The Visa Bulletin when your abuser has a green card
If your abuser is a lawful permanent resident, your self-petition is in the second-preference category for spouses, F2A. You can adjust status only when your priority date is current in the Visa Bulletin. The wait is real, and there are rules that can shorten it or protect you during it.
Current as of October 2026. We re-check this page every quarter and after any change in the law.
A spouse of a U.S. citizen and a spouse of a permanent resident file the same form, Form I-360, but they land in different lines. The citizen's spouse is an immediate relative under INA 204(a)(1)(A)(iii). The resident's spouse is F2A under INA 204(a)(1)(B)(ii), and F2A is a preference category with a monthly cut-off. This page is about that line. It is part of the guide to your green card after VAWA.
What "current" means
Under INA 203(a)(2)(A), an F2A self-petitioner adjusts status only when the priority date is current in the Visa Bulletin. The State Department publishes the bulletin each month. Find it at the Visa Bulletin page on travel.state.gov. We never print a date here, because the date moves from month to month, and a stale date on a website can cause a wrong filing.
Approval of the self-petition and a current priority date are two different events. The I-360 can be approved long before the date is current. Until it is, the green card application waits.
Your priority date
The priority date is your place in line. If your abuser once filed a Form I-130 for you, the priority date from that earlier petition can carry to your self-petition (8 C.F.R. 204.2(h)(2)). That can move you forward in line. Bring any receipt notice, copy or photo of one that you have. If the abuser kept every paper, say so. You do not need to ask the abuser for anything, and we never contact the abuser.
If the abuser's status changes
| What happens | Effect on your petition | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| The abuser naturalizes after you file | Your petition converts to immediate-relative classification | INA 204(a)(1)(B)(v) |
| The abuser loses status after you file | Your petition is not affected | INA 204(a)(1)(B)(v) |
| The abuser lost or renounced status within the 2 years before you file, related to an incident of domestic violence | You may still self-petition | INA 204(a)(1)(B)(ii)(II)(aa)(CC)(aaa) |
The last row has its own page: when the abuser died or lost status.
Your children and the wait
Your children can be included on your petition as derivatives, whether or not they were abused (INA 204(a)(1)(B)(ii); 8 C.F.R. 204.2(c)(4)). A long F2A wait raises a real worry: a child turning 21. Under INA 204(a)(1)(D)(i)(III), (D)(ii), a derivative child who turns 21 before approval is treated as a self-petitioner with your priority date, so the child keeps the place in line. See children on your petition.
Living through the wait
The wait is not time without protection. Once the self-petition is approved, you are eligible for a work permit (INA 204(a)(1)(K)), and approved self-petitioners may be considered for deferred action on a case-by-case basis (USCIS Policy Manual Vol. 3, Part D). Before approval, a prima facie determination can make you a "qualified alien" for certain public benefits, if the abuse happened in the United States, the benefits agency finds a substantial connection between the abuse and the need for benefits, and the abuser no longer lives in the same household (8 U.S.C. 1641(c); 8 C.F.R. 204.2(c)(6)(i)).
- Do not travel without talking to us. See travel and advance parole.
- Do not remarry before approval. Remarriage before approval is a basis for denial (8 C.F.R. 204.2(c)(1)(ii)). See divorce, remarriage and your case.
- Any arrest or charge: talk to your criminal lawyer before you write anything down, and read arrested or charged.
- Keep a safe address on file. See the safe filing checklist.
When the date becomes current, the green card application follows the same rules as any VAWA adjustment, including the exceptions for entry without inspection and public charge. USCIS processing times are posted at uscis.gov/processing-times.
Read next: the self-petition for a green card holder's spouse, children on your petition, your work permit, or your green card after VAWA.
Common questions
What is the current wait for F2A?
We never print Visa Bulletin dates, because they change every month and an old date on a website is worse than none. The State Department publishes the Visa Bulletin at travel.state.gov. We read it against your priority date at the consultation and whenever a new bulletin comes out.
My abuser filed an I-130 for me years ago. Does that help?
It can. Under 8 C.F.R. 204.2(h)(2), a priority date from an earlier I-130 filed by the abuser can carry to the self-petition. Bring any receipt notice or copy you have. If the abuser kept the papers, tell us; there are ways to look for the record that do not involve contacting the abuser.
What happens if my abuser becomes a citizen?
Under INA 204(a)(1)(B)(v), if a permanent resident abuser naturalizes after you file, your petition converts to the immediate-relative category. The F2A Visa Bulletin wait described on this page then no longer governs your case. We check for this when it is relevant to you.
Can I work while I wait for my priority date?
An approved self-petitioner is eligible for employment authorization under INA 204(a)(1)(K), and approved self-petitioners may be considered for deferred action on a case-by-case basis. That means you do not need a current priority date to apply for a work permit once the I-360 is approved.
The lawyers who will handle your case
One of them calls you back, privately, on your terms.
Talk to a lawyer privately. You decide how we reach you.
Tell us a safe number or email and a safe time, and whether we can leave a message. We never contact the person who hurt you, and we never call from a number or send anything that names this site. The first conversation is free and confidential, in English, Russian, Spanish or Uzbek, with a live interpreter for any other language.