The stories recounted in this volume document the experiences of battered immigrants from around the country. In all of these cases, battered immigrants either filed or are in the process of filing self-petitions. Once the battered immigrant’s self-petition is approved the victim may apply for lawful permanent residency. The purpose of this compilation has been to highlight the potential hardships and dangers that battered immigrants face if they would be required to leave the United States and travel abroad to receive lawful permanent residency based upon their approved VAWA self-petition. Historically, battered immigrants abused by their U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouses or parents have been generally able to attain lawful permanent residency while continuing to reside in the United States. The stories collected here were used to secure amendments in VAWA 2000 that together with DHS policies allow immigrant victims to obtain lawful permanent residency without being required to leave the United States.