VAWA: a green card for abused spouses, children and parents, without the abuser
Normally a family green card depends on the relative filing and cooperating. The Violence Against Women Act lets the victim of battery or extreme cruelty by a US citizen or permanent resident spouse, parent, or adult child petition alone, confidentially, on Form I-360, without the abuser knowing. The petitioner must show the relationship, the abuse, having lived with the abuser, good moral character, and, for spouses, a marriage entered in good faith. An approved VAWA self-petition leads to a green card, with immediate relatives of citizens able to adjust at once. The abuser is never contacted.
Education, not legal advice.
Talk to an attorney who does VAWA work