eye.

Incident: November 2018 (Age 17)

I told my father I wanted to apply to art school instead of engineering school. He said artists were “failures” and “losers.” When I insisted, he grabbed me by the throat and pushed me against the wall. He said, “You will do what I say or I will send you back to Mexico where you belong. I brought you here. I can send you back.” He held me against the wall until I agreed to apply to engineering programs.

The emotional abuse was constant. My father regularly told me I was worthless, stupid, and a disappointment. He compared me unfavorably to his coworkers’ children. He said things like:

“You’re an embarrassment to this family.”
“I wasted money bringing you here. You’re not worth it.”
“I should have left you in Mexico.”
“You’ll never amount to anything. You’re just like your mother—useless.”

He also used my immigration status as a threat. Even though I had a green card, he told me he could “have it revoked” if I didn’t obey him. He said, “Immigration listens to citizens, not to immigrants like you. One phone call and you’re gone.” I did not know if this was true, but I was terrified of being deported and separated from my sister.

I endured the abuse for years because I did not know I had options. I was afraid of being deported. I was afraid for my mother and sister, who were also being abused. I thought this was normal—that all fathers disciplined their children this way.

My mother finally found the courage to leave my father in 2020. She took my sister and moved to a domestic violence shelter. I stayed behind because I was 19 and in college, and I did not want to disrupt my education. I tried to maintain a relationship with my father, hoping things would improve. They did not.

Incident: January 2022 (Age 20)

I visited my father during winter break. He had been drinking. He accused me of “choosing” my mother over him. He punched me in the stomach and threw a glass at my head. The glass missed but shattered against the wall. I left that night and have not returned.

I lived with my father at 2847 Sunset Drive, Houston, Texas 77005 from August 2012 until August 2019, when I left for college. I continued to stay with him during school breaks until January 2022. I am attaching school enrollment records showing this address (Exhibit A), my Texas driver’s license with this address (Exhibit B), and family photographs taken at the residence (Exhibit C).

Roberto Rodriguez is a United States citizen by birth. He was born on February 14, 1970, in El Paso, Texas. I have seen his U.S. passport and his Texas birth certificate multiple times. I am attaching a copy of my birth certificate showing him as my father (Exhibit D) and the I-130 petition he filed for me (Exhibit E).

I have never been arrested or convicted of any crime. I am a full-time student at the University of Houston, where I am studying graphic design—the field I always wanted to pursue. I maintain a 3.4 GPA. I work part-time at the university library. I volunteer with a youth mentoring program, helping high school students with college applications.

I am attaching my academic transcript (Exhibit F), a letter from my employer (Exhibit G), and a letter from the mentoring program coordinator (Exhibit H).

My father was supposed to protect me. Instead, he hurt me—physically and emotionally—for years. He used violence to control me and threats of deportation to keep me afraid. The abuse has affected me deeply. I struggle with anxiety and have difficulty trusting authority figures. I am working with a counselor to address these issues.

I am asking for VAWA protection so I can remain safely in the United States, complete my education, and build a life free from my father’s abuse and control. I have no family in Mexico—my mother and sister are here, and they need me as much as I need them.