Bill > S415

This bill, the Protecting Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence Act, aims to provide immigration status for certain battered spouses and children. The key provisions of the bill are: 1. It allows an abused spouse or child, whose immigrant status is derived from another alien (the "principal alien"), to obtain immigrant status independent of the principal alien under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This applies to abused individuals who are accompanying or following to join the principal alien and have been subject to battery or extreme cruelty by the principal alien. 2. The bill grants admission or extension of admission, employment authorization, and potential adjustment to lawful permanent resident status for these "abused derivative aliens." This is currently not available under VAWA, which only provides a path to immigrant status for abused individuals derived from a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. 3. The bill specifies that termination of the relationship with the principal alien shall not affect the status of the abused derivative alien if the battery or extreme cruelty by the principal alien was a central reason for the relationship's termination.