- Hey everyone.
This is Moumita Rahman
immigration attorney based in New York City.
I serve clients all across all 50 states
and also across the world.
Today I'm going to talk to you about economic abuse,
something that is more common than you might think.
So what is economic abuse?
Economic abuse occurs when your partner
or spouse controls you through money,
either by controlling all of your access to money
or by taking your money away from you.
What are some of the signs of economic abuse?
Some common signs of economic abuse might include
not giving you any access to family financial resources
or forcing you to live on a very small allowance.
It could also mean keeping serious tabs on your spending
so that you have to prove exactly
what you've bought by giving receipts.
It can also include running up credit card debt
in your name or maxing out your credit cards.
Other forms of financial abuse and economic abuse
also include sabotaging your ability to work.
This could either include showing up
at your workplace unannounced or repeatedly
so that it catches the attention of your manager
and coworkers and jeopardizes your ability to keep that job.
It also can include calling you multiple times at work
so that it disrupts your performance.
Could also include pressuring you to quit your job
so that you end up becoming reliant
on your partner for all funds instead.
Economic abuse can also include preventing you
from having your own financial accounts
so that only your partner or spouse might be the ones
that have a bank account.
This way, any money that you earn is required
to be given over to your spouse
so that they are the only ones
who have control over the money.
Economic abuse can also include
forcing you to work many hours or even turning over
all of your pay to your spouse.
Economic abuse can also include
forcing you to quit school
so that you can not pursue further education
and get a better job.
Another very common form of economic abuse for immigrants
includes threatening to cut you off from all sources
of money if you disagree or if you refuse
to do what your spouse asked you to do.
So why is this important if you're an immigrant?
If you are an immigrant in an abusive relationship,
you have to understand that you do have options
despite whatever your spouse might tell you.
If you're already married to a US citizen
or to a Green Card holder,
you may be eligible to file for VAWA.
With VAWA, you are able to self-petition for a Green Card.
And even if your spouse has never actually left marks
on your body or hit you physically,
it is important to know that economic abuse
is still considered domestic violence.
Did you know that 94 to 99% of all persons
who have suffered domestic violence physically
have also been subjected to economic abuse?
This is a staggering figure and one that just confirms
that economic abuse is another type of violence used
against a partner to control and isolate them.
If you've been the victim of economic abuse,
you can also use it to request a waiver of your form I-751.
The bottom line is that if you are an immigrant
and you're married to a US citizen or to a Green Card holder
and they are using money to control you, don't hesitate,
make sure you speak with an attorney
to find out what your options might be.
I hope that you found this video informative and helpful.
If you have a family member or a friend
who you think might benefit from this,
please be sure to share it because you never know
when this might be of use.
I'm Moumita Rahman the immigration attorney
helping you navigate the complex world of immigration.
See you next time.
- [Announcer] This video is for informational purposes only
and does not constitute legal advice.
For proper legal advice on your case,
please call us to set up a consultation.